[urq] gear linkages again.

[Keith Lloyd]

All the chat the other week about gear selector linkages set me thinking. The gear shift in my quattro has never been great and I know the short link with the two rubber cups has some play in it. Someone  on the list mentioned making a link using the ball end sockets from a failed boot strut. So I found a strut and a spare short link I had lying around and my mate Al Bishop has machined some threads and made a link up for me. (see picture by following the link http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=f75d143e74c8c001&sid=0AcNG7hm0ZuGLIlA ). Al is a trucker by trade but is an artist with a lathe and a milling machine spending his time building and repairing steam engines so my quattro job was a bit of a change for him (but a bit simple). When I get a few minutes (hours) over the Christmas break  I’ll have a go at fitting the new link although I’m not looking forward to putting in the little wire clips that stop the sockets coming off the ball ends. Anyone any handy tips on an easy way to fit those? Will it be another 7” long double jointed fingers job? From anyone who has taken this route I’d be interested to know if I should expect a major improvement? (I guess it will depend upon whether it is the real cause of the poor shift...). Next will be finding a way to improve/replace the big ball end socket on the long link from the stick....any suggestions/mods to improve this one? Any advice gratefully accepted – as always.
All the best
Keith
‘87 WR


p.s. are there any downsides to taking this route? – I guess Audi used the rubber cups to reduce noise/vibration etc.