Thanks, Neil.

I'll try this again tomorrow.  I've got some non-standard ac hoses
crossing through near the steering rack that cut down on the space
available.  I am also working without using jack stands yet.  There is
enough room to work but it's difficult to see. Thanks for the
suggestions.

Ed

On Wed, 6 Sep 2017 12:27:11 -0700, Neil N <musomuso@GMAIL.COM> wrote:

>I recall running into that challenge on a non ac vanagon. We did that
job
>with front end up on stands, rod entering from vehicle front. I bet
youre
>doing this already but with good lighting, be certain that the rod is
>getting inserted so it passes under the fuel tank crossover, etc. Have
you
>tried inserting the rod at a bit of an angle on a horizontal plane? ie
>sideways angle? Sorry. Cant recall detail on how we got the rod in but
we
>may have tried turning the rod say, 180 degrees. (upside down.)
>
>Neil.
>
>On Wednesday, September 6, 2017, email99@bellsouth.net <
>email99@bellsouth.net> wrote:
>
>Is the Front Shift Rod reinstalled from the front or from the rear
>> through the bushing hole in the cross member (with the bushing out,
of
>> course)?  This is the shift rod that bolts to the bottom of the Gear
>> Shift Lever and has the plastic tabs on the fork.
>>
>> I was able to remove this from the front to replace the plastic tabs
but
>> it took some  modest force and it's not going to go back in that way.
>> I'm wondering if the end with the plastic tabs will go through the
hole
>> for the bushing in the cross member?  Can this be done with the
Vanagon
>> on jack stands or does it have to be on a lift?  I'm having
difficulty
>> because the rear sway bar and the auxiliary air conditioning
condenser
>> seem to be in the way of manipulating the forked end of the shift rod
>> through the bushing mounting hole.
>>
>> This is a 1986 2WD with a 4-speed manual transmission.  I would like
to
>> know how it fits in before I start taking off the parts mentioned
above.
>>
>> Any helpful comments will be appreciated.
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Ed
>>
>
>
>--
>Neil n
>
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