So it's definitely doable, but this one got shelved as I got busy with other stuff / got bored and chased the next shiny thing that crossed my field of vision. I plan to go back to it. My main workbench currently looks like this:
View attachment 3936421
I did do a bunch more back in February though, after I last posted in this thread. I attempted to switch the mechanism over, and I can confirm it will definitely work. The shift lever shaft is compatible, with exactly the same depth into the case, and same width to lock into the tabs on the shift fork. The motor driven locking version has a rounded edge where the shift lever engages with the fork, while the manual shift version has a flat edge, which actually means the manual version has stronger engagement with less wear over time, but the two critical measurements - case depth and width at the engagement point, are identical:
View attachment 3936429
There is, however, one small catch. The manual shift lever has a thinner depth for that engagement point, as it's on a hinge so it can swivel to actuate the second shift fork. The fact it's thinner isn't a problem, in and of itself, and as mentioned, it actually has better engagement, the problem is the alternate shift fork for the electronically locked versions. They were machined with taller "tabs", which cause slight interference when the arm needs to pivot:
View attachment 3936435
View attachment 3936436
Both arms sit at the same depth, but due to the difference in thickness of the lever, and the fact the tabs on the shift fork were left to extend longer than they needed to on the motor driven version, those tabs would need to be shaved by a few mm to suit the pivoting shift lever on the manual version. Apart from this interference issue, everything else checked out. At this point though, I started debating on the best way to trim these tabs. If I was precise and clean enough, I believe there's a tab length that works cleanly for both lever mechanisms. I didn't have the right gear to do a precision cut though, so after going back and forth between grabbing a grinder or dremel and just going at it in the vice, vs building some kind of jig and milling it nicely in the press, I ended up doing neither of those things and left the parts strewn out on my workbench while I did other stuff. Hoping to get back to it at some point. I'll need to clear the workbench though, as I'm about to do a head rebuild.
