T14 shift lever is too short

[pilot54321]

I recently had my Transmission (T-14 ) rebuilt for my 71 CJ5 . I shipped it to a fellow and he rebuilt it for me and then sent it back. One of the things I ended up having to replace was the shift tower. The guy doing the work had one and sent it to me along with everything else. Unfortunately, that was about 2 months ago and I’ve just now been able to start putting everything back in my ride. Yesterday, while doing some work, I realized that the shift lever was shorter than my previous. Upon further investigation, I realized that the shifter actually digs into the drivers seat when the Transmission is put into first gear. I called the guy that did the work and he apparently got rid of my old one. Additionally, I’ve called around to several “jeep caches” to see if anyone might have the shifter that I need. No dice as of yet...just ones identical to the one that I have. I don’t exactly know what the length of my old one was, but what I do know is that my current one (the one that is too short) is 17 “ long from the base to the end of the threading (the shifter angles rearward after the first 2”). Also, the thickness of my previous shifter was the same from base to tip. This new one is thicker at the base and then tapers off towards the tip. Lastly, my old shift knob (I still have it) won’t go on my new shifter…the new one’s threading is a larger bolt pattern. My dad was the original owner and to my knowledge, there was never any “aftermarket” shifter put on. Does anyone know if there was a larger shifter available for the T-14 ? If not specifically meant for it, is there one from another Transmission 's shifter that would work with the T-14 ? Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.