Transmission issues NOW WITH PICS at reply 7, New questions Options

[wilchek]

I replaced all of the bushing (firewall, universal joint, shift rod on the tran housing) and I am still having a problem getting it into gear. If the car is not running and I moved the shifter I can no longer find 1st gear after I start the car. The shifter moves way farther than it should and it does not feel like it is engaging. I can normally get 4th and 3rd still. After a bit of hunting for gears and fighting with it for a mile or two it starts to shift OK. This last time I was unable to get 1st and 2nd was grinding and would pop out. This lasted for over 10 miles until I got home. I could still get 3rd and 4th. After hitting 3rd and 4th it seemed to help getting back into second but I could not get 1st until I got home. It seems like the linkage is missing the shift as it moves a lot farther and feels soft (less back pressure). Any ideas, I need to narrow it down to the linkage or the transmission. I have another used tranny with 80K on it so I have some parts to play with.

One last thought, does the shift consoles attached to the tranny go bad, or have any bushing that can be changed out beside the one for the shift rod.