From digest.v7.n911 Fri Jan 9 13:33:18 1998
From: mrutledge_at_dynal.com (Mike Rutledge)
Date: Fri, 09 Jan 1998 15:48:00 GMT
Subject: Bav Autosport, installing my short shifter and a fuel comsumption question

First, a follow up to the thread a few days ago regarding Bavarian Autosport. I have the antenna mast with no teeth in the cord. My dealer only stocked the toothed version (at ~$35). He could order the smooth one, cost ~$54. I don't think so. Opened my handy-dandy Bavarian Autosport catalog and saw the aftermarket mast for ~25. Called them up. Gave them my CC#, asked for delivery at my work vice my billing address. He said no problem. Would take about 3-4 working days. That was last Friday. Yesterday, it was here, and was the correct part. A relatively minor part, I know, but I have no complaints. This was my fist order from them.

Second. I installed my MM short shifter kit. Beforehand, I bought the 2 shifter blocks, a guibo and a transmission rear seal, as 'just in case' parts. The shifter kit came with some instructions, but they were kinda vague.

Disassembly:

• Ran the car up on ramps in the front, then jacked the rear and put it on jackstands.
  
• Removed the weird looking brace that extends from the transmission towards the exhaust pipe. Some kind of spacer to keep the pipe from getting too close?
  
• Dropped all the exhaust donuts, and let the pipe drop to the floor.
• Left the manifold end connected.
  
• Removed heat shield.
  
• Got all 6 guibo bolts out, looked okay, won't replace the bolts.
• Guibo looked almost new. Previous owner? Dunno.
• Finally figured out that there was a pin extending from the tranny into the driveshaft, requiring removal of the center driveshaft support, to 'bend' it and get the driveshaft off the tranny. Once that was done, there was plenty of room to operate.
• Jumped in the car. Pulled up the leather boot. Removed 2 layers of insulation. Pulled up to rubber boot. Got out the lock ring pliers (never thought I would use those again) and removed the lock ring.
• Went underneath, and disconnected the rear bushing on the shifter.
• Lifted out the shifter rod, and all the parts on that.
• Removed 2 allen head bolts that hold the 'shifter tray' on. The rubber in the old shifter blocks was completely gone. This was probably 95% of the slop in the shifter.
• Finally got the lock sleeve off the tranny end of the shifter with a screwdriver and removed the pin, dropping the last part of the shifter off the tranny.
  
• Getting the old upper shifter off the lower portion was the 2nd worst part of the job. Mine required drilling a hole on top of the lockring and pushing out the lockring with the drill bit. Oh-yeah, I need to buy a new bit... Finally got it off and separated the 2 pieces.
• NOTE!!! Write down the order of parts as they come off the old shifter and NOTE!!! which way the bend in the shifter is in relation to the front/back of the lower portion. The upper portion can be installed backwards onto the lower portion. Don't ask me how I know.
• Reassembly of the upper and lower portion of the shifter part was the worst. Getting that damn lockring back in. Got pretty good at it on the 3rd time. Don't ask, but NOTE the order of parts as they come off the old one!!!!!
  
• People should note that the nylon 'cups that surround the shift ball should be replaced as well, but I didn't know and didn't have them, so I didn't.

From that point, reassembly was pretty easy. Got all the shifter bushings, and pins and sleeves reinstalled, and got the plate back on with new shifter blocks. Used thread lock on the allen bolts for the shifter tray. Only place I used it.

• Got the guibo installed.
  
• Started the bolts for the center driveshaft support.
• Got the little bracket back on.
  
• Reinstalled the heat shield.
  
• Rehung the exhaust.
  
• Remembered the driveshaft center support.
• Dropped the exhaust.
  
• Dropped the heat shield.
  
• Tightened driveshaft support bolts.
  
• Reinstalled heat shield
  
• Rehung the exhaust.

Finished. Love the new feel, but again, I think new shifter blocks would have solved most of my slop problem.
[...]

Sorry for the length,
Mike
'84 533i