First Gear Help

Is this a new shifter Bill? Is it a stock replacement, Hurst, what?

My buddy (God rest his soul) and I were restoring a 65 Corvette a few years back, and the shifter would only go into 1st if you were very carefull how you entered the gate. Turned out the shifter itself was bad. It was machined incorrectly.
Now, you said it worked correctly when it was out of the car, but was it installed onto the trans at the time?

Good Luck.

George