[A Snake]

You must be trying for some originality or you wouldn't have ordered a Moto Lita wheel and gone to the trouble of using the Galaxie shifter handle.

On that basis, first, look at my gallery the picture titled: "Details". It shows how it would fit with an FE and toploader. You're engine and trans combo have conspired to move the shifter assembly forward, because they are shorter.

If you want to keep the look, I'd suggest just shortening the handle an inch or two and rethread it. A good way to deternine how much to shorten would be to unscrew the ball, hold it in your hand and put the shifter lever between your middle and ring fingers while holding the ball and slide your hand backward to see where your knuckles come to when in first and third. (or whatever gears are forward on your shift pattern).

I would absolutely not remove the "trigger" from the shifter and lose the look. Just have a machine shop turn the main lever shaft down so it will still slide on. They'll be able to do that at the same time they cut new threads for you. I know it doesn't function anymore, mine didn't either, so just lock it in place with loctite or solder.

Just my humble opinion, but it would be a shame to lose the character by putting something foreign or modified in it's place. EVERYBODY notices the basackwards shifter in these cars.

Al