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How does that side shifter setup feel?

I think if I changed the horns and mounts that much I would go vanagon automatic.

Steve: over ten years ago there was an accident out on the dune in OR and the guy who was driving became a quadriplegic so when he got healed enough, the guys built a rail for his wife to drive. As I remember, they used an Audi 5000 series of automatic in it (I never got to see it myself, just heard about it). I have lately seen reference to this same transaxle for auto off-roading so it might be something you could look into.

Lee

Yep, there are extensive posts on the STF about the Audi parts and vanagon automatic adaptation.

Steve Arndt wrote:How does that side shifter setup feel?

I think if I changed the horns and mounts that much I would go vanagon automatic.

The shifter IS a little vague, but nothing like you would think by looking at it. I replaced my empi t-handle with a scat drag-fast and it worked wonders.
Funny you bring up the vanagon auto trans, in my quest to find a W/C 091, Ive noticed that the automatics are plentiful. Mounting one up wouldn't be THAT hard, but I'm not sure about off road performance or how strong one actually is. I know the rock crawlers use automatics, but thats a whole 'nuther deal.

What is W/C 091? water cooled?

Vanagon side shift 094 tranies actually are worth less to us than 091s from bay busses.

Steve Arndt wrote:What is W/C 091? water cooled?

Vanagon side shift 094 tranies actually are worth less to us than 091s from bay busses.

No offense Steve, but this is what I was talking about, nobody can agree on what to call the different generations of transmissions from the '70s-'80s.

I posted this a few days ago on another thread...

As far as a transaxle, pretty much ANY bus trans is better than the type 1 trans. With that said, what I have noticed is there is a lot of confusion about what trans is called "what", even in the stickies here and other sites. So here is what I have found, (even the re-builders can't agree) the 002 is the 3-rib and 5-rib, early to mid '70s. The 091, the six rib, was made from late '70's till 1989. This is where it gets interesting. Nose-shift means two different things, is it '79-back, or '80-83.5? Both of those are air-cooled. '84-89 is a water-cooled vanagon and also includes syncros, which were 4WD. All are considered 091. Confused yet? Vanagon trannies are also called 091-1, 092, and 094.

We agree.
091 center shift
094 side shift.
Right? Either way, we agree Lets rapture.

Hmm, I suppose we do. Sooo.... do you have one of those "worth less" 094's you'd be willing to part with?

I have 20 of them, but I don't ship. They are heavy and dirty.

Some of them come with a free vanagon if you buy the transaxle

http://www.etischer.com/914cableshift.html

I keep thinking that may be a good idea for a shifter in the 094 side shift. But it all depends on what direction I go on the pan build.

Steve Arndt wrote:Some of them come with a free vanagon if you buy the transaxle

I may have to go go that route, I'm actually going to go look at a vanagon today.
Birddog, weddle makes a shifter for the vanagons that isn't a cable set-up and it looks pretty slick. I'll see if I can find a link later.

Here's some pics of what I'm talking about. If anyone is interested, call Weddle to get one, as far as I know, no-one is selling it yet, except Weddle.

Heres what i came up with..Had to dump that expensive shifter for a modified stock shifter. Now it works great.

That's only half of the story, what did you do back at the transmission? Give us the Paul Harvey.