I know it has been quite some time since we have all heard from you, and hopefully, that means the truck is finished and running well!
If not, I can answer the shift linkage question. This is what I used in my LS swapped truck.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/l...1800/overview/
Takes some time to adjust it so it works properly, but once it is there it works perfectly. I have put over 5,000 miles on my truck since setting it up, and have not had one issue with the linkage.