Shift Lever Rebuild

[JohnS]

I rebuilt another stock 4-speed shift lever today using all new internal and lower parts.  I know this topic has been covered many times.  Hoping that these pictures of the stock shift lever stack can be helpful to somebody as a reference.  Take note, when installing the lever it tilts towards the rear and slightly toward the driver.  Cheers,

John

 

 

Edited May 31, 2022 by JohnS
spelling

[paulyg]

Does the upper lever just click into place on those two rubber pieces, or is it retained by the circlip?

[popovm]

7 minutes ago, paulyg said:

Does the upper lever just click into place on those two rubber pieces, or is it retained by the circlip?

That little devil above the circlip in the first pic is a snap ring sort of thing that seats into that slight bulge on the lip of the upper lever. I hate it with a burning passion. Took me better part of an hour to get that sucker back in. I don't know why it's not a regular circlip. Unless someone gives me a good reason I am replacing it with a regular circlip if I ever need to go back in there. 

 

 

@JohnS, thanks for posting. I am realizing mine is missing that bronze colored washer/shim/spacer above the plastic cup. I guess that helps prevent the spring from chewing up that cup. As mentioned above, I am not in any hurry to get back in there but at least good to know my setup is a little deficient? ha

[PapaG]

Yes, that clip is a real challenge to get in. I forgot how I finally did it, but like you, that clip alone took me at least an hour.

[JohnS]

24 minutes ago, popovm said:

@JohnS, thanks for posting. I am realizing mine is missing that bronze colored washer/shim/spacer above the plastic cup. I guess that helps prevent the spring from chewing up that cup. 

That's probably what that bronze colored washer is for.  I'm not really sure if it's needed or not.  That's the way it came out, but I know that someone else had been in there before so who knows.  I do know that there were several of those bronze washers under the lower plastic cup on my 73tii against the shift platform.  There I can see that they serve more of a useful purpose.  Yes, that little "bitch clip" can be a PITA to get in.  This time after saying the f-word a few times it almost majically snapped into place.  I was so stoked.  It only took me a few minutes.

 

I had always wondered why my shift lever was so floppy.  It turns out that whoever rebuilt it before filled it with silicone glue instead of the proper rubber parts.  Getting all of that glue out before I assembled things correctly was more of a pain than the clip.  I should have taken pics of all that glue.  It sucked.

Edited May 31, 2022 by JohnS

[jimk]

I drilled a small hole on the upper edge of the snap ring groove.  Then slotted the hole towards the bottom.  Makes snap ring removal/install easy.  That area is covered by the boot.  No pics, i did it before cameras were invented.

[Stevenola]

I installed a 10mm ID x 13mm OD x 20mm L bronze bushing which will never wear out in my lifetime in place of the cheap plastic one at the bottom of the lever.

[johnnyb]

Does performing this rebuild do anything to keep the upper lever from rotating around the lower lever?  My '71 (early 4-speed with the different linkage to the transmission) feels pretty good between gates, but the whole upper lever (not just the shift knob) rotates whenever I grab it.  I don't see how replacing the bushings and retaining rings would help with this particular issue- is it just common to all of these levers? 

[JohnS]

13 hours ago, jimk said:

I drilled a small hole on the upper edge of the snap ring groove.  Then slotted the hole towards the bottom.  Makes snap ring removal/install easy.  That area is covered by the boot.  No pics, i did it before cameras were invented.

Both of the shift levers that I recently rebuilt already had that little slit in them from the factory.  Without that slit, popping the thing open would be a pain.  I used an ice pick in that slit to pop out the little clip.  Both levers were the newer style (74 and later) where the lower parts is set up for the newer style linkage.  My 73 still has the older style shift lever.  I'll have to check whether it has the slit or not. 

[JohnS]

42 minutes ago, johnnyb said:

Does performing this rebuild do anything to keep the upper lever from rotating around the lower lever?  My '71 (early 4-speed with the different linkage to the transmission) feels pretty good between gates, but the whole upper lever (not just the shift knob) rotates whenever I grab it.  I don't see how replacing the bushings and retaining rings would help with this particular issue- is it just common to all of these levers? 

The new upper rubber parts make it pretty tight.  You can still rotate it, but it doesn't rotate easily.  Before the rebuild, mine rotated super easy which I hated.  Probably over time the rubber wears out or shrinks and then it will rotate again.  That's why I prefer the original black rubber shift knobs with no BMW logo or shift pattern on them.  If it rotates a little, no biggie.

 

Those original rubber knobs are hard to find these days.  Most people took them off and replaced them with a fancy walnut shift knob with the BMW logo.  I scour pick-and-pulls and e-bay looking for these things now.  The top pic is my favorite shift knob in my 73.  I've been told by somebody in the know that it's a MotorSport knob probably from an early Euro 635csi.  It's a little more squared off at the top and has some texture on the top (I found it on ebay).  The other pic is an original 2002 rubber shift knob in my 74.  I love these things, but I'm weird ?

 

I'm also into old radios.

 

Edited June 1, 2022 by JohnS

[Son of Marty]

John, I'm with you I love the rubber knob it just fits your hand right and the weight imo is just right.

['76mintgrün'02]

 

I've added 1 1/4" inches in height and 4 ounces of weight, with this glass door/shift knob.

 

 

That knob weighs six ounces and the little rubber stock knob weighs two ounces.

 

I also added 20 ounces of lead to the link

 

 

and almost 3/8" between the ball and pivot.

 

 

and bronze bushings.

 

 

Otherwise, it's pretty much stock.   

 

Tom

[popovm]

@'76mintgrün'02 @Stevenola That bushing is a great idea. How did you install it? Did you need a press or would judicious use of a BF hammer be sufficient? 

['76mintgrün'02]

23 minutes ago, popovm said:

How did you install it? Did you need a press or would judicious use of a BF hammer be sufficient? 

 

The original tube at the bottom of my shifter was worn out and the hole was ovalized, so I originally used JB weld to fill the gap around the bushings.  It was that slop that inspired the use of bronze, plus the rebuild kit I received did not have the plastic top hat bushings included.  The JB weld failed though and the bushings were loose when I got back under there last winter, so I cut off the old tube and welded on a new piece of 3/4" OD x 1/2" ID tube and put the bushings in the new one.  

All that to say, a LF hammer should be all it takes; if that.  They should be a slip fit.

 

Tom

[JohnS]

2 hours ago, '76mintgrün'02 said:

Otherwise, it's pretty much stock.   

 

Tom

Ha, I thought I was weird.  At least I know I'm in good company.  I love this place...

 

Don't get me started on guns... Desert Eagles from IMI, but I digress ? they're pretty much "stock", NOT!

Edited June 1, 2022 by JohnS