Get Shorty (a shift mod...)

[Michael Spiers <mikes@specnet.com>]

Íve seen a couple posts here recently about the short shift mod I mentioned
some time ago, and remained silent figuring it was in the archives and I'd just
let whoever was looking find it themselves.  Well, low and behold, I looked,
and it ain't there!  My appologies for making whomever it was wait.  Anyhow,
the short shift mod.
It wasn't supposed to be a mod, it was supposed to be a fix to keep the stick
shift attached to the transmission (long story, following is the abbridged
version.)  Last summer I managed to break part of the shifting mechanism on my
(now her) '84 5kS.  On the transmission itself, there is an L-shaped bracket,
about two inches long, that has what looks like a miniature trailer hitch ball
affixed to the top of it.  This bracket attaches to a round stick protruding
from the tranny, and is held on by a 10mm (what else on an Audi?) bolt.  The
linkage rods (coming from the stick shift) go into a rubber square with a hole
in the middle, which pushes over this trailer ball do-hickey, connecting
everything.  Well, I managed to rip the trailer ball off, which is NOT a
repairable item (not permanantly anyhow, although some creativity, a cool
evening, a tap & die, and one too many Margaritta's will get you and your four
friends home from the beach the next day.)  Anyhow, after about four months of
junkyard searching (most Audi's in the DC area are automatics, it's hard to
shift, steer, & fire an Uzi at the same time) I finally found a sufficient
donor car holding my prize, so I nabbed the sucker.  The car was a 1990 200
Quattro wagon (all 200's are turbo-charged, BTW.)  Installed the new shift
linkage bracket, first time I tried to drive the car I about ripped the shifter
knob off.  The throws were MUCH shorter, took some getting used to!  I don't
know if the difference was because of the difference in years, because one was
turbo and one wasn't, because one was all wheel drive and one wasn't, or
because one was a wagon and one wasn't.  All I know is that it made a world of
difference, the throws are MUCH shorter in that thing than they ever were, much
shorter.  As always, YMMV.

-- 
-Mike
mikes@specnet.com
mks107@psuvm.psu.edu
87 5000CS TQ
84 5000S (2,000 miles away and a mile high)
90 80 (sibling's mode of transportation I get lynched into working on)