I'm doing a number of Spring projects to the bucket, including the purchase of a 997 shift console and Phenix Engineering metal bushings + new shift cable ends.
Haven't had time to install that yet, but I also purchased one of the
ICT shift knob/boot combos from eBay as I've never liked the shape of the OEM shifter + it's pretty worn looking after 15 years of use. I was doing another project this weekend (new head unit install), so I figured I'd throw the shift knob/boot in while I was in there.
What I learned: A lot of the vagueness I was blaming on the the cable linkage was really due to the OEM shift knob.
The OEM plastic shift knob has clearly worn over the years, and dulls a lot of shifter feel. The ICT shift knob has a metal core and attaches to the metal lever with set screws, giving it a direct connection to the shifter. I can actually feel what the transmission is doing now.
I can't wait to get the upgraded shift console installed now.