Hello! I am absolutely thrilled to own a 68 D100! Pulled out of a field yesterday.
Truck is clean and runs great. But, is nearly undriveable due to excessive play in the floor shifter. You sort have to keep experimenting to find a gear, and after engaging, the shifter has the exact same range of motion. It is hard to go into 1st or 3rd because the shifter hits the dash.
I've been reading everything I can on this topic...
In reality there are 10 to 1 Ford trucks versus older Dodge, in my local yard. Could I find a tight shifter in a Ford NP435 and remove the top cover and swap for mine? It appears that there are 2 shift tower heights, and so the shifter cane would need to match the tower height.
It may just be the shifter ball slots are warn out. Yes, as long as the lengths of the internal portion are the same, you would be able to swap.
Pull your old one out by gripping the retainer sleeve with channel locks and pushing down while turning counter clockwise. It will spring up and you can pull it all out together.
Look at the vertical slots. If they are mangled, then they are likely the culprit. Yank them at the yard and take the best one. You can heat your shifter cane with a torch to get it bent to your liking.
