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SHIFT LINKAGE UPDATE

D dickruzzinMember
>DICK RUZZIN / MANGUSTA SHIFT LINKAGE, JUNE 24, 2011


>A/ 30,000 MILES, SHIFT LINKAGE SERVICE
>B/ RESTORATION
>C/ ADJUSTMENT

The shift linkage has small universal joints that according to Steve liebenow's and my searches are no longer available. I tried for two years and finally gave up. Following is the information about the restoration / recreation and what I learned from the process. My car shifts now as it did when new. Shift linkage adjustment required one try, testifying to the real problem, wear in the system.
_______________________________________________________________

>A / 30,000 MILES, SHIFT LINKAGE SERVICE

The gratest point of wear found was the bronze bushing in the shift lever. The lever is easily removed with one bolt/pin. This bolt/pin should be replaced.
Ream the existing bushing out to very tightly match the new bolt/pin diameter.

This will eliminate about half of the slop in the system, the rest will be in the u-joints.
If the u-joints display wear it will accumulate resulting in the loss of reverse or 4th and 5th gears. Restoration is required.

If the u-joints are not badly worn the rest of the shift linkage can also be brought back to new by doing the following:

1)
Remove the shift knob and gate. Remove the bolt that goes through the shift rod that connects it to the shift linkage.

2)
Disconnect rhe linkage at the shifter box on the transmission. Leave everything in place and rotate the shift linkage 180 degrees.

3)
Reconnect everything.

4)
Grease the u-joints if you can.

This puts the wear points in all the joints on the opposite side, essentially returning the linkage to new condition.

_______________________________________________________________

>B / MANGUSTA SHIFT LINKAGE RESTORATION / RECREATION

>PARTS REQUIRED TO CREATE A NEW SHIFT LINKAGE SYSTEM

1)
50 INCH LONG X 3/ 4 INCHES DIA. OF CHROME-MOLY TUBING FROM FACTORY STEEL, DETROIT MI (Original rod is 7/ 8 inch diameter).

2)
5/ 8 INCH STAINLESS ROD , TURNED TO MATCH BALL JOINTS BY MACHINIST

3)
2 HIGH QUALITY BALL JOINTS, 5/ 8 X 5/ 8 HOLE,
SPEEDWAY / PART # 910-02116, MOLY

4)
2 STEERING U-JOINTS FROM SPEEDWAY , 3/ 4 X 3/ 4 WELD ON.
THEY DO COME 3/ 4 X 5/ 8 TO MATCH THE STAINLESS ROD
THESE JOINTS ARE NEEDLE BEARING AND CUPS, EASILY REBUILDABLE
PART NUMBER 910-32234, FROM SPEEDWAY.
>MARKED: SWIFT MFG. KALAMAZOO MI,<.

5)
1 -1 INCH DIAMETER PIN AND BLOCK U-JOINT FROM BORGESON UNIVERSAL COMPANY / 3/ 4 SMOOTH X 5/ 8 SMOOTH.
ITEM # 516462. THIS WELDS TO THE TUBE END AT THE SHIFT ROD.

6)
NEW STAINLESS PIN MACHINED FROM A BOLT FOR THE SHIFT LEVER. BUSHING REPLACED OR REAMED OUT TO FIT THE NEW BOLT/PIN.


7)
MY LINKAGE IS ATTACHED TO THE ZF BY A 3/ 4 INCH DIAMETER MILITARY STYLE U-JOINT THAT IS REMOVEABLE FROM THE SHIFT ROD BY A BOLT/PIN WITHOUT CHANGING THE ADJUSTMENT ON THE LINKAGE.


>C / ADJUSTING THE SHIFT LINKAGE
_____________________________________________________________

As the joints wear in the system you may suddenly loose the ability to engage reverse or 4th and 5th. This means that the shift lever travel in the gate cannot deliver enough radial movement to the shaft to engage all of the gears. Adjustment becomes extremely sensitive and a very frustrating task. Restoration is required, see above.


With a good solid system installed with all joints tight the linkage adjusts very easily, as follows:

1) Check that the shift rod coming out of the shifter box that attaches to the rear turnbuckle is in neutral between second and third gear. Facing to the front of the car rotate the shaft as far to the right as possible until it clicks into place, that is fourth and fifth. Rotate the rod left one notch and find neutral between the full forward and full rearward position.


2)
Attach the turnbuckle to the shift rod but do not tighten the lock-nut. Adjust the rear turnbuckle length to position the shift lever in the middle of the the neutral slot on the shift gate. This may take several tries. Tighten the lock-nut to verify the position and then loosen it.

3)
With the lock-nut loose and the shift lever free in neutral pull the shift lever into third gear in the gate. Go to the transaxle and tighten the lock-nut.

Check the gears. You are done!
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liv1sliv1sMember
Was looking for a solution to a shift linkage problem on a Mangusta I'm working on and found this. Good information. Has anybody tried adding a turnbuckle, like on the Pantera linkage, to add adjustability to the Mangusta linkage rather replacing the whole assembly? The u-joints on the Mangusta linkage I'm working on are welded to the rods so the can't be replaced individually and I would rather add adjustability to the stock linkage rather than just trying to flip it 180 degrees.
D dickruzzinMember
Go to MangustaInternational.com. There you will find my written and pictorial account of how to rebuild the shift linkage with sources for the u-joints. All you have to do is replace the trunions, no welding is required.

There is no need to add anything. The stock linkage is adjustable in length and in the radial plane, all you need to set the linkage function up to the ZF. With good joints the linkage works very well, is easy to adjust and has no glitches or hard spots of any kind. The reverse spring load is in the ZF.

I did change the joint at the ZF end to a military type joint that is commonly available, allowing the detachment of the linkage from the ZF without losing the adjustment.

The adjustment process is also described, it is very easy once you have good joints without play. I also put a new and larger diameter more wear resistant pin into the shift lever.

Also, the joints are the same ones used in the steering. The new ones are needle bearing joints with grease fittings.

A good trick to make the original shift linkage last twice as long is to undo it at both ends and rotate it 180 degrees. This puts the wear points on the joints into new positions. That should be done at about 30,000 miles. You would have to do that with the steering too by removing the trunions.

I did all that about 4000 miles ago and the car shifts and steers great. I did the shift linkage before I found the replacement trunions so I had to use new joints, welding them in. Then I found them and did the steering with the originals.

Everyone with a Mangusta is going to have this problem with shifter and steering joints, starting around 45,000 miles.

Let me know if you have any problems.
DICK RUZZIN
+313-824-0539
D dickruzzinMember
As stated above, the stock linkage, if yours is intact, is adjustable back at the ZF shift rod. That most rearward joint is a turnbuckle, it allows the linkage to be adjusted fore and aft to position the lever properly in the gate slot and radially to properly relate the shift rod coming out of the box to the gate.

DICK RUZZIN


DICK RUZZIN
D dickruzzinMember
Someone told me Pantera u-joints were larger, I think I looked at them in a car. As I recall the cup diameter was 12.5mm. They came from a source in England provided by Johnny Woods.

I looked on the internet for over two years from time to time, then I saw a film about the green car that sold a while back in England describing front end work that was done at his shop. He was kind enough to supply the source.
When they arrived I could not believe they were the right size. I popped them out of the cages and assembled them into the steering shaft.

If not available you will have to make a new linkage all together. I have one that needs joints.

DICK RUZZIN
liv1sliv1sMember
quote:
Originally posted by Dick Ruzzin:
As stated above, the stock linkage, if yours is intact, is adjustable back at the ZF shift rod. That most rearward joint is a turnbuckle, it allows the linkage to be adjusted fore and aft to position the lever properly in the gate slot and radially to properly relate the shift rod coming out of the box to the gate.

DICK RUZZIN


I cannot see a turnbuckle and the ujoints are welded so the cant be replaced individually. This is a euro model Mangusta. I have to check pics I have of a us spec Mangusta to compare the difference.

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D dickruzzinMember
Very simple. Get a turnbuckle, maybe from Borgeson, and weld it into the system, probably back in the last segment near the end at the shifter box. I recall the original on my car was about 75mm long.

You do need that to adjust the length of the linkage that sets the shift lever in the center of the slot between the gears on the shifter and the radial adjustment that sets the position of the shift lever to the appropriate gear.

I spent a very frustrating week learning this on my car. I couldn't get all the gears, finally I realized the the joints were worn to the point that proper adjustment was possible.

Dick Ruzzin
D dickruzzinMember
I see that in your pictures it appears that your linkage has probably already been redone with pin joints. Check to see if they are tight. They have to be really tight as the wear in the four joints accumulates for a lot of play.

If you can get the joint on the ZF shifter rod loose, then remove the bolt/pin from the shift lever. This will allow you to move the end of the linkage at the back to the right and slide it completely out of the car after you unbolt your heims joints that are bolted to the frame. They provide the stability for the shaft between the four joints. They slide on a stainless rod, part of the linkage.

You just have to face that you are probably going to have to make a new linkage. Use the old one for a pattern. I have my original with the original joints but they are worn.

DICK RUZZIN
liv1sliv1sMember
Thank you for this valuable information. The owner has had this car since new and swears that the linkage was never worked on, rolled 180degrees or changed except that at some point, he removed the gate to gain some room to get into reverse but the wear as gone beyond the point now that it hits the inner edge of the box and still not get into reverse. I actually had to hold the joint at the zf turned to the left while having someone in the cab shift to reverse with the engine was off.

I will try rolling the linkage 180 if it's not too much trouble. If that doesn't work, the owner will have to decide the next course of action.

Mahalo and warm Alohas
G 69gooseMember
I have sourced the universal replacement joints in Australia. I believe they are made in Germany. They are needle roller bearings in the universal and measure 36mm X 14mm. The joint is a Hardy Spicer part ELBE 204 series part number K5- A668. In Australia expensive for the size at $105 Aust ($90 US) but to get them is a bonus. Thanks Mike
G 69gooseMember
Hi Dick, I spent quite some time a while back searching and thought this was the universal required. Recently I went to Hardy Spicer in Sydney to have them fit new drive shaft universal joints and as I had my steering shaft out took it along to check. Sure enough they measured up as this joint and yes they have grease fittings, better than the originals. I'll try to resize my photo and post one.
Mike

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