New Eaton tower stiffness

Hi all,
Some time ago I converted my (RT016910C AS2) Eaton 10 speed Auto shift to manual with stick shift. In short: to do this I bought new top plate and used lever with tower from 13 speed I bought earlier. Tower had some free play and was worn so I decided to buy new tower for new top plate. On old tower I could shift gears with one or two fingers, but new tower is stiff. New tower fits perfectly, I can move lever left and right but sliding it into gear, especially 9 and 10 requires some force, definitely won't do that with 1 finger anymore. Bushing between lever and tower was also replaced.
Transmission is in perfect condition because it was replaced before I bought truck, shift clutches are perfect and gears aren't worn at all.
New tower complitly disrupts my smooth shifting, I have to double clutch more often.
I've never had brand new truck with manual, newest I ever had was with 70k miles on it and stick was just fine.

Now question for some old experts: How many miles I have to put on this tower to be less stiff? Maybe I need to spray some lubricant like wd40 on top of stub lever?

If this continue to be like this I would rather put old tower and have smooth gear changes.

 

Total cost of parts was $1400. Reman top plate 700, tower + stick 300, 300 for harness with neutral switch and relay to make range solenoid to work with lever on knob. Air lines were few bucks, and everything that goes around stick (rubber, bushing etc) under 100. Mine tranny is Autoshift 2 with clutch pedal. Besides conversion, ECM had to be reprogramed, speed sensor wired directly to ECM. Also, traction control didn't work but I fixed it for few cents. I did everything A to Z by myself so no labour costs.
You need to do your research regarding your model whether or not it can be done. Older trucks should be easier to do so, but there is always something that won't work and dealer won't help you. I spent more time on TCS to make it work than physical work.

 

Total cost of parts was $1400. Reman top plate 700, tower + stick 300, 300 for harness with neutral switch and relay to make range solenoid to work with lever on knob. Air lines were few bucks, and everything that goes around stick (rubber, bushing etc) under 100. Mine tranny is Autoshift 2 with clutch pedal. Besides conversion, ECM had to be reprogramed, speed sensor wired directly to ECM. Also, traction control didn't work but I fixed it for few cents. I did everything A to Z by myself so no labour costs.
You need to do your research regarding your model whether or not it can be done. Older trucks should be easier to do so, but there is always something that won't work and dealer won't help you. I spent more time on TCS to make it work than physical work.

 

To finalize this thread:
Two sprays of WD40 on top of lever helped a lot. I switched OTR job to local for 2 weeks and it went away after 4 or 5 days of constant shifting in DFW area. There are some oil leaks coming from top, I will try to retorque all bolts. If oil won't stop leaking then silicone should do the work.