[Knifeblade]

This may be a very drastic solution, but you can remove the cupholder and mount plate over the trans. and boneyard in a floor shifter. They aren't easy to find, but they drop right in, attach right up, and you can forget the column crap from then on. You lose the cupholder, though, and need an aftermarket boot to make the floor look nice, seems fair trade instead of ripping the damn dash apart.
It worked for me, did take a bit of fussing and tweaking to adjust the throw angles, but not too hard.