For a year or five, I had vowed to remove the ill-behaved short shift kit in the Targa and put it back to stock. However, at the end of each season, it would become a winter project, and then in the spring it would get driven and become a sometime-this-summer project, and then it would be fall which is perfect driving weather for the Targa, and then it……you get the idea. Well finally, this winter, largely because I wanted someone else to drive it, I spent the couple of hours needed to get the job done.
It is not a difficult job other than reinstalling the two springs in the shift mechanism. This requires some gloves, some patience and some eye protection. My technique is to push the dowel pin a portion of the way through, and then to use a thin screwdriver at the other side to “catch” the other end of the spring. You can then tap the dowel through, and as it straightens the spring, it will also displace the screwdriver. The spring is under tension, so best to keep yourself protected, as well as any painted surfaces that you care about in the vicinity.
Once complete, I went out for a drive, and the stock shifting felt great. I’m not sure why it was ever removed….