Gearbox issue - gearstick leans too far forward

Hi Everyone,
                 Need your advice please.
 
My mechanic just installed my replacement gearbox on a n/a gen3 sw20. When I picked the car up, I found the gear stick leans too far forward in neutral thus it couldn't fully pop the gear into 1st, 3rd and 5th.
 
I quickly took the surround off and the linkages inside weren't touched. Tried to adjust to no success so i assume its at the gear box end.
 
Do the gearbox shifter cables need to be adjusted?
Or, did i just put a non gen3 gear box onto my car (If there's any difference in a gen1, 2 or 3. Gear linkage?)
Or, my mechanic just stuffed up lol
 
Thanks heaps for your help
 
 
 

Just focusing on the shifter surround, From memory there are differences in cable lengths between models (someone confirm that?)
can you get the car into first gear without the middle cable connected? Also the holders that keep the cables in place are they on the right side of the gear base.

I guess have a play with before you look at the harder stuff of the gear box with the mechanic.

Different cable lengths were used on MR2 S54 boxes. The pic shows the part numbers.
 
Some of the cable length variation was due to Toyota fitting an updated shift lever where the cable connects to the transmission to stop cables breaking, and the new shift lever needs a longer cable (about 10 mm).
With the updated lever, the cable bush sits about 10 mm further back at the gearbox end so that a slightly longer cable is needed if the gear-stick is to sit vertical in neutral.
 
This may be a long shot but .......................................
if you have just fitted an older box with an early shift lever that may be the problem, because it needs a shorter cable.
And if the old box you pulled out has the updated lever, simply swap them over.
 
In the other pic, the updated shift lever is shown on the right
 
I hope this may help.
 
 
 
 

"My mechanic also said we could* change the lever over but its not 100%. Can anyone confirm?"
 
Yes they are interchangeable - easy swap.
If your old box had a shift lever as shown in the right of the pic I posted, and your new box has a shift lever the same as the one on the left, you definitely should swap them over. You would gain about 10 mm more at the rose joint on the gearstick. (that could = approx 30 mm at the gear-knob).
 
Have you read this?
http://www.mr2australia.com/mr2play/tm.aspx?m=92710
 
 
 
 

Anyone know a easy way to remove the tapered screw out from the gear shift lever without damaging anything?
 
My mechanic is having trouble removing the screw and is still charging me for the labour as its additional works =(
 
Any ideas would be helpful. Thanks heaps