I think shortening the gear lever is the easiect option.
could do that but if i shorten the linkage too much will it not crunch
Dan just means actually cutting the gearlever itself down. This will have no effect on the actual linkage so it won't crunch at all.
However, shortening the lever doesn't really reduce the travel by that much unless you cut it down drastically - like as in half! Then you can't comfortably reach it.
The proper way to do it is to increase the distance between the lever pivot point and the linkage rod as in the CAE Motorsport shifters. These motorsport shifters also raise the gearlever to bring it closer to the steering wheel/driver. For a road car these shifters are a bit overkill though, you don't really need such a race inspired and hence expensive setup.
just seen some on google they look pretty flash need to call some people to get some prices do you now how much they would b roughly ?
They retail at around £550, so best start saving!
I am sure that with a bit of time and thought, a way of increasing/altering the pivot point could be acheived with a bit of work on a DIY basis. It'll be one of the things I'll be looking into for mine in the future.