[Spits] good news & bad news - shifter play.

[Ryan Waltrip]

Good news: This year, it took less than a minute of starting effort to get the Spitty running this year. 
Bad news: Too late in this year to drive it regularly. 2.5 months of unemployment & business from my new job leaves me no free time. Oh well.

I took it out for a spin yesterday just to keep the battery & such happy. Noticed one problem suddenly crop up. The gearshift has WAY too much front-back play. It stays in gear just great. The lockballs & springs are behaving as intended, but the lever is playing it fast & loose.

I can only assume the bullet-shaped thing with the spring hasn't siezed, but moreso is a bit stuck. Is there a way to get it back into working without a major dismantle process? I figure if I can somehow get some transmission lube along the rail, it will hopefully drip into the bullet crevice and spring it back up again. 

If you measure from the gearshift knob, there's about 1.5 inches of travel that wasn't there before. Is this an artifact from not driving it regularly? It shifts & drives otherwise perfectly.