So that gold reverse lockout thing on my shifter had slid all the way right allowing the shifter to go past fifth and such. I pulled it all apart and moved it over till it all lined up and put it back together. For some reason the shift **** wouldn't tighten up enough to keep the metal ring thing from rattling. It was pissing me off so I tried to tighten it some more. I couldn't get rid of the rattle so I pulled the ring out and moved on.

I feel like I bent the shifter tho because now it feels like its catching going into gears. I didn't know at the time that it was necessary to hold the bottom end to keep it from twisting. I read somewhere it just comes right off and mine did with no hesitation.

So...

1. Is the silver ring necessary under the shift ****? If so how can I keep it from rattling?

2. Is there any way I could have bent my shifter with really no force?

3. If its bent did I mess up more than just the shifter ie.(transmission).

Any help is greatly appreciated.