There are 3 main bushings that need to be replaced in this project:
1. The shift coupler bushing
As you can see, my current shift coupler bushing was almost totally disintegrated. The brass replacement kit from Pelican is the ideal replacement and comes with some very comprehensive instructions. The brass replacements look great once installed. It’s takes a lot of adjustment to get the shifter right when you put it back in, because the brass has different dimensions to the bushings you marked the position for.
2. Cup bushing at the bottom of the shifter
Under the shifting stick for both manual and sportomatic transmissions you will find a cup bushing. It’s hard to tell if it’s worn, the stick will have a small dead spot where it feels loose. It’s fairly straightforward to pry the old one off, then lubricate and install the new.
3. Shifter tunnel bushing
The shift rod tunnel bushing requires removing the ball cup at the end of the shifting rod via a cone shaped allen key screw. The metal mount itself would have been unscrewed in order to remove the shifter itself. Slide off and remove the entire mount. It requires quite a bit of leverage to extract the worn bearing given it has a flange, but the new one pushes in fairly easily.
