Best Method to repair snapped shifter mount point...

[bimmerboy73]

Yup, Just like the title says. Was driving the car a while ago before i garaged it when the shifter dropped. Scared the crap out of me at first because i thought it was something tranny related. Turns out, the rear mounting point that secures the shifter platform to transmission tunnel snapped off in a perfect little square right around the hole (see reference picture - not my car). The bolt is still in it and the car is driveable and transmission shifts fine. i just have to hold the entire deal up when i go through the gears. I obviously dont like driving it this was but had to to get the car home.

So, the question is - what would be the best way to go about a repair? Welding or screwing / bolting a steel strap across the whole and tapping a hole through it to receive the platform bolt?

Worth noting that the car is a 5 speed conversion, so this hole i'm guessing was tapped by Lajolla years ago when the transmission was swapped. Curious that they didnt seem to tap the other two holes that would have provided a more secure connection. I think the whole area will need some attention in the future to do it right. Not sure if that means sourcing a new platform or whether i can use whatever is currently there. The immediate need is to get the shifter back to where it was / is supposed to be... by Thursday.

Thoughts?

 

[Blinkling]

Is the bolt long enough that you could span over the broken hole with a fender washer? A big wide washer and a nut should be adequate. Having the bolt thread into the car is only helpful for installing everything from underneath.

 

[eriknetherlands]

It seems to confirm that the body takes too much stress here. There are more cars out there with deformations in the circumference of the opening. I have seen cracks and waves at least in 5 cars by now. In your car also the large opening looks to have a certain 'wave' in it. It should be flat (take reference of the picture witht eh automatic shifter console. It is the mating part, and it is perfectly flat as well)

If you just want fix asap & drive the next day go for a M6 bolt & a nut with a large washer, but that doesn't solve the illness, just the symptom.
A bit more sturdy solution would be a (4*10 cm / 1,5 *4 inch) metal strip from below with a M6 nut or jack nut. Screwed or welded to the tunnel.
I made a larger reinforcement tying all three mounting points together, and welded it to the tunnel. Strengtens the area to prevent cracking. A lotta work, non-Original as well, however very robust.

 

[bimmerboy73]

Is the bolt long enough that you could span over the broken hole with a fender washer? A big wide washer and a nut should be adequate. Having the bolt thread into the car is only helpful for installing everything from underneath.

Pretty sure the bolt is long enough. Will give either the washer or a 2 inch wide , 4" long, 1/8" thick section of plate steel a go and see if that works. Might have too get a longer bolt if I put the reinforcement above and below the tunnel but it would likely hold 'temporarily' as a simple cold joint that I can properly weld later.

Pretty much ditched the idea of drilling anymore new holes in that area. It's already weak as it is.

Thanks for the reply!

 

[bimmerboy73]

It seems to confirm that the body takes too much stress here. There are more cars out there with deformations in the circumference of the opening. I have seen cracks and waves at least in 5 cars by now. In your car also the large opening looks to have a certain 'wave' in it. It should be flat (take reference of the picture witht eh automatic shifter console. It is the mating part, and it is perfectly flat as well)

If you just want fix asap & drive the next day go for a M6 bolt & a nut with a large washer, but that doesn't solve the illness, just the symptom.
A bit more sturdy solution would be a (4*10 cm / 1,5 *4 inch) metal strip from below with a M6 nut or jack nut. Screwed or welded to the tunnel.
I made a larger reinforcement tying all three mounting points together, and welded it to the tunnel. Strengtens the area to prevent cracking. A lotta work, non-Original as well, however very robust.

I like the idea and think I'll give it a go. Maybe just mechanically attaching through the plate temporarily and welding later when I have the time.

Many thanks and great input and reference photos!