SPF Rubber Shift Boot

[Blas]

I will suggest that the problem with the shifter popping out of gear (baring any transmission issues) is not the stiffness of the rubber boot (Which Superformance purchases from FORD) but rather the problem is related to the location of the hole is punched in the console. I would bet that if you compared photos taken from overhead that show the relationship between the shifter and the center of the opening, the problem would be obvious. Comparing installations between those that have the problem and those that don’t. Maybe centering in not the best arrangement? Or is could also be related to the distance from the console to the transmission, causing a larger displacement in the rubber boot, exerting pressure on the shifter.

[patrickt]

FWIW, my hole is basically centered. The drive train, of course, is a good couple of inches over to the passenger side.

[SunDude]

Thanks guys for the ideas.

I think Blas is right that the hole is not exactly centered over the shift linkage. However, I didn't have this problem when I first bought the car last summer and the boot was fairly new then, so I'm not sure why I'm having it now. Maybe the rubber just needs some time to soften up (or is that wishful thinking?). I don't want to cut into the transmission tunnel if I can avoid it, 'cuz frankly I'm not that handy and don't want to screw things up.

There's another complication too. Three of the four screws holding down the trim ring no longer bite into the fibreglass. To mount the current boot, I contact cemented some sheet metal clips onto the bottom side and screwed down into them (I had lined up the holes beforehand). I also trimmed the round lip off the bottom of the rubber boot, so it would sit nice and flat on the carpet. This all seemed to work pretty well and the boot/ring sit as tight (if not tighter) to the carpet than before.

I think when I next unscrew the trim ring, I'm going to need to add some fibreglass to the underside of the tunnel, to give the screws something new to bite into. Meanwhile, I'm just praying that the rubber softens up and am resting my hand on the shifter when in third gear.

[Blas]

You have an email....
Use "speed nuts" to fix the stripped holes in the fiberglass.

[CoupedUp]

Originally Posted by SunDude

Thanks guys for the ideas.

I think Blas is right that the hole is not exactly centered over the shift linkage. However, I didn't have this problem when I first bought the car last summer and the boot was fairly new then, so I'm not sure why I'm having it now. Maybe the rubber just needs some time to soften up (or is that wishful thinking?). I don't want to cut into the transmission tunnel if I can avoid it, 'cuz frankly I'm not that handy and don't want to screw things up.

There's another complication too. Three of the four screws holding down the trim ring no longer bite into the fibreglass. To mount the current boot, I contact cemented some sheet metal clips onto the bottom side and screwed down into them (I had lined up the holes beforehand). I also trimmed the round lip off the bottom of the rubber boot, so it would sit nice and flat on the carpet. This all seemed to work pretty well and the boot/ring sit as tight (if not tighter) to the carpet than before.

I think when I next unscrew the trim ring, I'm going to need to add some fibreglass to the underside of the tunnel, to give the screws something new to bite into. Meanwhile, I'm just praying that the rubber softens up and am resting my hand on the shifter when in third gear.

This sounds word for word like my situation when I replaced the rubber boot on my coupe with a new one from SPF. I thought for sure the hole for the shifter needed to be moved back a bit. Once the leather boot was in place, all was well and no need to move anything. I would recommend replacing the rubber boot withe a leather one and see how that works first.

Doug

[SunDude]

Originally Posted by Blas

Use "speed nuts" to fix the stripped holes in the fiberglass.

I tried to do that, but it didn't work 100% (I called them "sheet metal clips" in my previous post).

The problem is that I couldn't clip the speed nuts onto the fibreglass tunnel; for two of them, the screw holes were inset too far and for the third, the fibreglass was broken at the edge and wouldn't hold one.

So instead I tried cementing them in place while I screwed down from above. One of them snugged up nicely, but the other two must've spun as they never fully tightened.

Sorry I didn't take any photos to show you what I mean.

[Blas]

Well, knowing that your fiberglass in the area is trashed, I would probably suggest using a backing ring that is threaded to match some replacement bolts in place of the normal wood screws. Or maybe glue something to the underside of the tunnel to grip the original wood screws. (Clean the grease and dirt first on the underside of the tunnel then use epoxy glue. There was a post about a bunch of superformance parts for sale...there were replacement shifter boot rings available if I recall. Use the better one on top and the other below as a backing ring.

[FOMOCONUT]

Rotate the ring, drill 4 new holes . Get the correct speed nuts that fit your needs. They come in many different sizes. You need two bolts in that shifter to get it into gear. SPF #2773 Jerry

[SunDude]

UPDATE: After about a month the rubber has softened enough that the shift lever no longer pops out of gear. Whew, now that's a relief!

[Don Barnes]

I had the same problem after replacing the rubber boot, my shifter was jumping out of 4th. So I left it in 4th about two weeks in the garage and it healed it's self. Rubber will relax if you put it under a little pressure. db