Turbobuick1,
I love the way the rods look I gave up on getting mine in the car never was able to get a trans bracket for mine so now they just look good on a shelf in my family room. I have been thinking of selling mine to but part of me still wants to get them in my car some day.
By all means, get it in the car. That bracket you speak of is on ebay from time to time (maybe every other week or so). As far as the center console goes:
I bought an extra "top" for my console (that is, the part of your console that is upholstered). Reason being that I wanted to be able to put my stock shifters back in someday, because you have to cut the plastic of that top upholstered piece in such a way that the stock shift indicator could not be reinstalled.
There is no need for any reinforcement. The metal plate that makes up the shifter console should be cut in a rectangular pattern just large enough to let the lighting rods go through (take off the shifter balls obviously.) With Mark's overlay applique, there is plenty of support for it, provided you cut out the metal plate just big enough.
The stock GN console is located by four screws, two in the storage bin by your arm, and two underneath the metal shifter plate. You should take the time to fabricate a bracket for the screws underneath the shifter plate, as the stock shifter has a provision for these screws.
Shifter cables cost around $50, NOS GM ones are over $110
if you can find one.
Interesting fact is that you will probably have to uninstall the passenger seat, as the lightning rods will need to be bolt down to the car first, and then the Buick console goes over them diagonally. But you might find another way of doing this.