I know im a little late but i just wanted to say that cutting your shifter isnt going to hurt the internals of the tranny. A real short shifter probaably does more damage due to faster movement of shafts which could be hard on the sychros. And to make a shifter, cut a little off the top then cut the little peice of the end where the shifter hooks to the linkage and weld the little piece you cut off the top in between the ball and the bearing housing. Or buy a $10 ebay one.