Genuine Saab Base Bushings
04-29-2012, 11:14 PM
#1
Genuine Saab Base Bushings
For you all that are running the Gebnuine Sabb shifter base buishings, in a LSJ SS, could you answer a few question for me? When using these bushing with the stock shifter assembly, do they drop the height of the whole shiter assembly vs with the stock bushings? If it does drop the height, have you all experienced and binding from the shift cables or shifter itself due to the reduced hieght? Do the bushings really offer much of an improvement over stock?
04-29-2012, 11:30 PM
#2
if the bushings are made right ( I made mine) they mimic the stock bushing for shifter block height, and just clamp the housing in place eliminating the rubber in the stock bushings. I can say the bushings make the shifting a whole ton lot better....but I also replaced the entire shifter housing as well as the bushings, on my redline. great mod imho, dont know what the saab bushings look like.
04-29-2012, 11:53 PM
#3
I also didn't use the genuine saab on my LNF car, I used a different brand, but they all are pretty much copy cats of each other.
They don't drop the base height of the shifter because they drop into place from the top down. The set I used did come with a plain ole hardware store washer to put underneath but that was the same as the base of the rubber bushing bottoms, so it ended up equal. You definitely can shim it a little bit with a couple of washers as there is enough thread on the stud, if for some reason you were inclined to. You wouldn't gain but maybe a 16th of an inch perhaps. Maybe an eight - tops, but I'm not sure you would get that much. Not clear on why you would want to? or maybe you're saying you don't want it shimmed up? If that is indeed the case then you have nothing to worry about.
The aluminum bushings did tighten up the shifter movement. More than I expected. I like the results of the aluminum bushings. The shifter is far less wishy washy and feels a lot more positive.
One small word of caution - If your car is old enough to have seen a few seasons expect the rubber bushings to be fused to the mounting studs. If that is the case, and 3 of 4 of mine were, you'll need to totally remove the console to get at the shifter with a pry bar, (It's really easy to do that, no worries) and you'll need a lot of patience gently breaking the fused rubber bushings free without destroying the plastic shifter base. key words, patience, patience, patience. The mod is worth doing if you have plenty of that.
Or, maybe you'll be the lucky one and none of the rubbers are fused on.
They don't drop the base height of the shifter because they drop into place from the top down. The set I used did come with a plain ole hardware store washer to put underneath but that was the same as the base of the rubber bushing bottoms, so it ended up equal. You definitely can shim it a little bit with a couple of washers as there is enough thread on the stud, if for some reason you were inclined to. You wouldn't gain but maybe a 16th of an inch perhaps. Maybe an eight - tops, but I'm not sure you would get that much. Not clear on why you would want to? or maybe you're saying you don't want it shimmed up? If that is indeed the case then you have nothing to worry about.
The aluminum bushings did tighten up the shifter movement. More than I expected. I like the results of the aluminum bushings. The shifter is far less wishy washy and feels a lot more positive.
One small word of caution - If your car is old enough to have seen a few seasons expect the rubber bushings to be fused to the mounting studs. If that is the case, and 3 of 4 of mine were, you'll need to totally remove the console to get at the shifter with a pry bar, (It's really easy to do that, no worries) and you'll need a lot of patience gently breaking the fused rubber bushings free without destroying the plastic shifter base. key words, patience, patience, patience. The mod is worth doing if you have plenty of that.
Or, maybe you'll be the lucky one and none of the rubbers are fused on.
Last edited by Sox-Fan; 04-29-2012 at 11:58 PM. Reason: clarified shimming it.
04-30-2012, 12:00 AM
#4
sox u are on it once more@ My bushings go on underneath and clamp with ss washers on top. BIG 10 4 on the housing, they were fused like on brand new on redlines back in 04, and i was determined to preserve mine know this, skilled and experienced. lol.
nosuchluck.com.
i had a new LNF shifter housing complete so it was not the end of the world and the rl one is re usable but its cracked in two of the bushing areas. hard not to do that. what a pita. I think a heat gun may have made it easier but it would soften the plastic as well as the rubber bushings so ..... pita lol
nosuchluck.com.
i had a new LNF shifter housing complete so it was not the end of the world and the rl one is re usable but its cracked in two of the bushing areas. hard not to do that. what a pita. I think a heat gun may have made it easier but it would soften the plastic as well as the rubber bushings so ..... pita lol
04-30-2012, 12:33 AM
#5
Haha, I almost grabbed old smokey to burn the rubbers out, then i realized.... rubber bushings, plastic shifter base....... 
In the end I removed the ENTIRE console so I could get a big prybar underneath and gently wiggled each of the rubbers from underneath while spraying lube in from on top. Eventually they each broke free. Not fun but the results were worth it.
Oh! And you're so right John! There is a metal sleeve that drops in from the top and the rubbers come in from the bottom making a sandwich. It's the metal sleeves that fuse to the rubber. I had it wrong in my previous post.
In the end I removed the ENTIRE console so I could get a big prybar underneath and gently wiggled each of the rubbers from underneath while spraying lube in from on top. Eventually they each broke free. Not fun but the results were worth it.
Oh! And you're so right John! There is a metal sleeve that drops in from the top and the rubbers come in from the bottom making a sandwich. It's the metal sleeves that fuse to the rubber. I had it wrong in my previous post.
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