I have done this successfully in a b13 and b14.
First thing is to remove the shifter from the vehicle. Unfortunately I already had one lying around and didn't have to take apart a car to get this one. It's nuts and bolt to get the shifter out anyways. Easy stuff.
Notice the ball's distance from the bend in the rod. We are going to shorten that distance. You can cut off the rubber thingy. I am sure it's there for a reason. New ones don't come with them, so who needs em.
Place the shifter in a vise almost to where it is tight. You should be able to slightly move the rod around. Have the ball resting on top of the vise jaws.
This next step will ruin the threads of your shifter where the knob screws on. The damn thing is too tall anyways so cut it down a couple inches and no harm done, get a Momo or you fav shifter that has set screws.
Hold the rod steady as you hammer it downwards. It takes a few good whacks and you will feel it free up. Start with light strikes and put a little more effort into it. After it frees up, that is where you need to determine how short/notchy you want it. I have put one all the way to the bend and it was pretty notchy, but shorter throw. I myself like it moved about 1/2" towards the bend.
Like this. There will be 2 detents that held the ball there. I never had problems in the past, but. The ball did move slightly on my friends b14 after a hard shift. So I will usually now drop a few welds on top and the bottom of the ball on the rod so it has nowhere to go.
Reinstall with some lube on that ball and go for a whip.
