Thanks for the kind words folks.
The shifter...I plan on mocking it up on the floor once I get the seat in, to see where it sits height wise. I am assuming it will be too short, so I might ditch the cover, build a console, and mount it up higher and closer within my reach....more "new car" style I guess you could say. I have a *****in console design in my head...can't wait to see how it all works out. The shifter was $199 thru a local speed shop, and the 4-speed auto gate plate (if you have a 700) was like $13...you can get both of them at Summit or Jegs for the same price.
The gauges...the overlay was like just over $100 and all the gauges and Painless wiring harness totaled just over $500 or so. I know it might sound spendy...but these thing are cool and accurate as hell...which is important to me.
84stepper, you could probabally dremel out the holes, but it might take a while and you would run the risk of it "getting away" from ya and scratching the bezel...not to mention the possibility of enlarging the hole too much.
Gary, I am sticking with the same color...yellow.
-Jeff