Sloppy Gear Shift

[Bigmeat]

Hi, looking for some advice on parts and where to buy.

Car is a 1979 Type 1, 2.0L m10. It was originally a 1.6L, but was engine swapped and is now on twin Webers, making about 160bhp give or take.

The issues I currently have:-
- It has a very sloppy gear stick even when in gear.
-There's also a loud mechanical whining until the clutch is depressed when it goes away. I'm assuming this is the thrust bearing.

I'm not physically capable of sorting the thrust bearing myself, and it seems pointless me trying to do the gear linkages while the gearbox will have to come out.

I have a friend who works in a garage that specialises in classic cars, and he's said if I sort the bits out he'll do it one Saturday afternoon.

The issue is I'm not sure exactly what I need to get, or where to buy from. W&N don't have any gear shift parts on their site, at least under the E21.
I've seen videos on yt of people fitting z3 shifters, or fitting upgraded linkages.

So, can someone please point me to the best place to pick up what I'll need? My local BMW garage weren't very helpful last time I went in for parts so I'd rather have a list of what I need with part numbers if I need to buy from them.
Is it worth upgrading the linkages/gear shift or just stay stock?

What else should I get for the thrust bearing to be changed? I don't know how worn the clutch is, would it be best to wait and see if it needs doing? It's running on the one that was in when it was a 1.6, but now it's 2.0 is there a better one I should look at?

Thanks for any help, I'm really not sure just what I'm after.

[uwbuurman]

Itbis a known problem, the sloppy shifter. In my topic you'll see the problem parts. It is the linkage between the shifter itselve and the linkjoint on the gearbox. That link has a little foam piece in it. Be sure to replace that aswell. Bmw partno. 25111434194

Both parts have a plastic bushing that wears out. So I'd replace that with custom made ones, as shown in my topic.

[Bigmeat]

Thanks for the reply.
I don't suppose you have any of the brass bushings spare do you? Have they made a big difference?
I'd be happy to buy however many are needed to complete the job if you have some.

[uwbuurman]

Actually it is better to take the shifter and linkage to a machineshop near you, since the parts are a bit worn or slotted at each other. Hence it will need measuring and custom made bushings.

[polov8]

The whining sounds more likely to be the input shaft bearing on the gearbox.