Missing steps from Cobb front & rear shifter bushing instructions

[DeltaNu1142]

I just came inside from installing the Cobb Tuning front & rear shifter bushings I ordered from Subimods.com. I found some gaps in the instructions that I thought I'd help fill in case others encounter similar issues.

 

Provided steps (edited for 5-spd):

1. Apply parking brake & lift the car
   
2. Find the shift linkage on the bottom of the car
   
3. Remove the nut that holds the stock front bushing in place
   
4. Pull the link off the bolt and remove the stock rubber bushing
   
5. Use a 14mm socket or open-end wrench to remove the 2 bolts holding the rear shifter stay bushing in place
   
6. Remove the bushing from the linkage
   
7. Push the new rear shifter stay bushing on the linkage and mount it to the chassis
   
8. Install front bushings
   

What the steps should actually be are as follows:

1. Apply parking brake & lift the car
   
2. Set down a blanket to lay on, you're going to want to be comfortable
   
3. Find the shift linkage on the bottom of the car
   
4. Remove the nut that holds the stock front bushing in place
   
5. Wiggle out from under the car to answer the phone.
   
6. Stab the front bushing with a screwdriver. It's going to fall into pieces, but it's not going anywhere.
   
7. Still working on that front bushing? I'll bet you thought it would pop right out. Get a razor & cut it. It's a sadistic POS. In case you think it's two pieces like the replacement--it's not. It's one, fat, stubborn piece of old rubber.
   
8. The phone is ringing again. Crawl out from under the car on your shoulder blades again. Aren't you glad you put that blanket down?
   
9. Now that you realize that the front bushing is one piece, you can just use the existing bolt as a plunger to push it out. There. Celebrate this small victory.
   
10. Use a 14mm socket or open-end wrench to remove the 2 bolts holding the rear shifter stay bush... wait, what? You have a heat shield?!? We thought that was only on the 6-speed! So not only do you not have a 6-speed, but you also have that idiotic heat shield in the way? Sweet. You're in for some fun.
    
11. Remove the heat shield. Don't worry, it's pretty flimsy... it's made of whatever those shitty Ginsu knives are made from; you know, the stuff that has only two real uses: making corkscrews from pennies, and slicing human flesh right to the bone.
    
12. I'll bet you thought you could just take those four bolts off & push the shield to the side. Yeaah, right. Take the O2 sensor off, too. Yes, we realize you're working on the shift linkage. You may have to remove the rear seat later, too, just in case.
    
13. To hell with it, just pull the heat shield out & throw it as far as you can muster from the flat of your back. It will probably get bent all out of shape, but that's OK, the dried blood will hide any damage.
    
14. Now can you get to those bolts? OK, see if you have a socket driver with an 8" extension. We know, we didn't put that in the list of required tools, but we just assumed you wouldn't have a problem turning the bolts out 2.5 degrees at a time.
    
15. Remove the bushing from the linkage
    
16. Push the new rear shifter stay bushing on the linkage and mount it to the chassis. We know we warned you about installing it the right way, but we've left you to decide which way is the right way. We could have put an arrow on the bushing that says, "This side up", but we'd be robbing you of that feeling of accomplishment when you're pretty sure there's a chance you might have guessed you installed it correctly.
    
17. It's getting dark out. Your wife is probably telling you this in the off chance that you've gone blind in the hour you've been working on your car.
    
18. Put the heat shield back into place and re-install the O2 sensor. You might have noticed that unless you slid the front of the heat shield under the mounting points, you're just going to have to remove the O2 sensor again, so... go ahead & do that.
    
19. Wash your hands & go for a spin

 

I think as I get older, I find that I expect a lot more return on time invested. This only took about an hour & a half due to interruptions, and this being my first mod to this car I'm not really familiar with it yet... but the quick ride I took after everything was said & done didn't really rock my socks. Shifting was more precise, but not so much that I couldn't have done without the mod. Tomorrow I'll install the matching Cobb STS & I expect that improvement to be much more noticeable, less time-consuming, and of greater return.

[DeltaNu1142]

On my commute in this morning, I noticed the shifts were much crisper. For the price of the bushings themselves, this mod is a no-brainer.

[Blow]

Just ordered my torque solution bushing and will be using this great write up next week!!

Thank you Sir

[DeltaNu1142]

Front, or rear?

 

I'm serious about the rear bushing. The orientation isn't THAT difficult to figure out, but while lying on your back unable to see the linkage from the side, it would have been helpful (and confidence-inspiring) to know which way the bushing is supposed to be installed.

 

And yeah, that heat shield (if you've got one) is a malicious piece of metal.

[Drakien]

This brings back such good memories from my old legacy's bushing install. Will I do it on the new legacy? When I run out of other things to do.. lol

[Blow]

I will be installing both the front and the rear! I have my Band Aids Ready!

[artard]

looking for some help. The driver side of the bolt of this bushing is screwing in at an angle. Anyone else encounter this? Any solution?

 

passenger side bolt goes in just fine and I can start tightening it with my finger. But it seem like for the driver side, the bushing bolt holes are not lining up with the screw hole exactly... I think I've put the bushing in right. Flat side facing the ground.

 

Looking for anyone who experienced this and had a solution. Thanks for any advice.

[artard]

found a couple of reviews. one recommendation is to remove one of the inserts and drive it for a while to let the bushing flex, then get under there and add the insert back in and the bolt should fit in... Will try this tomorrow.

 

If anyone's got a better way, I'm all ears! Thanks.