Sab

the gearbox on the '82 Euro S seems to have a couple of quirks.

Compared to my GT gearbox, first impression it feels like sh*t.
It has new front and rear shift coupler, so linkage is good.

Is this normal?
- Once you are in first you can go right back to reverse. On my GT it would not let you shift from 1st to reverse.
- The Shifter does not seem to center at all. On my GT there was hard resistance to get to the left in 1st or reverse and light resistance to get to the right towards 4th and 5th. Basically if you let it go it would center itself. This one has no spring load at all. This makes it hard to find the gears.
- on a few occasions while driving the car there seemed to be somes resistance to get into reverse or second. Almost as if a spring is pushing back. Second actually popped back out once. It then goes away again.

jon928se

Your description of the GT box reads a perfect match for my SE and GT box's

The 5sp early cars I have driven also match the description of your Euro S. By comparison to the GT box I would describe the early box as stirring porridge.

What I do not know is if that is a fair description of a properly set up early box or just a typical example of the current state of play.

One thing that is always worth checking is that the pins that the shift lever slides onto on the shift rods are still welded to the shift rods.

hacker-pschorr

Normal - early cars do not have a reverse lock out. My 79 has one, previous owner added one.
That should be the same as your GT. My 79 is the same as your 82, where as my 81 is the same as your GT. Not sure what is broken (winter project)
I would think this is related to problem #2 - my 79 has issues going into 4th at times, 100% random.

davek9

My '85 had no spring when I bought it; I found the larger part of the spring laying on the bottom of the Trans case when I disassembled it. It looks like a flat bar that just bends and I guess breaks too.

Podguy

Pretty normal behavior for an older model trans. If you can actually down shift into second is a miracle. Most grind like crazy.

There should be a little notch going into second even on an upshift. To go into reverse from starting the car shift first into fourth. This will stop the gears in the transmission and make shifting into reverse smooth.

Sloppiness is a natural part of the transmission design. Ever drive an early 911? Porsche is famous for their vague shifting linkage.

Dan the Pod Guy