Urgent help needed! Gear linkage?

[JCC]

Ok folks, was on my way home from College today, on the motorway but only doing 40mph due to roadworks/SPECS cameras, and amongst the darkness/pissing rain/concentrating on keeping my speed down I never noticed a solid object of some form lying in my lane, and with no where to go ran right over the top of it.

Now the car will not go into reverse at all, I need to lift the gear stick a little (as if going into reverse) to get the car in first and second needs a little bit of force to get it in. My first thought after having a look under the car is that the gear linkage has been bent and now looks like its hitting off the gearbox when you try to lift it and select reverse with the gearstick, but I can still select reverse if I go under the car and move the linkage myself into the correct position.

Anyone ever had a similiar problem? Were you/are you able to just re-adjust the linkage or would it be better to replace it completely?
Also, I kind of need to be in Glasgow again tomorrow which is a fair distance away from me, would it be safe to drive it still, just having to avoid using reverse?

Thanks if anyone can help, sorry about the long post!

 

[Fred@BTM]

i'd be replacing it, they're made from tin foil

 

[Mark One]

they are very weak things. iirc you could start messing around with adjustment, but it's best off to replace as it could (probably will be) be beyond repair.

 

[JCC]

Ok thanks folks, do you have any idea of price? Also, would it still be OK to drive the car but it will just be a bit of a PITA having no reverse? Nothing crunches and the car still drives perfectly apart from that.

 

[Martin_172]

yeah mate fine to drive it, you can adjust it but if its bent just replace it, 5 minute job to replace, wee bit of trial and error to setup then thats it

any linkage will fit ie non RS ones too if your getting one from the scrappies.

 

[gogsie]

Are there any uprated gear linkages available for the 172?.