>   For the sake of me any other list member who is interested in
this, can
> someone explain and put pictures up of what this thing is and how it
works?

basically, it is a short platform that elevates the pivot point of the
shift lever (at the bottom). by raising the pivot point, you shorten
the distance the top of the lever (shift knob) has to travel ... most
noticeable when shifting from 2nd gear to 3rd gear.

the short shift kit consists of a cast aluminum plate-thingie. and a
couple of bolts. and a drill bit. you remove the shift lever and the
plate at the bottom of the lever. now install the cast aluminum
plate-thingie and secure it with the two bolts. now you drill a dimple
into the shift lever and move the collar that holds a spring (which is
already there). the collar just moves up about an inch or so, and
needs a new dimple for the set screw that keeps the collar in place.
then you bolt the lever and plate (using the original two bolts that
came out with the plate) on top of the cast aluminum plate-thingie.
and you're done.

now for the Gotcha: :)
if you don't mark the position of the bolts (on the vw plate at the
bottom of the shift lever), you might have a lot of trouble getting
the shifting to feel right ... a small mis-adjustment of those two
bolts can cause a lot of trouble with the shift linkage.

but if you follow the short shift kit directions carefully and
faithfully, you shouldn't have any trouble. it's definitely worth the
money.

joel