Shift lever c5 auto 1985 F150

Shift lever is very sloppy, is there a fix? All major work is done, except paint, now I’m nitpicking.

Is the whole collar loose or just a worn out detent?

a loose lever/handle is very common. the lever is held into the boss on the shift collar with a roll pin that is about 1/8" and about an inch long. it stays put in the lever and slips in the collar much like a piston wrist pin on the connecting rod. the collar gets worn out. I have done this a couple different ways. my first is to drive out the pin and remove the handle. then drill out the handle to the next size up roll pin, 3/16". then do the same in the collar. reinstall with a roll pin that covers the whole length even if it stays out the bottom edge a little. this WILL make the lever firm and resistant to moving forward and backward a little and possibly too much for the return spring. you could needle file it a bit (before final assembly) or just use it mindfully and you will notice one day that it has relaxed. kinda like noticing a month late that your wife changed her hair color.
 another that I tried after finding a particularly hard lever to drill and needing to repair this truck. was to use a machine screw and nut. this collar was damaged badly so I did not mind plan b,c or even d. the 6 penny nail had to go! I drilled out the collar to 1/4" and sleeved it with bushings cut from 1/4" copper tubing and left them visibly long. sized the screw to the lever and left it long. once installed I tightened the nut to the point of crushing the copper to grip the assembly and added a jam nut. slipped a black vacuum cap over the tail end of the screw so I would not have a scratcher. now this is by far a "repair" and not something that I would do on a restoration, but it works as well if not better. it is adjustable!

Thanks Mat, isn’t there a bushing involved? I haven’t taken it apart yet. CJ

on auto columns, c6 and aod the lever is only held to the collar with a pin