Hi, just my two cents, I once had the same spongy feeling, initially 
couldn't get 3 or 4th gear, 1st & 2nd OK, then I lost 1st. The 8 foot long 
shift rod under my bus had rusted away to a strand of metal, enough to pull 
into 2nd but crumpled trying for 1st. They can be welded, just stick a piece 
of solid rod inside the shift tube pieces, then braze up. No problem, aside 
from having to drop the transmission to pull the rod out, grrrr. This 
occured 3 days before a flight back from England, while I was trying 
desperately to sell the van, a '75 Kombi.  tim s.