Below comment added Sept. 30, 2013


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frankb119

After removing the cover at the shifters , I was able to shift into first & reverse. I acquired a used transmission & compared both. If you remove the shift handle you can see fingers and a ball at the end of the shift handle. Apparently mine were worn, the used unit was installed and worked perfectly. Another fix could be to elongate the slots on the cover plate. This would compensate for the wear and additional room required in the movement of the shifter throw. My old tranny worked perfectly without the cover. But I swapped it out anyway. I'll take the old uinit apart and report what I find Frankb