Minivan 5spd Swap Coming Soon... Longer Shift Cables?

I'm going to start a 5 speed swap into my '89 Caravan pretty soon. I'm just starting the "gather the parts" stage. Have a couple of questions...


I'm a pretty tall guy (seat stays alllllllll the way back), and I'm not sure I'd like the location of the shifter. Also, I can't find any 5 speed vans around here to rob a bracket out of. Also, I'm a little miffed about the lack of a decent size cup holder. So....

If I make a custom center console to move the shifter back (and maybe up a little off the floor), could I just use longer shift cables to make it all work?

How far back from the factory center console is the shifter? I want this van to be a comfortable driver, I drive about 25,000 miles a year. I like to drive a stick (hated dropping the insurance on my 280ZX, but it was just too rusty and loud). I just don't want to lean forward and reach way down for the shifter, I'd like it up by the arm rest.

I've found an '88 Shelby Z in a junkyard with the trans and shifter intact. Would those cables be a decent length to pull this off?

with the seat all the way back I found it to be right where my hand dropped. The minvan cables are as long as shadow cables. I'd think with daytona cables you could move it back farther if you really needed to.

any way someone could measure how far up off the floor and back from the center console the shifter is in the stock location so I could get a feel for it?

when you pull the carpet back you will see where it goes/ there a cut out in the carpet and the floor has a drop in it. with the fac. mt it sets 3 inchs off the floor. i used a bent shadow shifter and at the time i bolted it to the floor. seems find to me have been driving it for 1 1/2 years that way. AL