How do you get the shifter rubber boot properly installed?

[nyuk98GT]

Gents:

, please.

What's the best way to get the rubber boot installed over the Barton shifter (or other aftermarket shifter) and into the groove where it is supposed to sit? I got mine in place but it took me well over an hour, a couple of paint stir sticks, and numerous gouges in my fingers wrestling that boot into place. I think that has to be one of the more difficult things I've done in my modding life so I must not have used the proper technique. Brute force just can't be the right way. Please enlighten me (and other poor souls who may be installing a shifter soon and will face the wretched task of putting the boot back on).

Thanks for the help.

Chris

 

[AnotherS197]

EDIT
Ahhh we're talking about the inner boot...that's a different story lol. I shouldn't post when I'm sleep deprived. As others have said a flathead is your friend. It's not that bad but it definitely sucks.

 

[ksack]

If I remember correctly, a flat head screwdriver was all it took to work the rubber into place

 

[5.Blow]

I wrestled with the booth and the Barton shifter for about 15 minutes. I used a Bent Pick tool. Pierced the rubber edge with the tool and dragged over the booth to cover the whole assembly.

I had issues with going into reverse at first, the booth wasn’t aligned with the bottom of the shifter assembly. Once the booth was snug against the bottom of the shifter assembly, going into reverse was just like with the OEM shifter.

 

[TGR96]

I was lit'rally going to install my steeda shifter and bracket tonight when I got home from work. Now I am thinking I am going to wait until this weekend, just in case I run into troubles. Don't feel like staying up until midnight wrestling with a shifter boot.

 

[skwerl]

The boot was by far the worst part of installing my MGW. Took me three tries before I finally got it seated properly. It only needs to be out a tiny bit and the noise coming through will be obnoxious. The good news is that everything will still function properly until your fingers heal up enough to try fixing the boot again.

 

[fdjizm]

I wrestled with the boot for about a half hour when I installed my hurst shifter, that shit was so frustrating and blood was shed.

 

[Turd burglar]

When I installed my mgw I found that loosening the shifter bracket then installing the boot helped a bit. Still sucked ass but made it 100 times easier than with the bracket tightened all the way down.

 

[nyuk98GT]

Gentlemen:

Thank you very much! I'm a slow worker but I won't quit till the job is done, lol. I was afraid to use a screwdriver because I didn't want to scratch up the finish on the shifter (wuss!). I tried using a vinyl siding tool to hook the bottom of the boot and pull it down but there just is not enough room to get the tool and a good grip near to the shifter. Maybe if the driveshaft was removed, things would be better but that's another job in itself.

I really appreciate the installation tips because I thought I was doing something wrong. Glad to hear it is just a tedious chore to get that boot where it needs to be on the shifter.

The shifter is a really nice feel (solid, snick-snick into gear, no slop) and has no additional road noise. But, it is louder mechanically when shifting into gears and out of gears and when wiggling the handle in neutral. This has to be due to the Delrin support: that thing is solid as a rock. The stock support has a lot of "forgiveness" in it (not a super snug fit on the metal housing). If you're thinking about an aftermarket shifter, the trade-off for accurate shifts may be more mechanical (not road) noise. It isn't obnoxious but it is louder than stock and your passenger may be a little surprised if they have ridden in the car before the new shifter was installed.

Thanks again for the comments and advice.

Chris

 

[AnotherS197GT]

The boot was by far the worst part of installing my MGW. Took me three tries before I finally got it seated properly. It only needs to be out a tiny bit and the noise coming through will be obnoxious. The good news is that everything will still function properly until your fingers heal up enough to try fixing the boot again.

I wrestled with the boot for about a half hour when I installed my hurst shifter, that shit was so frustrating and blood was shed.

Whenever I messed with mine, I'd push the boot out the bottom, then just slowly lift up around the edges until it was all seated right. Took a minute or two tops, and no fucked up fingers.

 

[fdjizm]

Well screw you buddy! I wanted to hurt my fingers!

 

[TGR96]

Well, I finally got around to installing my steeda tri ax shifter and bracket today. I guess I must be living right, because my install went pretty smooth, especially with the inner shift boot. It was pretty warm outside today, so maybe that helped the rubber stretch, but I had lit'rally no issues.

And to think y'all had me worried!

 

[nyuk98GT]

TGR96:

Glad to hear the boot didn't fight back. But, I have to ask: isn't it always warm in Alabama? As for my abused fingers, I still can't play the violin.


Of course, I couldn't play it before I put the inner boot on the shifter...

Post up your impression of the new shifter, please. It's always good to get some feedback on stuff.

Chris

 

[TGR96]

Haha, yeah man, usually this time of the year, it's pretty warm here in north Alabama, but it's been a crazy spring, weather wise. Not too many really pretty weather days. We'll probably just jump straight into summer. Saturday, beautiful, warm, not a cloud in the sky. Sunday, windy, light misty rain, and very cool. What a difference a day makes! So is springtime here.

But as far as the steeda shifter goes, I am very impressed. Very straightforward install, and the difference between the steeda shifter and bracket and the stock one is night and day. I had an MGW shifter in my old 98 Cobra, and it is every bit as good as that one was. I was originally going to go with MGW or Barton in this car, but got a great deal on the steeda set up, so i decided to give it a try. I really have no regrets.

Shifts are solid, goes right into the gear you want it to. I used the hard urathane bracket bushing (steeda includes two, a softer red bushing, and a harder black one), so there is slightly more "harshness" for a DD, but nothing I can't deal with.

 

[lethe]

What grove are people having trouble with exactly? I've put a few shifters in my car now and have never spent more then 5 minutes installing the inner rubber boot.

 

[nyuk98GT]

lethe:

Since my description will not be to descriptive, lol, I will ask you to take a peek at the Barton website. Scroll down on the Mustang products page and you will find a video of the rubber boot installation. Lots of people were having some difficulty seating the boot at the bottom of the new shifter. There is a cast channel or groove on one side and if the boot is not properly seated, putting the shifter into reverse can be a problem and much more road noise is transmitted into the cabin.

TGR96: Thanks for the road test report! Enjoy rowing those gears now.

Chris

 

[lethe]

lethe:

Since my description will not be to descriptive, lol, I will ask you to take a peek at the Barton website. Scroll down on the Mustang products page and you will find a video of the rubber boot installation. Lots of people were having some difficulty seating the boot at the bottom of the new shifter. There is a cast channel or groove on one side and if the boot is not properly seated, putting the shifter into reverse can be a problem and much more road noise is transmitted into the cabin.

TGR96: Thanks for the road test report! Enjoy rowing those gears now.

Chris

I'll check it out and see what the fuss is all about haha. I have a barton shifter so i should see exactly what grove people are having trouble with.