Last time my shifter had slop, I replaced the mangled original bushings with the silicone aftermarket bushings that every online parts place sells. I did not like them. They were not only less firm than the OE bushings, they were ten times more difficult to install. Even today I notice that nobody carries the original nylon style bushings, and a trip to the local dealer means getting on the beltway - no thank you. So I lived with the silicone bushings.

The silicone bushings wore quickly and my shifter has been getting looser for a few years. I did not realize until looking under the car this past week that, in fact, the bushings were completely gone, and likely have been for a long time. Once again I faced the choice of obviously inferior silicone bushings or a trip down the construction-plagued-cluster-fun that is the capital beltway. Ever one to find the unspoken option, I made my own.

I got out my dial caliper and measured the best I could in the cramped space of the tranny tunnel. The holes in the shifter linkage are roughly 1/2" (probably more like 13mm). The pins are roughly 5/16" (again, probably 8mm). And the bushings could be no longer than 5/16". I searched the shop for something suitable and found a piece of copper tubing (3/8" nominal?) with a 1/2" outside diameter. Obviously, the inside diameter was way too large.

I filled the tubing with lead free solder which is very close to many alloys of Babbitt metal. High tin alloys are excellent self-lubricating bushing/bearing metals, as long as the heat and pressure do not go too high. If you go to your local thrift store and find a beat up pewter stein, it will be almost identical to the original Babbitt metal, and will melt easily with a torch or hot plate. (I had one I was willing to melt, but didn't dig it out since I was just experimenting.) After filling the tubing, I drilled a 5/16" hole down the center and filed it to length. The end result is a copper shelled, tin-alloy bushing with a 1/2" OD, a 5/16" ID, and a width of about 5/16".

If anyone is interested, I centered the copper tubing on my drill press by clamping down a piece of soapstone and drilling a 1/2" hole. Then, without moving anything, I poured the solder and drilled the 5/16" hole, so it was perfectly centered.

The bushings fit perfectly, and give a satisfyingly firm shift. Not bad for an hours work. I am not sure how long they will last, but I am confident that neither solder nor copper will damage the steel linkage, so if I have to replace them one day, so be it. I notice McMaster-Carr has several bushings that might serve as well, possibly with a little grinding, and I may go that route in the future, but I won't go back to the silicone garbage.