Someone put some thought, albeit no LocTite, in to the ERA shifter. I'm not sure if you can see it in this photo but it actually angles to the left a bit. In this shot the shaft is directly vertical and "flat" as it would be up against the Tremec linkage. It's quite comfortable and the welds appear to be quite stout. I doubt I'll have any more problems with it. Be that as it may, please feel free to continue piling on, although for the life of me I'm not sure why....