OK, so I got some parts in today, played with some wiring and presto! I now have have a prototype for my shifter. Click on the picture to play a crappy video. The actuator is kind of small but it's rated at around 15 lbs. so it should move a shift lever just fine. I can adjust it to stop in any of 6 positions and it repeats to .02 mm. It also has adjustments for speed, sensitivity and range of motion. Same force, push or pull. Overall very pleased but I may need to use a different switch as this does not feel like it would hold up for long.
Rob