Everyone knows that older VW busses' shifters are like stirring a 
molasses-and-rocks stew in January. My '71 is no exception-- 1st and 2nd
gears are a real bear to get into. 3rd and 4th aren't so bad. To get reverse,
you don't even have to push down any more-- just move the lever toward you,
and back. My '69 bus from years back, was pretty much the same way, even
after I replaced the tranny in it with a good (used) unit.

But I recently drove a '70 bus, whose shifter feels BRAND NEW. Clicks easily
into all four gears, and the pushdown-and-backward into reverse is exactly
as advertised. 

Does this mean that decent shifting is actually possible on a VW bus older
than my wife? How does one achieve this? Do I need a new tranny, or is
there some sort of linkage-rebuild I can do, that will _significantly_
improve the shifter feel? 

Anyone who has ever made your shifter feel new, PLEASE tell me how you
did it!! With as much detail as you like-- Email me direct if the list
gets long, if you like. I will post summaries to the list, for those who
are interested.

Thanks in advance...

Steve Maher       smaher@ball.com                 '71 Transporter

P.S. That '70 bus also had noticably lighter steering than my '71. Anyone
care to guess the cause? I'm mystified. The '70 is not "immaculate" by any
means-- my '71 is far prettier. But the '71 takes both hands to get around 
corners at low speeds. The '70 stomps it in drivability, despite having half
a turn of play in the steering wheel.