Don't know if this thread is too old to work respond with my situation. The eye, where the shift rod terminates, on top of the cheap molded plastic shift shaft, broke off during a shift. Rather than having to buy the new shaft and tear off the powerhead to replace it, I bolted a short piece of aluminum angle to the existing shaft and made a new eye from a 5/16" stainless shackle pin. I reversed the existing shift lever mounting configuration and connected the shift rod clevis to the new eye. Works great and I don't have to worry about the plastic eye shearing off. Also a short lever could be attached to the angle if you wanted to make a direct side lever shift.
