RebekahsZ Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 Anybody found a really good boot to use, or some other smart mod to help seal the shifter to the trans tunnel? I found out the hard way not to use a dremel tool to cut the rubber-the rubber turns soft and sticky when it heats and stays that way, even after the rubber cools (gets on eveything kind of like chewing gum). The rubber is too thick to cut with scissors or a knife, but trims in a controlled way with diagonal cutting wire snips. My solution is neat, but doesn't seal well because of all the different contours in the stock 240z dust boot. The shifter I used is an F-body shifter from MGW. Please send pics of your shifter dust boot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsicard Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 Who is MGW?? Need a shifter boot for my T56 trans install. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUNNY Z Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 Who is MGW?? Need a shifter boot for my T56 trans install. The maker of the best T56 shifter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktm Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 (edited) I don't worry about it. I have a 4L60E with a B&M Stealth Pro ratchet shifter. Dust boot? What is that? Edited February 19, 2012 by ktm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUNNY Z Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Is it actually called a dust boot? I'd like to buy one as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted February 20, 2012 Author Share Posted February 20, 2012 Sorry, I used that term to differentiate between the rubber boot UNDER the console (dust boot) and the cloth/vinyl/leather one that is ON the console. Some guys don't know the rubber one is down there under the console. If the rubber boot is good, the cloth one is just for looks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strotter Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 I used one out of a mid-90's Camaro. It's not a perfect fit, but it works well. The thing to be careful of is not so much the fit in neutral, but when fully extended into both 1st/3rd/5th and 2nd/4th/6th. Too stiff, it'll act like a spring pulling back to neutral. I fiddled with a couple of them I had laying around (yeah, I know, it's weird, I had some laying around) that were nice and thick, but too stiff - causing that spring kind of action. Eventually I went to the local Chevy dealer & got a new one. It's a thin, neoprene kind of material, very flexible. The bellows part is also just very "flat", not sticking up too far (which you'll need it to do). The material is thin enough, and the base is large enough, that you'll need to find or fabricate some kind of snug-fitting hold-down on the perimeter. I fabricated one out of a sheet of 0.080 aluminum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted February 20, 2012 Author Share Posted February 20, 2012 I used one out of a mid-90's Camaro. It's not a perfect fit, but it works well. The thing to be careful of is not so much the fit in neutral, but when fully extended into both 1st/3rd/5th and 2nd/4th/6th. Too stiff, it'll act like a spring pulling back to neutral. I fiddled with a couple of them I had laying around (yeah, I know, it's weird, I had some laying around) that were nice and thick, but too stiff - causing that spring kind of action. Eventually I went to the local Chevy dealer & got a new one. It's a thin, neoprene kind of material, very flexible. The bellows part is also just very "flat", not sticking up too far (which you'll need it to do). The material is thin enough, and the base is large enough, that you'll need to find or fabricate some kind of snug-fitting hold-down on the perimeter. I fabricated one out of a sheet of 0.080 aluminum. Send pictures if possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUNNY Z Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 (edited) heres a pic Camaro shift boot I believe its going to be wide enough, but not long enough (front to back). thats just from my personal experience though. This should get you started. shift boots @ summit What's the hole dimensions? Then we could look it up Edited February 20, 2012 by SUNNY Z Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheesepocket Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 How lame is that that GM have discontinued the 93-2002 T56 lower boot? I ended up getting one for the Fox body 5.0 Mustang for only $17 or so and just fiddled a bit with it yesterday. I also have the MGW. While it's a great shifter, their aluminum block that is used for the shift stalk offset is pretty intrusive. But it looks like the boot is big enough to cover the hole, house the MGW shifter, and flexible enough that it will allow me to shift. It has sort of some bellows built in to allow for shift lever pull without flexing where it is held down around the perimeter. Google to find a pic, don't have one handy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUNNY Z Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 like this? Found here http://www.latemodelrestoration.com/item/LRS-7277E/79-04-Mustang-Lower-Shift-Boot-With-Metal-Ring Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted February 20, 2012 Author Share Posted February 20, 2012 Thanks guys-this forum rocks! I'll look over what you've listed. I wonder if there is any type of really good adhesive that would PERMANENTLY bond a couple of these boots together...Anybody really smart on rubber adhestives? I've not had good luck with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUNNY Z Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 permanant is a very strong word there...... I'd just black RTV it to the floor and forget about it. That way if you ever do have to take it off, you can Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Thanks guys-this forum rocks! I'll look over what you've listed. I wonder if there is any type of really good adhesive that would PERMANENTLY bond a couple of these boots together...Anybody really smart on rubber adhestives? I've not had good luck with them. I've used Goop with good success to glue rubber together to make a dust boot for my 240sx 5 speed swap. It's held up for 4 years so far. Nigel '73 240ZT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Below is a picture of the boot I made up for my SX swap. For the full write-up on how it was made, start here: http://www.motortopi...m/photos/276268 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted February 21, 2012 Author Share Posted February 21, 2012 We are making progress. Thanks for all the suggestions so far, the plot gets better with every new chapter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheechq Posted October 8, 2013 Share Posted October 8, 2013 RebekahsZ, what lower rubber shift boot did you end up using? 93-02 Camaro/TA T56 (http://www.tacreationsusa.com/images/Transmissions/Shiftboots/6spdlowerboot.jpg), 1979-04 Ford Mustang or something else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted October 9, 2013 Author Share Posted October 9, 2013 I ordered a MGW camaro shifter that has its own lower boot, then I trimmed the stock Z lower boot like Nigel did above. It ended up looking a lot like his. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 I used the stock OEM dust boots for my '77 280Z. The reason that worked is because I modified the 280Z shift lever to work with the Hurst shifter I installed in the car. I also "customized" the lever so that the knob was in the ideal position for my arm when I had my seat set right where I always drive the car. 3rd and 5th no longer force me to lean forward to hit them right. I just sit in the seat and row away. There's always a way to beat them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heavy85 Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 I used the '02 Camaro boot from the donor just bent it to fit the tunnel and secured with self tapping sheetmetal screws. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.