So I'm hung up on the Shifter issue and been having a ****-taskic time trying to get the Stock shifter to work with the Damn transmission. At this point I've pretty much givin up on it and have been exploring other options like aftermarket shifter Lokar and Mr Gasket's floor shifter you name it and I'm just over the aftermarket crap and quality, even had issues with B&M's "heavy duty" cables. Broke down and ordered a stock Jeep Liberty cable and shifter thinking maybe it was the trans that was the issue and bam! perfect shift movement/ engagements... WTF? These parts aren't even for the Gawd damn 545rfe!
So with heavy heart I'm moving past the stock shifter and looking into using the jeep cable and shifter. My thought is I'll remove all the unneeded parts and material from the liberty shifter, shaving it down to a more usable size. Then I will use the stock console shroud as a mold and vacuum form heated plastic to make a usable shroud with the stock look for the jeep shifter. Got lucky cause the shifter arm is chrome and will except the "stock" 65 barracuda shift knob. So with a little work and elbow grease I should be able to get it close to "looking" stock'ish maybe!?!