I've been told from a good source that the cable shifter box out of the MK4's are far better than the shifter box that's in the 92 GTI I just bought.
The shifter bushings are all shot in the my GTI. So, I'm either looking at replacing the bushings or switching to the cable style shifter box.
Two questions:
Which route would you go?
Has anybody done this conversion and have any pointers?
I've never heard of anyone replacing just the shifter from the MKIV's before, usually its swapping out the whole tranny, either way I'm thinking a good bit of fabrication is required.
I did my Scirocco's linkages last year, its an easy process once you have the car up in the air. But those plastic linkages like to wear out, mine are showing play after 35000 miles. Bonus is that even the most comprehensive rebuild kit is only like $50
Another alternative is going with USRT's SmartShift system, replaces those plastic peices with spherical bearings. More fab required than an OE replacement, but a lot less that putting a MKV box in. Its a bit pricer at $150, but when I get around to doing my linkages again I want to go this route. Its supposedly feels better than factory.
Full rebuild kit is the 3rd option down, USRT kit is at the bottom of the page. http://www.germanautoparts.com/Volkswagen/Golf/Transmission/186/1
Most people that convert to a cable shifter also convert to an 02A or 02J transmission. To do that you need the transmission, flywheel from a G60 Corrado, 16v Passat, or transverse 1.8t powered car, clutch to match, axles, pedal assembly out of a Passat or Corrado, clutch master and slave cyl., lines, etc. I don't think I've ever seen a cable shift conversion done on an 020 transmission, but I'm sure it's possible. Shifter bushings are dirt cheap for a '92 GTI, and the "ball" is usually the one that goes bad and makes the entire system feel like total crap. I'd just get a bushing kit and a new ball thingy, unless you're making enough power to regularly grenade an 020 box.
Oh yeah, I made a fully heim jointed linkage for my rabbit, with about $18 in heim joints, a piece of 1/4" rod from Home Depot and a few nuts and bolts in a few hours that feels pretty solid. The only bad part is on a MKII, the "ball" is an integral part of the linkage, but I'm sure you could just as easily find a grassroots replacement for it that won't deteriorate in a matter of months, like the original.
Do you have any pictures of your custom parts?
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