 You
have heard the story before... a guy finds a Samurai in great
condition for a small amount of cash, the problem is the transfer
case is stuck in gear and it hasn't moved for a month! The guy pays
for the Zook, fiddles with the shifter for a few minutes (replacing
the shifter sheet) and then drives off - astounding the previous
owner.Failure of the rubber shifter sheet (bushing) is a common
problem with a Samurai, and it is one of the first items that should
be replaced in the 20 year old vehicle. In recent years a poly
version of the bushing was introduced in the aftermarket, and it has
held up better than the stock component. But will it last for 25
years?
The new T-Bra from Zuks Off Road is a replacement
brass shifter sheet that comes
with a 25 year warranty! It doesn't look like these will need to be
replaced any time soon though. For those that have never replaced
their shifter sheet, here is a quick how - to. All this can be done
by accessing the top of the shifter tower through the shifter boot
hole from inside the vehicle, but to make it easier for the pix we
will take a look at an install on the work table. |
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| The shifter case boot is held in place with a ring clamp, easily
removed by hand. Then the boot is slid up the lever and out of the
way. The cap that is uncovered is the control lever guide. You can
see the two slots that will give you something to grab onto so that
you can twist it counterclockwise while pushing down. It will rotate
a quarter turn and then the whole shifter lever can be removed.
Twisting can be done with a pair of flat tipped screwdrivers, or if
you happen to have one of these handy removal tools, just push and
twist. |
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  With
the lever out of the way, you can see the shifter sheet down inside
the housing. This orange version of the shifter sheet is the poly
replacement version. You can tell if your shifter sheet is original
if you see a green version, usually crumbling and in pieces.
To
remove the shifter sheet, just use a finger to fish it out. You will
notice a pair of pins inside the housing that keeps the shift lever
straight. The flexible shifter sheet will just slide out around
them. |
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The new T-Bra drops into place by placing one side under one of
the pins, and dropping the side with the notch down past the other
pin. |
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| The shifter lever is then put back in place and the guide installed
the same way it came out. Just push and twist clockwise. |
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  Once
the boot has been pushed back into place and the ring clamp
installed, you are done. This can be done in about 10 minutes, but
in this case it will probably outlast the rest of the vehicle. |
 Source:
Zuks Off Road
586 Azure Drive
Camp Verde, AZ 86322
Phone
(714) 488-2272 |
