just looked at my 69. the shift lever comes thru the floor and has an L shaped bracket that does indeed swivel. the slotted rod bolts to this swivel; the other end is an L shaped pin that goes thru the hole in the shifter arm on the side of the trans mission and is secured with two washers and a cotter pin. the swivel is there because as the shifter is moved it travels in an arc. It doesn't look like it will work but it does. The shift lever on the side of the trans needs to be pointing up and is about 3 inches long and is the heavier of the two levers. good luck | 
