On another note, when I had the engine & tranny pulled my son-in-law mentioned that he had picked up an after market, short throw shifter for his new Mustang, and that it was an amazing difference in shift accuracy and feel. I looked around, and the one that seemed to offer the best potential improvement while allowing me to use my Hurst stick was the STEEDA Triax. Bought one, swapped it out while everything was out of the car (my tunnel has one nominal 4" hole for the shifter boot penetration, not nearly enough to swap a shifter without surgery) and hoped for the best. I've gotta say I'm very pleased with the increased spring tension to the "center" gate, which is what makes or breaks the 2-3 shift. The shifter action is much crisper, and position definition is improved, too. I'm happy I swapped out the OEM shifter for a STEEDA.