A1-Mk1/A2-Mk1/A3-Mk3 Transmission/Shift Linkage Kits:

• Introduction
  • Theory of Operation
  • Background
    • Race tested shift linkage
  • What does a typical shift linkage rebuild kit include?
• Short throw shifter
  • Note on 16V Relay Shafts
  • Adjustable Short Throw Arm
• Weighted shift rod kit
  • Billet Weighted Shift Rod
• Shift Linkage Upgrade
  • Shift Linkage Installation
• Relay Shaft Bushings
  • Extreme Duty Relay Shaft Bushings
• A1/A2/A3 Shift Rod Bearing
• A1 Relay Shaft / Lever Replacement Ball
• A2/A3 Relay Shaft Ball Cover
• Replacement Ball Studs
• Pricing Information
  • Custom orders
  • Be sure to check out the VW Vortex A2 Project Car article
    • and Vortex/forum special shipping offer
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Installation Instructions
  • Shift Linkage Tune-up
    • Diagnosing Shift Linkage Problems
  • Feel free to print a copy for use during installation, or add a printed copy to your order for $1.00

Introduction:

If you look closely at the water-cooled VW shift linkage, its truly a marvel of mechanical design. It transmits the front-back and side-side motion of the shift lever on the floor of the vehicle into motion on selector shaft of the transmission, to allow shifting gears. Front-back motion of the gear shift is transferred as back-front motion of the shift rod which in turn is translated into left-right rotation of the relay shaft which in turn is translated into a rotation of the selector shaft. Side-side motion of the gear shift is converted to rotation of the shift rod, which is converted to a left-right motion of the rear selector rod then to a front-back motion of the front selector rod which pushes and pulls on the selector shaft of the transmission. Click on the image(s) below for a detailed view of a typical A1 or A2/A3 shift linkage:

A1: Shift Linkage Diagram	A2/A3-020: Shift Linkage Diagram

With all these rods and levers and bushings, its a wonder you can even shift gears at all. In fact, when I recently purchased a used '82 diesel pickup, I pretty much couldn't shift gears at all. Most of the bushings were worn out, the gear shift was not properly aligned on the vehicle and the wrong gear oil was in the transmission.

Theory of Operation:

The shift linkage is made up of two main parts, the rear part is the shift lever, gates, and reverse lockout and the rear shift rod that runs from the shifter up to the engine bay. This rod both moves back and forth as well as rotates, so has 2 degrees of freedom. The second part of the linkage is the forward linkage. Its purpose is to split up the linear and rotational motion of the main rod into two discrete components.

The selector lever is clamped to the end of the rear shift rod and has a ball stud on the end that converts the rotational motion into a side-side motion that gets transferred via the rear selector rod to the relay lever (or bell crank) which converts the side-side motion to a fore-aft motion which is transferred by the forward selector rod to the selector lever on the transaxle. The selector lever is what "selects" the various sections of the gearing; R, or 1-2, or 3-4, or 5(-6) gear sets.

The second component of the forward shift linkage is that the selector lever has a cage on it that captures a ball attached to a lever off the the relay shaft. This converts the fore-aft motion of the rear shift rod into a rotational motion in the relay shaft. The shaft pivots inside a pair of bushings. On the top of the relay shaft is an arm that converts the rotational motion to a side-side motion to which the forward shift rod attaches and then connects to the selector lever on the transaxle. At the selector lever, the side-side motion is converted back to a rotational motion that is used to select between gears within a set, for example 1st or 2nd gear.

If you look at the selector lever on the transaxle itself, the shifting motion is shown below:

Diagram of Gear Selection

---- FRONT/TRANSAXLE ----

            +--> Reverse
            |
2nd gear <--+--> 1st gear
            |
4th gear <--+--> 3rd gear
            |
            +--> 5th gear

----- REAR/FIREWALL -----

This diagram is laid out as you would observe the motion while standing in front of the vehicle looking down at the shift linkage. As such, it will appear to be reversed unless you turn the page upside down.

Background:

When I first got my '82 Caddy, the transmission and clutch were fairly new, but the PO had not done anything with the shift linkage. Shifting was horrible, I could only get into 1st gear at a complete stop and only by shifting into 2nd then repeatedly trying to reach 1st. Every stop light was a race to see if I could find 1st gear before the light changed. So, I set about to fix it:

• First thing I did was to replace the unknown grade/brand of gear oil with a GL-4 Redline manual transmission oil, I used MT-90 but MTL is also a good choice. The proper gear oil greatly improved my shifting while moving. Running the proper gear oil allows the synchomesh rings to do their job better to speed up or slow down their gears to mesh properly for easier shifting.
• Next, I pulled the gear shift boot and found the shifter base was not aligned properly to the holes in the floor. I loosened the retaining bolts and moved the base around until it aligned properly and tightened everything back down. I found this helped, but it was still not shifting as I would like it.
• I determined that the shift linkage was very sloppy, there was a lot of play and some of the bushings were completely worn out. I decided to order a full linkage kit and short throw shift kit from Techtonics Tuning. This was installed and the new bushings helped firm things up even more. However I felt there was still something more to be done to improve the shifting response.
• Next I ordered a shift linkage kit from TSR Performance on the UK. By replacing the non-adjustable plastic linkage with all metal adjustable rod end linkage, I was able to adjust out some problems I had in the 1st/2nd shift. However, TSR kit did not include either short throw or weighted shift rod, which I felt were a benefit, so I added my own. Even so, I felt there was still a problem, in that the shift from 1st to 2nd was still slow. After some detective work, I determined that the polyurethane bushings in the relay shaft bracket were flexing too much (even though they were nearly new) and allowing the relay shaft to rack from side to side too much. I felt a firmer bushing would eliminate this play.
• So, I fired up the lathe and machined a replacement bushing out of Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMW-PE). This is a material similar to Teflon/PTFE in that it is self-lubricating, and is commonly used in industrial applications for bearing and wear surfaces. After installing the two UHMW bushings and sliding the relay shaft in, the play was gone. The shaft can now only rotate and the 2nd gear shift was now as crisp as the other gears.

I went through a lot of time and expense trying various combinations of parts and I think I've finally hit upon the right combination that works well and is both affordable and available. More about how I developed the various components below. If you want to skip to the full kit, click here.

Race tested shift linkage suitable for daily driver use. Listed below are links to various product reviews:

• Barefoot Racing
• VW Vortex

Short Throw Shift Arm:

I initially had purchased a short throw shift kit from Techtonics Tuning. This was the deluxe kit that came with a full set of shift linkages and bushings. You can see the parts pictured below-left, quite nice quality and it cost me about US$75 or so. In the below-right image, you can see how the short throw linkage is done. The upper arm is the TT arm, the lower is the stock. The rubber ball fits inside the long shift rod from the shift lever in the cab, and gets pushed back and forth as you shift say from 1st to 2nd gear. This causes the arm to pivot about the round rod which pulls and pushes on the relay rod what fits into the hole the end of the arm. TT offers a 12%, 31% and 51% reduced travel points (the 3 holes) compared to the stock arm. I found 12% felt like stock, 31% was nice and I loved 51%.

Unlike some short throw designs that reduce all the shifter motion, this design only reduces the front-back motion, the side-side gate motion is unchanged. This eliminates one major drawback of the shorten-everything kits, in that finding the shift gates is still like stock, only the motion inside the gate is changed. I found the biggest gain was in 5th gear, it is no longer over next to the passenger door, it is now within easy reach.

A typical deluxe A1 short throw kit	TT short throw relay shaft (above) vs. stock (below)

However, after installing the entire kit, it dawned on me that 95% of what I replaced didn't need replacing. In fact only my two worn out relay shaft bushings needed replacement, everything else was fine.

What is included in the kit above?

• Black dot is the short throw relay shaft, this one has 3 positions, ~stock, ~25% and ~50% shorter than stock throw
• Gray dot is a replacement lever for the bottom of the relay shaft
  • The original 20+ year old lever was in perfect condition, it is pictured in the above-right picture)
• Magenta dot is the bent rear selector rod
  • Again the original link was not worn, same plastic and metal design as the new part
• White dot is the forward selector rod
  • Again the original link was not worn, same plastic and metal design as the new part
• Red ellipse are a new pair of soft polyurethane relay shaft pivot bushings
  • These did need replacement, but seemed to get sloppy again after about 6 months use
• Blue ellipse is a new rubber bushing for the forward selector rod (the other ones are in the relay shaft)
  • The original parts were in OK shape, the new ones were actually softer than the old parts, which made for sloppier shifting
• Green ellipse are a pair of hard nylon bushings for the relay lever
  • The old and new part looked identical, the old parts were reused along with a shim to take up the gap
• Cyan (blue-green) ellipse is a pair of hard nylon bushings for the end of the main shift rod where it attaches to the shifter
  • Again, the old parts appeared totally unworn and were not replaced
• Yellow ellipse are 4 neoprene rubber washers that go under the stock plastic rod end sockets
  • The old parts were again fine and it seems the only purpose of these washers is to make up for the loose fit of the plastic sockets on the ball studs.

And, it also seemed strange to be replacing stock parts that were badly worn with parts that were essentially the same design as original. If the original part wore out, it must be somehow improperly designed (or not designed for the long lifetime of the vehicle). So why spend time and money swapping in parts that are going to wear out again? I also noticed the quality of the factory hardware was better, for example, the locking nut on the bottom was more secure. Plus, I reasoned that the stock arm (known as the relay shaft) could be lengthened for a lot less $$$ than making a whole new arm. So this got me thinking...

How about you take the stock relay shaft....	Remove the polyurethane bushing and make an extension that fits over it..

Result, instant bolt on short throw shifter!!!

Put the bushing back in and viola, a short throw shift arm with ~25% and ~50% shorter throw points. If you want the stock shifting position, then just remove the arm (or don't buy it in the first place).

Notes:

• Pictured is the A1 style relay shaft, but the short throw arm will bolt to the A2/A3-020 style relay shaft as well
• The A2/A3-020 relay shaft arm is longer than the A1, the shift throw reductions are somewhat less
  • On the A3-020 with factory weighted shift rod, you may need to reposition the rod, flipping and turning it 180° to avoid binding, the other option is to install the billet weighted shift rod which allows for more flexible mounting options
• Although the relay shaft is pictured, above, only the bolted-on short throw extension is included in the kit
  • By not replacing the entire relay shaft, I save on manufacturing cost and thus can offer a fully functional short throw kit for a very low cost.

Order on-line, cost for the short throw shifter arm is US$15.00, + shipping:

Order for US delivery, $7.00 for Priority Mail shipping ---

Order for International delivery, $12.00 for Priority Mail shipping

If you have worn out relay shaft bushings, you should replace them to get the full benefit of the shortened shifter throw. Replacement bushings, machined from UHMW-PolyEthylene, that are stiffer and more durable than the soft urethane stock units (see below) are an improvement over stock. Add a pair of relay shaft bushings to your short throw arm order for US$10 additional or US$25 extra for Teflon/PTFE bushings:

16V Note:

Some VW models have a slightly different shift arm, notably the 1986.5-1988 Scirocco 16V (pictured above). With the bent end on the shift arm, the bolt-on short throw arm will not fit directly. It is easy to adapt the bolt-on arm to fit, by grinding/cutting off one side of the lower clamp, so instead of being "U" shaped, it is now "L" shaped. If specified at the time of ordering, a modified short throw shifter clamp can be provided for an additional $5.

Adjustable Short Throw Arm:

By combining the bolt on short throw arm with the ball stud mounts for the Missing LinkZ adjustable shift rods (see below), I'm now able to offer a fully adjustable short throw arm. By simply moving the ball stud from one end of the milled slot to the other, you can select any degree if shift throw reduction desired. The adjustment can be done with a pair of 13mm wrenches from the top of the engine bay.

~50% reduction	~37% reduction	~25% reduction

Adjustable Short Throw

Note that the adjustable short throw arm must be used with some form of ball-stud-based shift rod. It will not work with the stock A1, A2 or A3-020 shift rods. It will work with the TSR linkage or with the MissingLinkZ as pictured above. For details on pricing of the adjustable short throw arm and the other Missing LinkZ shift linkage components, consult the pricing and options section.

A1/A2 Weighted Shift Rod Kit:

So, I had all new shift bushings and this way-cool short throw shift kit. Life was good, the shifting was so much better than the hit or miss (mainly miss) shifting that I had before. However, one drawback of a short throw shifter is that you are trading motion for effort. That is the shift rod is moving just as far between 1st and 2nd gear, that's how the transmission works. However, you are only moving the gear shift lever 1/2 as far as before, you don't get something for nothing. The thing you lose is force, you only have 1/2 as much leverage on the shift rod as before.

The way to make up for the lost force is to look at the physics of the situation. Force is a mass times an acceleration. Since the transmission end of the linkage probably can't be made to move any faster than it already does (the syncros need time to work) the speed and thus the acceleration of the shift rod can't really change that much. However, the mass can. The stock rod is just a length of ~5/16" dia. steel rod with some plastic ends, plenty strong but not much in the way of mass. So, I knew places that made weighted shift rods, Autotech Sport Tuning has one, a sleek, powder coated job, but they want US$50 for a hunk of steel!

So, I found some 1.25" cold rolled steel, cut off about 1.5 lbs. length of it, milled a groove in the top, and used a hose clamp to connect it to the shift rod. Works great and the shifting feel is so much nicer. The extra weight adds a solid feel to the shift and the momentum of the steel weight pushes the transmission into gear with little effort on the shifter.

Notes:

A3-020 vehicles have a weighted shift rod from that factory, so the clamp-on weight can't be used unless you install the non-weighted A2 style rod.

While the weight is pictured attached to a stock shift rod, this is only to illustrates its operation. Only the weight and the clamp is supplied in the kit

If you want to experience the joys of weighted shifting, one can be yours for US$20 plus US$7.00 for domestic or $12.00 for international shipping (weight approx. 1.5 lbs).

Order a clamp-on shift weight, US delivery	Order a clamp-on shift weight, International delivery

If purchased with the short throw kit, above, both can be yours for US$30 + US$7.00 for domestic or $12.00 for international shipping:

A1/A2 Weighted Short Throw Kit, US delivery	A1/A2 Weighted Short Throw Kit, International delivery

If you have worn out relay shaft bushings, you should replace them to get the full benefit of the shortened, weighted shifter throw. Replacement bushings, machined from UHMW-PolyEthylene, that are stiffer and more durable than the soft urethane stock units (see below) are an improvement over stock. Add a pair of relay shaft bushings to your weighted short throw arm order for US$10 additional or US$25 extra for Teflon/PTFE bushings:

A1/A2 Weighted Short Throw w/ UHMW Bushings - US$40 + US$7.00 for US shipping	A1/A2 Weighted Short Throw w/ Teflon Bushings - US$55 + US$7.00 for US shipping
~~~	~~~
A1/A2 Weighted Short Throw w/ UHMW Bushings - US$40 + US$12.00 for International shipping	A1/A2 Weighted Short Throw w/ Teflon Bushings - US$55 + US$12.00 for International shipping
- Picture pending -	- Picture pending -
A2 Weighted Short Throw w/ UHMW Bushings and Ball Cover - US$50 + US$7.00 for US shipping	A2 Weighted Short Throw w/ Teflon/PTFE Bushings and UHMW Ball Cover - US$65.00 + US$7.00 for US shipping
~~~	~~~
A2 Weighted Short Throw w/ UHMW Bushings and Ball Cover - US$50 + US$12.00 for International shipping	A2 Weighted Short Throw w/ Teflon/PTFE Bushings and UHMW Ball Cover - US$65.00 + US$12.00 for International shipping

Billet Weighted Shift Rod:

While the above shift weight is perfectly functional, it does lack something in the way of looks :-) For folks with the TSR or MissingLinkZ shift linkage, with the all-metal rod ends, who may want to have something a bit more fitting of their linkage, Missing LinkZ has developed a billet steel weighted shift rod:

Clamp-on weighted rod (top) Billet weighted rod (bottom)

Pictured above, is the stock shift rod with one of my shift weights attached. Below, is the all-in-one weighted shift rod with the rod ends installed. I machine the rod from a solid length of cold rolled steel, the ends are tapered down to 8mm and tapped to match the thread pitch of the metric rod ends. The shift weight weighs in at 1.5 - 1.7 lbs. total.

If interested in adding a weighted shift rod to your TSR shift linkage, let us know. The rod is threaded with the same thread pitch as the TSR rod ends use, just remove the ends from your TSR or Missing LinkZ linkage, install them on the weighted rod and you are done. Priced the same as the kit version of the weighted rod, US$35.00 plus shipping ($7.00 US or $12.00 international). For use in stand-alone applications (i.e. to replace the stock shift rod), the cost is US$50.00 plus shipping ($7.00 US or $12.00 international).

And for A3 vehicles (or A2 vehicles w/ the A3 weighted shift rod installed), a conversion kit is available for US$15.00 which lets you convert your factory weighted shift rod to the balls tud/socket style rod ends. You'll need to cut the bent ends off the A3 weighted rod and thread about 1" of each end with an M8-1.25 thread cutting die (die available at an additional cost). Then simply thread on the jam nuts and rod ends and you have a weighted shift rod ready to install.

So what does it look like installed?

A1 Solid shift linkage w/ billet weighted rod installed	A2/A3-020 Solid shift linkage w/ billet weighted rod installed

And how does it work? All I can say is WOW!. I never realized how sloppy the stock setup was. Even with all new bushings, (which made a huge difference) is was better but still imprecise. Now, the shifter clicks in and out of gear.

For installation information, see the Missing LinkZ installation section.

Missing LinkZ Shift Linkage Upgrade Kit:

I really liked the TSR shift linkage kit with the upgrades I had done to it. However, it took months and months to order with the group buy from the UK. So with some research and design work, I was able to locate sources for all the components necessary to build a complete shift linkage kit. I also was able to fill in the missing parts in the original TSR linkage, including steel bushings to attach the new ball studs to the existing linkage, the short throw arm, the weighted shift rod, upgraded bushings, etc.

I call the linkage "Missing LinkZ" because I feel it incorporates all the design elements that are missing from the original VW design. Their design was probably constrained by economics and mass production issues and was adequate for the majority of vehicle owners. However after 10-20 years (or more) of use, the weaknesses of the stock linkage show through. Its sloppy, prone to wear and even if rebuilt with stock parts, rapidly returns to sloppiness. I imagine the fully-adjustable, all metal linkage was used in the engineering/design phases of the vehicle development. It was probably only in the final stages that the bean counters took over and reduced cost by replacing expensive metal parts with inexpensive molded plastic. By reversing the process, the true operation of the 020 shift linkage can truly be experienced. I doubt VW engineers were contemplating folks autocrossing the lowly Golf when it was first designed. It was an econo-box; a fuel efficient commuter car, not a racy sports car. However, VWs are raced and look under the hood of most race VWs and you'll not see the stock shift linkage. Metal replaces plastic, adjustable replaces fixed, secure mechanical fasteners replace friction fits, etc.

A1 Front selector rod,: Stock above, all-metal below

Above is an example of a stock shift linkage component and the all-metal replacement linkage. The stock linkage has plastic rod ends that are bonded to the rod, making them non-adjustable. The replacement linkage, uses identical 13mm ball socket rod ends which are both spring loaded and have an additional safety clip that securely fasten the socket to the ball stud, unlike the stock plastic rod ends which only have a pressure clip on the end. Unlike the stock link, the replacement rod ends are on a fully threaded stainless steel rod and are fully adjustable for length and angle. Once set up, jam nuts keep them locked in position. Beware of some brands of adjustable linkages that OMIT the jam nut.

The adjustability is an important feature of the design. Due to variations in vehicles and transmissions, some links may need to be slightly longer or shorter than the fixed OEM links. For example I found that my '82 needed the above link lengthened about 2.5mm (2 turns out) to shift properly in 1st and 2nd gear. Now, you *could* do this adjustment by loosening the selector lever clamp on the shift rod and rotate is slightly and tighten the clamp back down. The problem is the precision needed to make this adjustment is on the order of 1° - 2° to affect a similar length change. Very hard to do this, especially laying on your back, under the car in poor light and without any way to measure the adjustment. I'd rather just get it close then fine tune it from above.

Typical A1 kit showing: - Solid shift linkage - Billet weighted shift rod - Short throw arm (UHMW bushings not shown) As shown US$90	Typical A2/A3-020 kit showing: - Solid shift linkage - Billet weighted shift rod - Short throw arm - UHMW bushings As shown US$100, - w/ ball bushing US$110

Pictured above are examples of the Missing LinkZ shift kit, including weighted shift rod with ball studs, replacement front and rear selector rods with 13mm socket rod ends, all fully adjustable for length, plus a bolt-on short throw shifter arm, offering 25% and 50% shift throw reductions. Contact me for more information.

Shift Linkage Kit Options/Pricing:

Show below is a listing of all the separate shift linkage upgrade parts available. Also some typical shift linkage kit combinations are shown further down this section of the web page:

• A1 typical kits
• A2 typical kits
• A3 typical kits

You are not imited to the kits shown above, they are just some tyipcal combinations of the parts below. Feel free to mix-n-match any set of parts from the table below. The price of your kit can be determined simply by adding up the prices of the individual components.

Notes:

1. Basic solid shift linkage kit includes the unweighted shift rod
2. Indicates a US$5.00 discount if purchased as part of a solid linkage kit (as reflected in the 3rd column of the table)
3. For custom applications, individual links are available for US$15/ea. for the rear and front selector rods and US$20 for the forward shift rod.
   1. For example, if you already have a weighted shift rod you like, you could get just the front and rear selector rods for US$30.
   2. It is also possible to mix-n-match linkage parts (A1 vs. A2), for example putting an A2 transaxle into an A1 vehicle.
      1. The linkage will be a mix of A1 and A2 parts, the selector rods will be the A2-style (since they are attached to the transaxle), the shift rod and relay shaft A1-style (since they are attached to the vehicle sub-frame).
   3. For the A3 platform, you can use the rear selector rod ($15) and the main shift rod ($20) from the A2 kit
4. Replacement ball studs are only needed to replace ball studs on the factory linkage, for example on the transaxle selector shaft or the relay lever. You would need to drill out the old rusted ball stud (they are pressed in) and then bolt on the replacement stud
5. While both the clamp-on and billet shift rod weights are listed above, you would only use one or the other, not both
6. The adjustable short throw arm MUST be used with some form of ball stud shift rod, like the TSR or Missing LinkZ linkage (however the 2-position short throw arm can be used universally)
7. For custom orders:
   1. If you don't see a bundled kit that includes the exact mix of parts you want, no problem. Just make a list of the parts you want, add up the prices for those parts from the table above and add applicable sales tax and shipping and place the order as noted below:
   2. Shipping extra and CA residents add applicable sales tax
      1. Typical shipping cost is $7.00 for domestic (US addresses) and $12.00 to international addresses.
      2. International shipping options will be added to the typical A1/A2/A3 kits below:
         1. In the mean time, only domestic shipping is available, contact MissingLinkZ for international order options
   3. Or see the multiple item ordering section of the main MissingLinkZ web page

And if you don't see a pre-packaged on-line orderable version of the parts you want, use the table above to put together the exact combination and quantity of parts you want then contact MissingLinkZ and we can work out the details. Also, if you don't want to use PayPal, again contact MissingLinkZ and I'll provide you with other ordering arrangements, or consult the multiple item ordering section of the main MissingLinkZ web page.

Here are some examples of various combinations possible with this shift kit:

Typical A1 Shift Kit Combinations

A1a: ($45)	A1b: ($60)	A1c: ($80)	A1d: ($90)	A1e: ($100)

Typical A2 Shift Kit Combinations

A2a: ($45)	A2b: ($60)	A2c: ($80)	A2d: ($90)	A2e: ($100)

Typical A3-020 Shift Kit Combinations