Sounds like you may have worn out motor mounts. If it's a column shift, there's a small "wire" that is clipped to the steering column. You can pull it down and reclip it to get the needle to line back up with the correct gear range. A quick fix for stripped trans pan holes is to put a small cotter pin in the hole, then force-thread the bolt. It will make new threads in the soft aluminum and snug up. Sounds harsh- but it works in a pinch.
-Chuck James
-Chuck James