Apparatus and method for repair of shift cable ends in various motor vehicles

A method for coupling a shift cable end and shift lever, said shift cable end comprising an oblong body having a front end and back end, an outer surface and inner surface creating a coupling aperture, a front shelf extending from the inner surface of the front end of the oblong body into the coupling aperture, said front shelf having a protruding member rising vertically along the center of the front shelf and a semi-circular member rising vertically from the front shelf and perpendicular to the protruding member, said semi-circular member extending horizontally beyond the front shelf, a rear shelf extending from the inner surface of the back end of the oblong body into the coupling aperture, and a notch in the inner surface of the front end of the oblong body, said shift lever comprising a base, a shaft, a neck, and a head, said shift cable end coupling with said shift lever through the assistance of a retaining clip comprising an elongated body bent such that the retaining dip has two arms, comprising:

• providing a bushing having a seating member configured to sit within the coupling aperture having a first end and a second end, a top surface and a bottom surface, and an outer surface defining an oblong body, a bore within the seating member running from the bottom surface to the top surface of the seating member and forming a passage sized to receive the shaft of the shift lever, a securing member extending vertically and longitudinally from the first end of the seating member configured to engage the notch in the shift cable end, two angled surfaces rising from the top surface of the seating member to opposite sides of the securing member configured to engage the arms of the retaining clip, two supporting members rising vertically from the top surface of the seating member and running lengthwise along each side of the seating member, a first recess in the bottom surface of the seating member configured to accommodate the front shelf of the shift cable end, a second recess in the bottom surface of the seating member configured to accommodate the semi-circular member, a third recess in the bottom surface of the a seating member configured to accommodate the protruding member, and a fourth recess in the bottom surface of the seating member configured to accommodate the rear shelf;
• using tools to remove an existing coupling mechanism from the shift cable end and trim the front shelf and rear shelf of the shift cable end to accommodate the bushing;
• inserting the bushing into the coupling aperture by aligning the securing member with the notch and pushing the seating member into the coupling aperture until the recesses in its bottom surface enclose the front shelf and rear shelf of the shift cable end and the seating member is seated within the coupling aperture;
• aligning the shaft, the neck, and the head of the shift lever with the bore and inserting the shift lever into the bore until the neck and head of the shift lever have passed through the bore and extend beyond the top surface of the seating member and the base of the shift lever makes contact with the bottom surface of the seating member;
• placing the retaining clip on the seating member between the two supporting members such that the arms of retaining clip are reaching over the head of the shift lever;
• and
• pressing the arms of the retaining clip down and over the head of the shift lever until the arms of the retaining clip pass beyond the head and retract against the neck of the shift lever and the two angled surfaces of the seating member.