Gear Shifter - Gene Berg or others

OK, so this is the very last thing I buying for my bus. A gear shifter. Maybe. What's the choice? Am I right in thinking (in order of cost) Gene Berg, CMP (or something like that, may have got the wrong letters), Empi or Scatter (or something like that)?

Thing is with the Gene Berg is that I don't like the flat T-handle. But you can buy them with a ball, right? Couldn't find that on the Gene Berg site. Can someone direct me to the exact one?

And what about the others, the cheaper ones? Are they any good? Does anyone swear by them?

Ideally what I'd like is something which looks as close to the original VW style as possible to which I can fit a nice rounded ball on top, which performs as well as the Gene Berg. Is that asking for too much?

 

Snotty has one hes your man

 

Have experience of the EMPI shifter. Bit mixed really...a bit of a pig to fit, okay still two bolts but lining it up to work was aggro. Common failing....try doing a handbrake hill start when in 1st. I must admit once I'd got all the bugs out of it I tried it for a week or two then took it out again.
Some say it will drop straight in with no handbrake hitting or lining up issues. My view...its a lot of money for the uncertainty!

 

if you want to try an Empi one, I have one I have not got around to fitting that you could try for free..............if it works and you like it, just get another to replace it, if not, give it back and it's cost ya nowt.

 

The one thing that makes a very big difference to the gear change is the lubrication of the rear shift rod. When I dropped my gearbox out a while back for some obscure reason I tried the gear shift and was rather surprised as to just how stiff it was despite not being connected to the box. Long story short I pulled it out and found virtualy no lubrication where it ran through the tube. The proverbial handful of grease and its smooth as silk, well almost. .

 

Check with Nedfaux and have a look here...
http://raceshifter.de/index.php?cPath=1&XTCsid=f45f27d164f49e071cd812a40e1d1b0c

Also check out HorTs thread form Nov (can't copy post in tapatalk)...some good points on there..
The bug-tech shifter is on my list..

 

Ive an empi short shift plate fitted to mine and it does shorten the shift a fair bit

 

Can anyone link me to horts thread about the gene berg ones as i cant find it

 

Cheers for the links

 

If your at Bigbang or stamford hall etc... your welcome to take my bus for a spin and try it out

 

Just to throw in the proverbial spanner, every now and again I come across a bus that's still all standard gear change/linkage etc (mine's one of them - lucky me) that's like new. Straight into 2nd every time, short throw, hardly any play when in gear. No chance of hitting the handbrake.

I'm guessing that if you still have trouble after going through the usual suspects, your gearbox gear selecting bits are worn. You know the feeling - try and select second gear and sometimes if you hit it just right it slips straight in, other times it feels like there isn't a second gear. So you get yourself a shiney gearlever and fit. If you're lucky/skillful/box isn't as worn as some are, it works a treat and you love it and tell everyone what a marvellous shifter you have. If not you think the shifter is rubbish and tell even more people.

At the end of the day, if it came to spending what £2-300? for a shifter, I'd be considering getting the box fixed instead? I'm led to believe if you remove the nose you'll find a reasonably cheap, replaceable bush on the end of the hockey stick, so very DIYable.

Obviously if your motivation is purely bling the above does not apply.

 

^^^ WHS
Ned mine is all about bling
Message me a price for the shifter plus shipping to downundaland if you would be so kind ^-^

 

Nothing against shifters - Ned's look the dogs. 8)

Just saying it might not help and not be the fault of the shifter, whatever make or model.