Will do. I'm going to get a used shifter in a week or two, then take it apart on my workbench. Based on what I saw and had happen when I was screwing with it all in the truck for 3 hours, I can't come up with a way to reassemble everything without the pin falling out before I can get the cover back on (even if I had the pin, which I no longer do).
My plan is to devise a reassembly strategy on the workbench, then take the pin from the donor shifter along with whatever spring modifications I make, and apply it to my shifter. I'll also make sure to take measurements of the pin and I'm also going to see if it's possible to substitute something else.
One thing I do know is you don't want to cut the spring like the guy in the 120 forums suggested. If you look at how the spring is constructed (and most springs, and a Slinky too), it's wound tighter at the ends than at the middle. After it's cut, it "pokes out" and this causes it to bind up inside of the black hole that everything sits in.
Since I tow and need "4", I had my wife make a sock thing that fits over the shifter, with a strap connected to a bag of fishing lead. This hangs down the side of the console and I put it on the shifter when I need to lock it in "4".
For everyone who hasn't had this problem, I'd recommend shifting through all the gears every so often, as I'm almost certain this problem is caused by the lithium grease drying out.
