Thanks for your reply dr Terry

It was more in the Holdens that my question was referring;
A mate had a HZ kingswood SL 4.2 4sp, & I had a HZ sandman 5.0 4sp, the van gearstick came throu the console about 2 inches higher. It was in early 80s, & both were in as orig condition

Long time ago, so memory could be a bit out, but that's how I remember

Not shackle rubber, but could be the leaf spring front eye bush

That is normal for a floor shift HQ-WB. The only difference is at some stage mid 70's the bit in the middle of the stick was added. I have a few of both types (with and without insulator/joiner) in the shed somewhere unless I threw them out last cleanout.

Yes, it makes the shifter stick a 2 piece, and as I stated I have (or had unless I chucked them) examples of both bent stick floor shift types with and without the joiner - they are the same hockey stick thing but with a cut through the shifter shaft and the joiner added. I saw a lot of them (normally console shift) in the 80's where large amounts of Toranas and Commodores used to get stolen in my area and you'd find them dumped and burnt out on bush tracks whilst out bike riding. The rubber in the stick joiners liquified and burnt and you would find them with just the shifter butt sticking up through the burnt tunnel and the stick laying over or fallen through. I remember one bush track clearing that had a manual HZ GTS, an RS2000 coupe and a 5.0L manual VB SL/E all sitting there burnt to a crisp from firewall to rear parcel shelf. I think there was a 70's Fairlane there too but I wasn't that interested in looking at it as it was a Ford!

Yeah, not far from Minmi. I normally used to see them up in the bush around Tingara Heights or around Wallsend-Glendale-Edgeworth-West Wallsend area (same basic bush as Minmi). Back before the freeway went in.