Rick,
Look into removing the linkage and using a Thunderbird splined shift lever.
I did a post about this years ago, but can not remember its title. Let me know if interested and I'll do the research.
Gratitude, I shall look into this and see if it is better for me.
I found the dope on mine:
Note that there may be differences in shift lever versus board location between Classic and Stabdard models.