Short Shifter Boot and other pics

[garretts77]

Hello everyone, I just wanted to share a couple of pics. I installed a Kartboy SS the first week that I got my car (last April), and since then, I have been a little unhappy with how much extra shift boot material there is. So I made my own out of black suede and trimmed it down by about 2 inches. I think that it looks pretty good. I am going to post the template on here once I get a chance so that you could make one too out of whatever you wanted. Also I have enough suede left to make at least one if not two more, if anybody is interested. I am not out to rip anyone off, (that's why I am also posting the template) but if somebody wants to buy one, that's cool. If not, also cool.

Also I made some plugs to fit into the holes in my front bumper that the monkey with the screw gun at the Mazda dealer made. I don't like the front plates, so I got these plugs at the auto parts store. They are GM interior clips, they come in a package of two, and they cost about $1.50. I primered them, gave them 4 or five coats of OEM sunlight silver touch-up paint, and shoved them in. They look much better than the holes IMO.

And finally, my DaveB rings... =)

 

[brucelee]

wow, that looks great. i will be looking forward to the template!

 

[ards]

I liked how you've done with the boots. It looks sweet.

 

[Groza187]

I dont like the boot, man.

 

[Togan]

cool shifter dude (2thumbs)

 

[pr5owner]

instead of plugs you should get white LEDs

 

[Togan]

instead of plugs you should get white LEDs

AND some neons underneath..that would make it cooler

 

[mspeedpro]

very nice work, hook us up with that template before i forget bout this thread

 

[garretts77]

OK, it was a little harder than I thought it would be to scan in the template. Basically it is the full width of a legal size page (8.5 inches) and most of the length.

Here is the way that I made the boot:
-First take the shifter boot out of the car.
-Turn it inside out, lay flat, and place the stiched side on the edge of a folded piece of newspaper.
-Trace around the boot.
-Cut out the template out of newspaper and open it up.
-Then I decided that I wanted about 2 inches shorter, so I moved the point 2 inches down. Then I redrew the line fron the new point to the bottom edges and cut it out.
-Trace the pattern out onto a piece of material of your choice.
-Fold in half and sew up the edge.
-Cut off the top of the cone and glue a washer to the inside top of the cone. This will hold the boot onto the shifter.
-Reinstall in car.

Hopefully the attached file will work for you guys.

 

[mspeedpro]

ur instructions dont even include using ur template, im lost

 

[garretts77]

I am sorry. I took the template and traced around the material that I wanted to use for a boot, in my case, it was suede. I don't know how to post the template better than it is, simply because it is larger than a piece of paper. I will see what I can do about making it a bit clearer.

 

[garretts77]

The attached pic is 8.5 x 11, so it should print out on a regular size page... This newest pic is the same as the one that was previously posted, but it is folded in half. The blue edge is the middle and the red edge is the seam. The green line is where the stich should go, and the yellow lines on the bottom are the cuts that are made in the material to fit around the plastic holder in the car.

Ok, the procedure:

1. Print out the picture.
2. Get a full page of newspaper, one that folds down the middle.
3. Cut out the template that was printed above and lay on the newspaper, with the Blue Line of the template on the fold of the newspaper.

4. Trace around the template.
5. Cut out the new newspaper template so that when you are finished, you can open the folded newspaper. Once opened, the newspaper template will look like two of the original templates laying next to each other.

6. Lay the newspaper template on your material that you wish to make the boot out of.
7. Trace around it and cut it out. Take a razor blade and cut slits in the bottom of the boot (the yellow slits in the template).
8. Decide which side should be facing outward once it is finished and fold the material in half, with the good side facing INWARD.
9. Sew up the seam, the light green line on the original template.
10. Once sewn, turn the resulting cone inside out, and this is your new shifter boot. The sewn seam should now ne on the inside.
11. Get a washer that just fits around the top part of the shift lever, one that won't slip past the fatter part of the lever. I traced the one that I used and put it as part of the template picture.
12. This is the hardest part. Cut the top part of the cone off, just enough to allow the washer to fit inside the top of the cone, but not to go all the way through. Mine took about an inch, but it may vary depending on the size of the washer that you use.
13. Fold the top of the cone down over the washer and glue. I needed to cut out little triangles out of the suede to that it would not wrinkle. Hot glue works well. Plus it dries in a matter of seconds. You may want to try this step with the washer and boot already on the shift lever, although it isn't necessary.
14. Once the glue is dry, put the boot on to the plastic boot holder and put your car back together.

I hope that this helps. If not let me know and I will see if I can help any more than this.

Garrett

 

[Ritchey]

i like your cuup holders
mines not like that for some odd reason

 

[brucelee]

nice directions, i finally know what's going on with the template heh. i'll have to do this once i get a shortshifter. thanks a lot!

 

[mspeedpro]

hah now thasts what im talkin bout, nice how-to

 

[ELEmental59437]

i like your cuup holders
mines not like that for some odd reason

2002.5 and up got those cup holders, 2002 and down (2001 MP3) got the ones with the flip door.. I think the ones with the doors look better.

 

[pro00]

looks good man
i like the shifter alot

 

[mraasch]

With my new shift knob, there is a gap between the top of the boot and the bottom of the knob. I need to fix this shortly.
If it isn't too difficult to explain, can you tell how you removed the center console to get at the shift boot?
Thanks

 

[smithers_0990]

Your pics aren't loading dude.(uhm)

 

[clownphish]

Yeah, I can't get them either.