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INTERIOR: CONSOLE LID, SHIFTER, AND E-BRAKE BOOTS
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Well my stock shift boot and e-brake boot were both worn and torn. So the obvious thing to do was to replace them. I chose leather ones from redlinegoods.com for my replacements.  The Console lid was just a cool matching accessory. 

Here are some pics of everything installed.  Read down further if you want to know how it was done...

 

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We thought it would be a straight forward replacement like the instructions indicated, but of course, my 2003 was not that easy. So I decided to outline our efforts here for anyone else who needs the help with their boots.

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SHIFT BOOT
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It was really not bad with some calm patient work.

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Removal from the car

First, you have to remove the lower portion in the center console which encompasses the shifter bezel. You can see the line where it starts right below the 3 buttons (traction control, fog lights, and rear defroster).

 

You want to start at the top on each side where the edges overlap onto the lower dash. I used a screw driver to gently pry the edge up enough to free the inner clips. Then you move down about half way.

Here is what you will see

Then you can gently get your fingers under the lip and pry towards you.

Here is a shot to the clips you are trying to free.

There is a clip at the very front you want to be careful not to snap, so you want to pull the top out and rotate it towards you to slip this clip out from under the base.

One last step is to disconnect the wiring for the cigarette lighter. Ours was a yellow orage clip with a push pin that would release it.

 

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Removal of the metal trim ring

Once the assemply is out... we read that we would find a metal bezel that the shift boot was attached to. This metal ring would then be screwed to the plastic bezel. Well that was not what we found. Our metal ring was actually held to the bezel by melted plastic tabs. See, once the metal bezel was seated at the factory they used a device that was hot to actaully melt the tips of the plastic tabs down to secure the trim ring. Great design till you have to remove and reinstall it. UGH!

NOTE:
To keep things clean and easy to orient, I turned both the stock boot and the new boot inside out for the removal and installation process...

So with careful thought and a bit of praying I started to remove the bezel by prying up the melted portions of the tabs. Which of course were so weak they just broke off.

Now once your tabs are pryed up enough, you can simply slip in a screw driver and twist to pop the bezel off it's tab.

We got lucky and some of the tabs were only slightly melted so I was able to work without prying on them at all. This was great because I could reuse them to secure that portion again without modification. Ihe other one however was going to require some work.

Now the trim ring can only go on one way. The ring is not symmetrical, so its pretty obvious how it goes. Here are the parts separated...

 

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Removal of the boot from the trim ring

Now to get the boot off the trim ring...
Ours was held on with heavy duty staples.


It was recommended by some to discard the ring and glue the boot directly to the plastic bezel, but I have learned that glue in a car that gets quite hot and cold tends to not last long, especially when it's under constant stress when you shift daily. So I decided to gently open and reuse the staples for our new boot. I used a combo of a screw driver and needle nose plyers to get the legs up

Now the trick is to straighten them so thay can be pulled out of the ring. The straighter the easier it will be to reinstall.

Now once all the staple legs were pried up, I then separated the boot from the bezel. I watched the orientation of the stock boot on the bezel and compared it to the new one to be sure I installed the new one correctly. I left the staples in the boot. I wanted to be sure I used the same staples in the same holes to be sure I would have and easier time reinserting the staples in the bezel

 

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Installing the new boot on the trim ring

Now it was time to take one staple out at a time and insert them in the new boot.

I picked an obvious spot to start on the new boot to be sure I got it oriented correctly before I did any hole punching. Once I found my spots I marked my new holes and started my staple by staple swap over.

NOTE: As I went along, I literally used a hole punch to be sure I did not tear the leather and cause a later weak spot. Here is an advance shot of the process...

Showing how perfect they slip in

 

Now the key is to remove one old staple from the old boot at a time. Again I used a screw driver to get up under the staple and pry it out.

I then double checked my marked spot, punched my holes, and placed the staple in corresponding holes in the new boot.

Once the staple is in the leather, you can then line it back up with its spot on the metal bezel. Then start with one leg at a time. Usually its easier to get the longer leg in its hole first then the shorter. It will keep you from binding up the staple. Now the staples don't slip in easy. They take a bit of work with the needle node pliers to pop them back thru the metal. Just be careful not to scar your new leather in the process...

Now it will pop back through if you work it patiently

Now that the staple is through the metal you have to bend the legs back down to secure it... I did this with the help of my needle nose pliers

 

Now again, to be sure I did not get things too far off, I took everything one staple at a time. From the staple swap over ot the hole punching. This way I was sure all my holes al lined up with one another, w/o gapping in some areas while pulling in others.

So now we have all the staples transferred over to the new boot.

 

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Installing the trim ring back on the plastic bezel

Now on to putting the metal trim ring back on the plastic bezel...

Ok so here was the tricky creative part. All your tabs line up only one way with your bezel. If you were gentle with the old tabs, you might have some that will hold down your bezel on their own. I was able to keep some of mine still melted over, so they held half of the bezel secure. For the other half I used my idea. If you could not reuse your tabs you can do this for all of yours.

The idea was to use a very small screw and washer to secure the bezel to the old tabs. Yes I needed a VERY small screw and washer. Well fortunatly I have done something similar to this once before. I had found sunglass screws are about as small as to can get and are pretty easy to find.

Just go to a Wal-Mart or the like and buy an eyeglass repair kit for the screws and screw driver. Or get a mini screw driver set from the hardware store and get some broken or dirt cheap glasses to rob the screws from.

 

The washer took a few minutes.... I then saw a hook kit for the back of a picture frame.

The ends take VERY small nails and they can be nipped off with strong wire cutters for washers...

Bingo there was my screw & washer. You can see how small in my hand

Now you have to make a hole in your tab just under the size of the screw. Now a drill bit that small can take some doing, so I instead used a nail. I held it with my pliers and heated it really hot with a candle. Then I simply melted a hole into the tab for my screw. Becareful, if you wiggle it to much you will make to hole too big for your screw. Take it a bit at a time till you make the hole just right.

Then simply run in your new screw and washer...

Turn your boot back right side out & viola...

 

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Installation back in the car...(if you don't have a new E-brake boot. If you do then this step is last...)

Now you can reinstall your shifter bezel. It's the reverse of the above. You first start the shifter knob through the boot. Then you connect the wiring to the cigarette lighter. Redline suggested installing the boot inside out. The you would fasten aa zip tie to the end of the boot around the shifter arm. Then pull the boot down right side out. The zip tie holds the boot tight to the arm. I tried adn did not like the way the top puckered, nor did I like the way the fastener of the zip tie bulged on the side of he boot. I felt over time the leather would rub there and tear.

Instead I opted to use the factory rubber piece that was in my original boot. I first installed this rubber piece on the arm and I then installed the boot correct side out over the rubber piece. It was a good interferrance fit b/w the rough leather back & the rubber. The boot top was held up perfectly.

From there you first install the front of the lip where the front tab is. Again be careful or you will snap the tab off. Then you work the bezel back into position, making sure the tabs got in their slots. Then you just give the bezel and push at the center of the lip and then at the top (two areas you initailly pryed)and the piece snaps back in place.

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E-BRAKE BOOT
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But that was not the end for us... before we put the shifter bezel back on we had to tackle the e-Brake... This was the real trick... The object is to remove the center console so you can remove the e-brake boot from it.

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Center console removal

Well to remove the e-brake boot you have to have the shifter bezel already out. You locate the two screws at the console where it bolts to the dash.

Disconnect this connector

Now you got to the back of the console and open the lid.

You will remove the carpet at the bottom, where you will see two screws at the bottom of the compartment.

Now you have to pull out the plastic inner liner of the console compartment. It's held in by small clips on the four corners and one in the front where the lid latches.

It just pops out with a small amount of pressure. The reason we are removing the liner is to disconnect the cigarette lighter. Its the same type of connector as the one on the shifter bezel. Just push in the tab and the connector will slip out.

Now set the liner to the side.

 

Now you pull the e-brake arm up as high as it will go. The object is to slip the old boot off the handle and lift the console up and off as you go.... The boot can gently be worked over the handle.

 

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BUT....this is where the directions on the internet and mine part ways...

My e-brake would not go staight up.

No matter what twisting or turning we did the console was not coming out. New pads and proper adjustment spells disaster for console removal. One guy on the internet forced his and snapped the e-brake cable. So I had to find another way. One suggestion was to disassemble the e-brake mechanism in the inside of the car.

I was afraid I would never get it back together.

 

After much investigating with a flashlight I had another idea. My idea was to instead remove the boot from the console with the console still in the car. I put the drivers seat all the way forward and pushed the back forward.

I sat in the back seat. While holding up the back of the console you can actually disconnect the boot and bezel.

 

The boot has a plastic bezel that is attached to the console by 6 plastic tabs with speed nuts.

Here are the tabs with the nuts off and the boot out...

The bezel slips over the tabs and are held on by speed nuts.

Becareful with the tabs... they will break off.

I used a 10mm with an extention to remove them.

 

Once the washers are off, you actually push the bezel down and off the tabs. Then you can carefully tilt the bezel and slip it through the opening in the console where the brake handle is. The bezel is weak and can snap. Once its out you can gently slip it off over the handle.

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Boot removal from bezel

The boot is held onto the bezel by more staples.

This time the staples don't go all the way through.

This eliminates the idea of remove and reuse. No, in this case, we will be gluing the new boot to the bezel. There is much less stress on this part when it is installed. Plus the bezel actually pinched the material between it and the console. If you get the speed washers tight enough, there should be minimal chance for the glue to fail.

 

Here you can see just how torn our stock boot was...

Here is the new boot...

Pay attention to the orientation of the stock boot. Compare it to the new one, so you will know what orientation to mount the new one. Next we removed the staples with a small screw driver. Becareful with the bezel so it does not break.

Then you just separate the bezel from the boot.

 

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New boot installation to bezel

I clipped the new boot in place with binder clips on the bezel to be sure I got the orientation right before I did any gluing. I chose a two step glue. You put it on both surfaces, then let it flash and then stick the pieces together for a stronger bond. It dries clear, but it is still flexible.

I removed the clips in the area I was gluing as I glued it and then replaced them to hold the pieces in place while they dried.


I left the part alone to dry for close to 24 hours.

 

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Installation of the boot and bezel

Then it was back to the car. I had to gently get the bezel and boot back in the console with out damaging it.

You slip the boot over the handle.

Then you have to twist and gently work the bezel down in the console.

In the front, there are channels that the bezel will slip into.

This was a trick to get the bezel into.

Now it was down to getting the bezel to line up and slip on the the tabs.

The tabs are located in approximately these areas

Re attach the speednuts... this was harder then taking them off...

 

Once on, it will look nice and tight from above...

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Installation of the center console

Now all that is left is to reverse what you did to get the console loose.

Grab your console liner and slip it in enought to connect your cigarette lighter. Drop it in and pop it back in place. Seat the console back in its proper position. Put the bolts back in the bottom of the console compartment. Replace the carpet. Now Reattach the wiring you unhooked up front by the shifter. Reinstall those bolts holding the console to the dash.

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Install shifter Bezel

Now you can move on to replacing the shifter bezel as I already described above.

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Console Lid

Really this was not so bad if we had had all the information from the beginning.

The installation instructions made it sound like it was as simple as slipping the cover over you console lid: Here is the console lid in stock form 

Well from the pics you can tell it was not so:

 

The fix was to actually send it back to the manufacturer with a spare lid we got off Ebay.  The fix??? Well lets just say those screws on the underside of the console lid need to be taken out and the top comes apart from the inner liner. 

From there you wrap the cover over the top and then make sure to tuck it in tight as you reinstall the inner liner.  That was the missing step.  Now the cover looks awesome.

 

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DIRECTORY FOR TINKERBELL_TOO SITE
01 Intro
02 Exhaust Mods
03 Rims
04 Lowering Springs
05 Exterior: Graphics
06 Exterior: Grilles
07 Exterior: Honeycomb Tailpanel & Rear Valance Insert
08 Exterior: Emblems & Stainless Bumper Letter Inserts
09 Exterior: Brakes
10 Exterior: Projection Headlights
11 Exterior: Accident
12 Exterior: Paint & Roush Nose 
13 Exterior: Tail Light Tint 
14 Interior: Billet Accents
15 Interior: Gauge Insert
16 Interior: Paint
17 Interior: Trunk Mat
18 Interior: Door Panel Inserts
19 Interior: Shift, E-Brake boots, and Console Cover <<<
20 Interior: Miscellaneous 
21 Interior: Stereo 
22 Engine: Stainless Radiator Cover 
23 Engine: JLT True Cold Air Intake 
24 Engine: Bright Work 
25 Engine: Hood Struts 
++ Seriously cool pics of my Stang
++ Show Results Page
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