So here's where I'm at;

The switch I removed is not functioning... tested and she's toast... also the spring is dead so the white plastic and steel center pin sit low in the switch with no rebound. I can pull them out manually to normal height.

The new switch is exactly the same length the only difference is the spring holds pressure on the white plastic and steel pin as it should and the seal on the removed switch was bigger with a steel core...

so I tried the new switch with the new seal... rooster comb catches and it won't go into any gear past neutral... I swapped seals and still the same problem.

Seems the new switch is too long, but it's the same as the old switch except the old one is broken so the rooster comb doesn't bind on it.

I'm not a tranny guy, but I have a couple of questions for those in the know:

Is there adjustment on the rooster comb ?
or
since we're dealing with an unknown entity, does the roster comb get "tampered with" in any way if maybe a previous owner did a shift kit or some type of other mod ?