shift coupler replacement - incorrect parts ?

i'm having a dickens of a time replacing the shift rod coupler, and haven't even gotten to the point of taking the new one (from aircooled.net) out of its packaging. here's my story ...

i have a '78 puma gte, a brazilian sports car built on a shortened ghia frame right from the vw factory. i assume it's a '78 ghia frame. it has an angled shifter. shifting is very sloppy, so i decided it was time to replace the shift coupler and ordered one from aircooled.net. i also ordered a scat drag-fast shifter (angled) at the same time.

using the books (muir, bentley and haynes) as references i figured i'd have no problems. the haynes has been the most help so far due to better descriptions/pictures. anyway, the front of the coupler is located roughly 1/2 inch behind the rear of the hole behind the front seats. because of this i've been unable to get any tools to the bolt/screw/spring-pin. i went ahead and cut the carpet/padding away to install the scat shifter. i can BARELY get into 1st and 3rd gears, though 2nd 4th and reverse are fine. the shifter is adjusted as far to the rear as possible, though very little movement is possible due to the spacing of the shifter plate slots with regard to the bolt holes in the tunnel. the original shifter exhibited the same problem with 1st and 3rd as well.

with all this in mind, i'm wondering if the rod (?) behind the shift coupler isn't the wrong size for this model car (too short?). i'm still digging, but haven't yet found a description of this part and whether or not its length has changed at some point across the years.

the ball socket is obviously under the hole in the tunnel otherwise i'd never get the shifter ball into the socket.

one thing to note, though - the new scat shifter did not come with a locating pin/spring, though the original shifter did have this part.

any information/suggestions/pointers regarding this situation will be greatly appreciated.

thanks for your time!

Reply to
Dewey Hylton
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