Shifter Piece

The shifter in my dune buggy has a lot of play in it because the piece that connects the shifter and the transmission is broke/loose. The piece Im talking about is right where if you were sitting in the drivers seat and reach your hand back in a 45 degree angle and look straight down from your hand its right there. On my buggy its open and I can see it but I imagine if you have interior you cant see it.
The guy I bought the buggy from bought a replacement piece, but I dont think its the right one. My buggy is built from a 1961 bug, so does anyone know where I could get the correct piece online? I would search for it but I dont know what its called.

That linkage might be found in a local wrecking yard. I do know that I thought mine was broken once, but it had just come undone and had to be reconnected. Sorry, but I'n not sure of it's correct name.

Are you talking about looking through the hole in the tunnel under the shifter? That is the shift rod bushing. It is a little neoprene piece that slips over the shaft and snaps into a bracket welded inside the tunnel. $2.00 will get one, try www.cip1.com or www.eisparts.com. Another problem area for shifter slop is the coupler where the shifter shaft connects to the shaft sticking out of the transmission. Those cost about $8.95. If your buggy has the normal buggy pan and tunnel there is a little oval shaped cover on the back of the tunnel right beside the battery box, remove one screw and you can see the coupler, the holes where the long bolt goes through get wallowed out and makes it hard to find the gears.