SuperStretch18
Member
- :
- '07 CX-7 Sport, Black on Black; '04 Mazda3s
Hey All,
I got to thinking that I would change my shift knob to a ball type shifter pretty soon after I got my CX-7. Unfortunately though, I also thought it would look like crap on the stock shift post. However, with a leather shift boot, I thought it would look sweet, so I got in touch with Redline Goods and had them put together a custom one for me (Maciek was very helpful in setting this up; mention that you are part of this forum and he will take care of you).
Here is my write up for anyone interested in doing the same thing (disclaimer: I am not responsible for any scratches, dings, broken interior pieces or any other damage that happens as a result of this install).
Here is the stock shifter. No frills, but it gets the job done.
The base of the shifter is a simple plastic plate held down by three clips (@11 o'clock, 5 o'clock and 7 o'clock). Getting it off is simple; put your index finger into the top right corner of the shift post slot and pull gently up:
Doing so should give you enough space to insert a small flat-head screwdriver between the shift plate and the silver trim:
If you slide the screwdriver clockwise around the trim (gently), you should be able to disengage the clips pretty easily. Here's what you get with the plate off:
Now that you have the plate off, you want to insert it upside down into the shift boot. Mazda was helpful enough to put a white tab at the 6 o'clock position, so just make sure that lines up where you want the "bottom" of the shift boot to go:
Push the shifter plate as far into the boot as possible, while still keeping it straight. Don't be shy here; the leather will need to be stretched in order to get the post back in, so don' worry too much about going too far.
now that you have the plate inserted as far as it will go, you will need to cut three slits into the shift boot where each of the clips go. A heavy duty pair of scissors will make the cuts nicely. Cut straight up to within about 1/4" of the shift plate, so that you have enough space for the boot to tuck when you install it. Once you make the vertical cuts, you will need to make a horizontal cut across where the clips sit as well. The final cuts should look something like an elongated upper case "T":
Now comes the fun part (PITA); getting the boot onto the shift post. I found that starting with the car in [drive] (with parking brake on of course), was the easiest way.
Slide the shift plate and boot over the shift post and insert the top portion of the boot first. It will take some play to get it in, but I found using the small screwdriver to insert into the shift mechanism worked well.
Once you finish the back, put the car in [Park] and do the same for the front. Just get the edges to insert around the perimeter first and then once there is a place for the leather to go, you can push the entire boot down into position. This took me some playing to get right, but take your time and it should eventually go in place. Press firmly down on the shift plate to re-engage the clips. Note: I could not get all of the clips to engage during the final install. The places where the leather is stitched is multiple layers, so it does not let the shift plate fit fully back into position. If you are so inclined, you could notch the shift plate to allow extra clearance in the stitched locations, but i decided it was not worth the extra work. Here's the final product when I first installed it:
Honestly, at first, I wasn't impressed, as the leather looked a bit stretched and I thought I was going to have to make more modifications. However, after a week of regular driving, the leather has loosened up significantly and it looks much better. Here's a photo from this morning:
I know at least one person is going to hate on me for "trying to make the car look like a stick", but if they made a stick in this car, I would have bought it. The whole reason I started this process was to change out the shift knob, but Redline was able to make the boot so that it fits over the bottom portion of the stock shift knob, so I think I am reconcidering that replacement!
Anyway, I am happy with it, as it sets my car apart just a tad and it complements my ride perfectly. Hope this helps someone; let me know if anyone has any questions.
Thanks!
I got to thinking that I would change my shift knob to a ball type shifter pretty soon after I got my CX-7. Unfortunately though, I also thought it would look like crap on the stock shift post. However, with a leather shift boot, I thought it would look sweet, so I got in touch with Redline Goods and had them put together a custom one for me (Maciek was very helpful in setting this up; mention that you are part of this forum and he will take care of you).
Here is my write up for anyone interested in doing the same thing (disclaimer: I am not responsible for any scratches, dings, broken interior pieces or any other damage that happens as a result of this install).
Here is the stock shifter. No frills, but it gets the job done.
The base of the shifter is a simple plastic plate held down by three clips (@11 o'clock, 5 o'clock and 7 o'clock). Getting it off is simple; put your index finger into the top right corner of the shift post slot and pull gently up:
Doing so should give you enough space to insert a small flat-head screwdriver between the shift plate and the silver trim:
If you slide the screwdriver clockwise around the trim (gently), you should be able to disengage the clips pretty easily. Here's what you get with the plate off:
Now that you have the plate off, you want to insert it upside down into the shift boot. Mazda was helpful enough to put a white tab at the 6 o'clock position, so just make sure that lines up where you want the "bottom" of the shift boot to go:
Push the shifter plate as far into the boot as possible, while still keeping it straight. Don't be shy here; the leather will need to be stretched in order to get the post back in, so don' worry too much about going too far.
now that you have the plate inserted as far as it will go, you will need to cut three slits into the shift boot where each of the clips go. A heavy duty pair of scissors will make the cuts nicely. Cut straight up to within about 1/4" of the shift plate, so that you have enough space for the boot to tuck when you install it. Once you make the vertical cuts, you will need to make a horizontal cut across where the clips sit as well. The final cuts should look something like an elongated upper case "T":
Now comes the fun part (PITA); getting the boot onto the shift post. I found that starting with the car in [drive] (with parking brake on of course), was the easiest way.
Slide the shift plate and boot over the shift post and insert the top portion of the boot first. It will take some play to get it in, but I found using the small screwdriver to insert into the shift mechanism worked well.
Once you finish the back, put the car in [Park] and do the same for the front. Just get the edges to insert around the perimeter first and then once there is a place for the leather to go, you can push the entire boot down into position. This took me some playing to get right, but take your time and it should eventually go in place. Press firmly down on the shift plate to re-engage the clips. Note: I could not get all of the clips to engage during the final install. The places where the leather is stitched is multiple layers, so it does not let the shift plate fit fully back into position. If you are so inclined, you could notch the shift plate to allow extra clearance in the stitched locations, but i decided it was not worth the extra work. Here's the final product when I first installed it:
Honestly, at first, I wasn't impressed, as the leather looked a bit stretched and I thought I was going to have to make more modifications. However, after a week of regular driving, the leather has loosened up significantly and it looks much better. Here's a photo from this morning:
I know at least one person is going to hate on me for "trying to make the car look like a stick", but if they made a stick in this car, I would have bought it. The whole reason I started this process was to change out the shift knob, but Redline was able to make the boot so that it fits over the bottom portion of the stock shift knob, so I think I am reconcidering that replacement!
Anyway, I am happy with it, as it sets my car apart just a tad and it complements my ride perfectly. Hope this helps someone; let me know if anyone has any questions.
Thanks!
