It may very well be that this is what you need ~

http://www.van-cafe.com/home/van/page_248_784/shifter_base_repair_kit.html

        If the ShiftLever has a lot of Up&Down play lift the boot where it
goes through the floor & have a look there ~ all of those Plastic or
Nylon or Teflon or WhateverTheyAre parts are easily replaceable right
there

                                                                                        ORR ~ DeanB

On 1 Sep , 2013, at 3:42 AM, jbclem wrote:

> On the way home from picking up my new used 1986 Vanagon, I almost
> completely lost access to 1st gear.  I found it way over on the left
> side of the shift pattern, almost the same as reverse without
> pushing down on the shift lever.  Second gear was also hard to find,
> floating around over on the left.
>
> Looking at the shift components I found a lot of play in the ball
> and cup, 1/4' to 1/2", and I'd guess the ball might have broken off
> a piece since the shifting was working ok the previous day.
>
> I've seen a shift lever/ball on eBay(a bit high priced), and Go-
> Westy has one that they have manufactured(but are currently out
> of).  I'd like to ask for advice on where to get a good quality and
> good priced shift lever with ball, and the cup elbow that the ball
> fits into, in case I also need that.
>
> And are there any DIY tricks for fixing the ball part, temporary or
> permanent.
>
>
> John