Thanks for the hospitality and tips - looks like a good 915 convo was overdue.
Hate to admit it, but mine is crunchy going into 1st too, unless 2nd is engaged first. My father-in-law rebuilt a few Beetles in his day and regards this as normal operating procedure...apparently not. Slightly discouraging given the green light given to the tranny during the PPI (and the mechanic owns a 79?) The upside is that it seems OK to engage 1st early/leave clutch in, which I wouldn't have dreamed of doing until now.
I'm feeling slightly inadequate if EVERYBODY here is mechanically proficient or deep-pocketed enough to enjoy a crunch-free 1st gear
- worth a poll? What would be really great is an estimate of 915 lifetime going forward assuming 150 mi/week in mixed driving...crack it open now or total rebuild later?
swepco and bushings in the meantime, of course (thanks again)