Help a 914 v8 newbie: shifter keeps loosing 4th and 5th :/ Options

[EthanBlack]

Greetings ladies and gents!

Just a little bit about myself. Bought my first v8 car (283/rod Simpson car) right out of high school and fell in love with these unique cars. Had to sell it for school 6 months later but never lost love for them. Fast forward 8 years later and I bought a GM v6 (4.3) swapped car to try to re-live some of that previous magic. Figured car was too slow so I had a corvette shop build me a full roller 350 with a decently bumpy cam. Car gets squirly in 4th gear at full tilt and suffice to say the magic is back. But there in lies the problem as 4th and 5th are all but impossible to shift to while driving.

I can adjust the shifter while not in motion to get 4th and 5th. However once I start driving around, 4th disappears entirely and 5th can sometimes be found if I drive slowly. I've tried to adjust it multiple times and its driving me crazy!

I re-used the GM v6 engine mount bar which looks like it set the drive train back a few inches farther then the usual conversion kits. As a point of reference, I couldn't use renegades tranny mounts on their own and had to extend them another 2 inches using thick gauge metal and another pair of bolts. I'm thinking that the tranny mounts get "loose" as a load is placed in the system making shifting even more awkward.

I'm willing to pay for shop help but can't find anyone local in Southern California who would take on a v8 car. Just out of ideas and pulling hair, appreciate any help!

Cheers,
Ethan

[EthanBlack]

Thank you for the welcome gents,

- Steve: Car is 1971 but I believe the previous owner converted it to a side shift. The transmission feels as vague as my previous car (though memory is 8 years old now), but once in gear the shifter doesn't feel sloppy or pop out of gear. Thanks for the Dr. Evil link, I will try again using his guide.

Andy: Here are some photos of the shift rod and engine cradle

Shift Rod
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/i39.tinypic.com-15979-1370712645.1.jpg)

Jerry-Rigged tranny mount extender
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/i39.tinypic.com-15979-1370712645.2.jpg)

Engine Cradle
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/i39.tinypic.com-15979-1370712645.3.jpg)

Engine Cradle 2
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/i42.tinypic.com-15979-1370712645.4.jpg)

Rick: thank you for the suggestion, however I'm in the greater Los Angeles area and am currently out of AAA tows. Would you happen to know anyone in the area?

JRust: Just tried shifting into 4th and 5th while looking down at the rod and it looks like it clears the engine cradle just fine. The above images were taken when 5th gear was engaged. I was really hoping this was the problem (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)