# TECH: USRT Smartshift DIY



## J-tec (May 20, 2006)

Ladies and gentlemen, I now present to you the USRT SmartShift Kit for the Mk2/Mk3 cars with 020 (rod shift) transmission.
 
The kit has actually been around for years, but many have never seen it. That included me until a short while ago. What I heard before installing it was that it completely changes the fun factor in driving a Mk2/Mk3. After all the shifter isn’t exactly the best part of these cars!
_"It’s literally a night and day difference."_
Right... Well, I decided to do a DIY on this kit, but had no Mk2 or Mk3 to use as a test car. This is when I contacted Josh Wimpey from Quantum Rally Sport to see if he wanted to use his Mk2 Golf 16v for this thread. Being a rally driver, Josh obviously needs the fastest and most consistent shifts he can get. A botched shift could send him into the weeds or cause a DNF! He agreed that (in concept) this heim-jointed design is the way to go. 
By the way, if you haven't heard of *Quantum Rally Sport* and the loony racing they do, I suggest you check some of their stuff out at *their website* and *check out this video*.
Here are some shots of his monster in action: 

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Now that you know the test subject, let's take a look at some of the tools and parts needed for this project:
*Parts*
SmartShift2 kit
Parts you will receive in the kit
-(1) Shift Weight
-(4) Small Delrin Bushings
-(1) Large Delrin Bushing, with clip and bolt
-(1) Long Linkage arm
-(1) Short Linkage arm
-(6) Bolts with their respective washers and nuts
*Tools*
- 5/16” Drill Bit
- Drill
- Bench Grinder/reciprocating saw/ anything that will cut fine objects
- Vice/Press
- 13mm Wrench
- Short 13mm ratcheting wrench 
- Measuring Tape
- White Lithium Grease (maintenance & future lubrication of heim joints)
- Work Gloves
- Flash Light / Work Lights
(These are the must-haves; however, it would be a good idea to have a set of other tools around just in case you need something else that isn't listed here.)








Be sure to print out a set of instructions from the USRT website! Then get everything laid out and make sure you have it all, like we did here:

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Alright, now that we've got everything we need, let's go out to the garage and get that hood open!

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Some of you may notice in this picture that it's not your typical 16v (PL or 9A-code) we have in the Quantum Rally car. In this case it’s a real deal ABF bolted to a US transmission. Don't worry, though, everything you'll see in this write up will be exactly like the one under the hood of your car (well, except for the Euro 16v).








Before really going at it, first make sure the coolant bottle is out of the way. You don't have to remove it completely. Just put it in the rain tray or somewhere similar. 
Be ready to get your hands dirty after this point








*Ripping Out the Stock Shift linkage*
First things first, get the original shift weight or rod out of there (weight is OEM in Mk3 –not Mk2). Remove the clips from each end, and slide the weight /rod up/out. You can see the clip in this picture:

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Here's the section that you remove it from, circled in red:

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So you can see what we’re going to accomplish, here’s a photo of what we’re eventually going to end up with:

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Now that you have that out, go ahead and pull out the long metal shift linkage. In this picture, the Yellow arrows are pointing at it and the blue arrows are indicating which direction you have to pry them out. (Pull the left one in the pic, towards the front of the car, and pull the right one upwards, towards the sky.)

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We ended up breaking the plastic piece holding on the left side as you can see in this picture:

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With that out, now you want to remove the nut (circled in red) that secures the shaft (indicated by the yellow arrow):

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and another angle:

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Get a wrench and start loosening that nut!

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With the nut off, now try and pry the bushing that's holding it in out. Once you do the whole bolt assembly should fall out. 
The yellow arrow in this pic shows the bushing a little more up close. Try and get a screw driver or something in there to get it out:

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This is what that whole assembly looks like when it's out of the car:

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That assembly is now out of the way to get at the next piece, which is circled here in red:

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IMPORTANT: Josh and I think it would be a good idea to indicate the sleeve’s exact front/back position and also what position the bracket is in. Do this BEFORE you remove anything. When re-installing, this is the piece that will need the most adjusting, as it controls where the transmission goes into gear. If this piece is misaligned you can't go into 1st and 2nd gear, or 3rd and 4th, etc. So, take pictures of this piece; mark it off on the shaft; do whatever you have to do to make sure that you get it back in EXACTLY the way you took it out. This will minimize any tedious adjustment and readjustment when you re-install everything.

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You might have to spray some light penetrating oil (e.g. PB Blaster or WD-40) on this bolt and nut to facilitate removal. It’s no worries if you don't, though. Have at it with the wrench and it should slide right out.
Here's a top angle of it from behind the manifold:

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The next step is to remove the part in the linkage that is supposed to look like this: 

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However, Quantum Rally's Golf had already been upgraded. The original plastic pieces kept breaking –a really frustrating reason to drop out of an event! Regardless, the piece you’re looking for is located right in the middle of the transmission -almost directly under the coolant bottle:

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Pry that piece up so you can get to that nut right next to it. That nut also secures the bracket (outlined in red). You're going to get a wrench on that thing, loosen it and pull everything out in the direction that the yellow arrow is pointing in these pictures:

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Here's what the bracket looks like when it's been taken out:

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With that out of the way, now move on to the bolt right next to where that bracket used to be. It's a shiny gold bolt with Audi rings on top of it. There's a nut underneath the whole assembly that you want to get a wrench on. I believe a 13mm will do the trick:

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Then, use a short ratcheting 13mm and start loosening that bolt on top.

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Once that's loose enough and the nut on the bottom comes out, pull the bolt out:

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This will reveal the squishy stock bushings that you can either take out now or later. (They will be replaced with hard Delrin pieces supplied in the package.) I suggest you leave them in until you're ready to reinstall:

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And… here's a close up of the top and bottom bushing:

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That's pretty much it for the disassembly. Now lets move on to customizing the stock bits to fit the USRT parts. It’s not that scary. Don't worry!








*Measuring and Fabrication*
When you get all the stock stuff out organize it on a bench like we did here:

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The first thing to do is match the SmartShift adjustable end links and the shift weight to exactly match the stock ones. Skip this step and you’ll run into trouble during reinstallation. Even worse you’ll have lots of trouble getting your gears. Do it right!

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Note: the lock nut pictured here is no longer required.

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Next, take that bracket that you took off (circled in red in this picture) and get your cutting wheel ready:

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Then, take the cutting wheel and cut both ball joints off. Make sure the surface that you're left with is completely flat:

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BEFORE taking the 5/16th drill bit to it, I suggest punching a pilot hole into the metal with a center punch or nail. ALWAYS make pilot holes before hand or the drill bit will walk and will not give you the accurate hole you need. 
Be sure to line the pilot hole in the middle of this ring that you will be able to see once you cut the ball joint off:

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Just in case you can't really tell where this circle I'm talking about is, I outlined it with a red circle. Drill right down the center:

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As you can tell in the picture above, there are a few pilot punch marks.







We worked with improvised tools at the time of install! So can you.







Just take the time to do it accurately.
Here's what the end result will look like:

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For show purposes, here's a stock bracket, with the ball joints intact, and on the right, is the one we drilled out:

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Don't put away that drill yet! Two more ball joints need to come off. So, go grab that other bracket that looks like this:

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Take your cutting wheel and cut joint off (leaving the remaining surface as smooth as possible):

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Now, perform the exact same steps for the last bracket: Find the ring where ball joint was previously located, punch/drill a pilot hole, and finish it off with the 5/16 bit. The end result will look like this:

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Once that's done, take a metal sleeve off of one of the long bolts that you got with your kit, remove the stock bushing, then press it into place, like this:

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Since you're still at the press, take the other sleeve from the second longer bolt and press that onto the other shift lever. The end result will look like this, circled in red:

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You’re almost done with the drilling at this point. Find the final bracket, that looks like this: 

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Once again, follow the exact same steps to get that last ball joint off. Cut off ball, make sure you are left with a smooth surface, place the pilot hole, and drill it out with the 5/16th. Presto! You’re doing great!

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Here we are smoothing off the final surface a bit more:

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and the final product:

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Once you're done drilling, perhaps take a bit of a break, go watch TV or watch these 3 videos that I made, and then go back to work








*Drift.*
http://www.vimeo.com/2700731
*VW Kitchen*
http://www.vimeo.com/1604120
*Off-Season*
http://www.vimeo.com/3037598
After you're back to full energy, start out by grabbing this piece here: 

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Remove the "golf ball" part, leaving just the metal rod:

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Then, take the big Delrin bushing and put it in place of the golf ball, clipping it into place

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Once that's good, you're all set to start re-installing!
*Installing the Goods*
You’re almost ready to take it for a drive! *Almost*.







Head back under the hood and get those wrenches ready.

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Working backwards is best, so let’s start out with putting the new Delrin bushings into place. If you haven't done so already, pry the old bushings out of their place with a screwdriver:

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You’re going to replace them with these guys.

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They take a bit of effort to pop them into their respective spots, but they'll go in. Don't worry. Start with the bottom one:

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Then do the top one.

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This is how it should look when complete.

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## J-tec (May 20, 2006)

*Re: TECH: USRT Smartshift DIY (J-tec)*

With the bushings in, place that bracket with the 2 holes drilled into it (the one on the right in the picture below) back into position:

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Mid-process:








Make sure the bracket is installed in proper position so that it lines up with the rest of the parts later on. It goes in as pictured here (which we saw when taking it out before):

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Next, find this bracket with its respective nut and reinstall:

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Here¡s the original photo again. Push your modified part back onto the rod (as indicated by the yellow arrow) and secure with the nut (circled in red). The blue arrow points to the original ball joint (which is now a hole):








Tighten that nut up and now get the smaller end link that looks like a dog bone. (REMINDER: Make sure you match the length of this link to the stock piece:

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Now put that on the bottom of the bracket that you just installed. Line it up with the other bracket across from it. Slip in the shorter-length bolts and tighten them up! Make sure you place the washers on the top and bottom of each end as well. These pics should describe the procedure better than words:
















Now that you're good with this side of the transmission, move on over to the other side and get this guy out:

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Here's what it looked like installed stock, just to remind you:

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Here¡¦s the view from behind the manifold:

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Start by putting that rod into place and getting the Delrin bushings situated. Start with the bottom first. It will turn out looking like this:








Once those are in place, find the shift lever that your pressed the sleeve into. Bolt it back onto the top of the shaft you just put in, like so:








After that, it's time to install that sleeved bracket back onto the shifter input shaft. Slide it in between the big Delrin bushing and make sure to line it up properly. The marks you made before you took it out (in the "Ripping out the stock setup") section will help you! Tighten it up and move on:
















Find the 6 inch long end link, its bolts and pieces, and start lining it up between the sleeve shift lever that was put on a few steps ago and the other shift lever by the middle of the transmission:








Don't forget to put the supplied spacers in between each end link as well. Omitting them will limit the shifters movement and that wouldn't be good








It should look like this when completed:








Here ¡s a close up:








You're almost done. Grab the shift weight (that has been properly matched to the stock part's length) and line it up in between the shift levers. Slide the bolts in. Again, don't forget the spacers!:








Here it is completed!
























All is good! Your installation is complete! That wasn't so bad








BEFORE going on a test drive make sure that the car goes into all the gears smoothly. If it doesn't then you need to go back and adjust the linkage. If you made correct measurements the transmission will go into all the gears like a hot knife through butter. Still, go under the hood and check for anything loose.
*Adjustment*
Ah, so it won't shift into certain gears? It's no biggy! Go back under the hood and look at the sleeve that's on the shifter input shaft:








Loosen the bolt on that and adjust that lever in either direction VERY slightly. Tighten it up and go feel the shifter again. You'll begin to tell which direction will make it 100% after a few tries.
Now go out for a test drive, and report back with how you like the kit! You're amazed, right? Exactly! 
This is a Big DIY but actually a fairly simple install (if involved)- no big deal. I hope I made this as easy as possible for you guys. My goal was to ensure confidence about the kit itself as well as the installation procedure. It takes a little bit of time and patience, just like anything else when working on a car -especially an ancient MK2 or a MK3















Very importantly, this kit is rally proven. Josh and Quantum Rally Sport aren't the first race team to take the SmartShift kit into extreme conditions. So, why not buy *the* shift kit that the professionals rely upon? In my book, it's a no-brainer, especially for the slim price of $160. 








To sum it up, Josh is very impressed with the SmartShift's performance and strength. If you'd like make the same worthwhile improvements to your own car, you can order from :
- *USRT*
- *NGP Racing*









As a last note, I'd like to thank the following people once again:
- Josh @ Quantum Rally Sport
- US Rally Team
- NGP Racing
If you have ANY questions or concerns about this install, please send me an IM. I'll be happy to help you out with any questions you may have. I Hope this helps, fellas!
- Jonny


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## tdogg74 (Mar 1, 2002)

*FV-QR*

Awesome post. Wish i had THIS to go by 3 years ago when i blindly installed mine.
Requested to have this added to the FAQ/DIY thread.


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## LangsamKafer (Jul 17, 2001)

*Re: FV-QR (tdogg74)*


_Quote, originally posted by *tdogg74* »_
Requested to have this added to the FAQ/DIY thread.

Done.


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## J-tec (May 20, 2006)

*Re: FV-QR (LangsamKafer)*

Thank you guys! http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## macanic21 (Feb 20, 2007)

*Re: FV-QR (J-tec)*

J-tec that drifting video has amazing editing. That was awesome! I wish i could make stuff like that.
Oh, BTW sweet write up too!


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## cstocks (Aug 2, 2007)

*Re: (ghoastoflyle)*

http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif Sweet DIY write up!


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## J-tec (May 20, 2006)

*Re: (cstocks)*


_Quote, originally posted by *cstocks* »_ http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif Sweet DIY write up!


Thank ya sir! http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif

_Quote, originally posted by *ghoastoflyle* »_If the quote "It's literally a night and day difference" was pulled from usrt's website. Spoken by the glorious Grant Golgowski, I'd like to add he's one cool guy







lol








Nice write up, http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif I wish I had this before I did mine. The places I was stumped, you covered very well. 

That was pulled from their website, i'm sure Grant is the man, seeing as this is a spot on statement about the SmartShift kit. Thank you!









_Quote, originally posted by *macanic21* »_J-tec that drifting video has amazing editing. That was awesome! I wish i could make stuff like that.
Oh, BTW sweet write up too!








http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
Appreciate it man! glad you liked them both


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## jettred3 (Aug 5, 2005)

:beer:


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## Mk3Tragic (May 24, 2021)

Great write up with one tiny flaw...Photos no longer load. Only the dreaded "Image uploading. Refresh page to view " shows. Is there any chance this page could be refreshed to permanently lock photos in ?
So much information and knowledge is now text based because of this problem. And yes I have read about platform changes and images not being transferred across or fee based problems, still, this problem needs fixing. Must be a way.
Also, consider I am doing this upgrade in 2021 (as well as that stupid detent bolt) after buying a bunch of bits from USRT (and others) so while USRT comms are great. There install instructions are not.Forums like this and people like Thomas in Canada and Broke (Brian) who supply there skill, knowledge and experience basically for free are a godsend to shadetree mechanics that could not do what we do without them. I hope VW Vortex can resolve this ! 
I'm off to the garage...


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