Strongsail,

Take the other guys advice and get a philips screwdriver to pop the stock shifter off. It takes 5seconds and it will clear up any mystery.

Pull e-brake
Press shiftlock and pull shifter to Neutral
Push the plastic sleeve on the bottom of the shifter down. not much force needed. it pops off.
Unscrew the two screws...
Pull shifter off. done...

Pressure to the white plastic assembly at the top is like the shifting button. The two electrical contacts at the top are to engage the O/D.

Theoritically you could build a nice wood ****... just build a punch thru center for the shifter button. Then relocate the o/d button to one of the seat heater switch blanks.

 

Just one problem in the solid wood **** idea: the release button up top to put her into gear. If you can devise a way to insert a button like that, then problem solved. As to the shortening, it won't be by much because the metal shift rod underneath is pretty long as well. What I wouldn't give for a gated shifter...

 

yeah, i dont understand why lex. didnt make a gated shifter for it earlier...

levoc shifters are a pos... as everyone said, they fall apart, they look and feel cheezy in person, and they dont fit. if your going to work on the shifter, you may as well also work on the three spoke steering wheel.