If it gives you any idea, this was way too sloppy to work in the car:
I know it's not the best video but it's the only one I've got. Cheap shifter rods were a pain too. Took a lot of effort to get those to work right.
To check the alignment you'll need a bolt that fits tight through the alignment hole so that where the rods attach to the shifter won't move. You want a nice smooth movement as you move the shifter from side to side and no slop when you move it forward or back. As little slop as possible all around is ideal. Find the right rod for 1st and 2nd and try adjusting the threads one revolution at a time to see if that helps/hurts. You should be able to adjust out most of the slop and I bet that helps your issue. It's just something you're going to have to fiddle with until it works right.
I'm no 4 speed guru but I've had problems similar to yours and it was due to a sloppy adjustment. The more slop that went away, the better the shifting experience was. Still feels way different than a modern transmission though.
