Just a partial follow up.
I pulled the left wheel today and got a better look at the shift tower and cables. Most all of the slop is in the rubber bushing at the trans end of the shift cable. It has collapsed in an elongated sort of way. I'll be checking to see if the bushing is available by itself or if I will need to purchase the entire cable.
It looks like I may be able to strengthen the new bushing after it is installed. There are several very small holes all the way through the bushing that I'll try to fill (like some have done with the motor mounts). I won't try to fill them until it is installed though since it would make it much harder to push into place.
For the time being, I was able to reposition the bushing so that the play is reduced by about 1/2. If it wears much more, it will not stay in place and leave me shiftless.
