scorp508

This was such a pain in the ***! I got a replacement shift boot and shifter **** from Ecklers for Christmas. I went to put it in today when I had some time to kill. The instructions are pretty lame at best. It basically says "remove shift ****, remove shift boot, install and adjust new shift boot." Ok, let me give you how it really works for a 4+3 shift boot.

1. Remove speedo bezel.
2. Remove center HVAC bezel.
3. Remove center console bezel.
3b. Unclip ciggarette adapter
3c. Unscrew shift boot from bottom of bezel.
4. Remove overdrive button
5. Remove overdrive switch stalk
6. Remove pin in shift ****.
7. Twist off shift ****.
8. Remove reverse lockout rod & spring
9. Pop lower shift boot collar off of shifter lever.
10. Reverse.

Now the fun issues.

1. The Ecklers' boot is not big enough! The sewn collar has a circumference that does not fit the lower collar. I had to cut a few of the stichings to open it up enough to fit. Fun! This was not something I would expect for a $60 something piece.

2. The Ecklers' boot does not come with pre-punched screw holes for the boot to center console bezel. I found this out once everything was back together. With not enough room to push them through I had to take it all apart, take the bezel and boot inside and install it there. Then put it all back together.

3. The Ecklers' shifter **** does not come with a key piece for the 4+3. There is a small plastic base in the **** that has the tangs for the overdrive button to snap onto. You could have easily tossed the original **** out and never noticed until it was too late. You have to carefully remove the base from the original **** and put it into the new one. I cut the leather off of my old **** becuase it was hard and covering the base. I was afraid I would snap the base while moving it.


I would email them with some suggestions for better instruction or product improvements, but I won't bother. Why you ask? The last piece I bought from them was a replacement 4+3 clutch hydaulic line. It was so completely not correct I had to bend it myself and it was a nightmare to install. I emailed them photos and descriptions of my ordeal and never received an answer.

87vette

Neither does Mid America. I bought mine and punched a hole through it while the center was taken apart.

scorp508

Yeah, I wish I had seen it earlier. I was too busy trying to get that damn collar on it to notice.

bogus

talk about poor quality control... hell, that's nonexistant quality control.

It's beyond ****-poor.

Oh, and that's the same process for removing the shift boot on my 92... take car apart, replace boot, reassemble car.

Red Tornado

Brian, I would send it back for a refund.

Instead, go here (and its les $$): www.redlinegoods.com

JB666

If it wasn't a gift, I'd have suggested the same thing..

Then again, my boot from Redline came with no instructions at all, and the holes didn't line up

GRX

Thanks for the good info. I will be doing this shortly. eeek.

Aggravated4life

Even the automatic shifter boot doesnt fit either.I installed it but had to leave one screw/bolt hole undone.Why?It didnt align up at all like the factory did.Youre better off ripping off your old leather from the stock frame and gluing the new leather boot onto it.These aftermarket parts are so far off I have no idea what car they used to make templates off of.

thomastl

I got mine from www.partsforvettes.com. I paid $36.95 w/ shipping. He knew about the fact that there were two different models (short and long for the manual transmission). I have a long console. Fit perfect. The one I got from ecklers that I had to send back was the small one. They don't even list a long version.

ZAWA

As you should know ECKLER'S products are made for custom fitting. You should have welding set, saws. heat gun, ast. of glues at a minimum. This helps you to spend time with your car. Also giving you a feeling of a job well done when you finaly get it done.
My favorite is the spoiler bolt kit were you weld on a extension to make the bolt the right length. In the longrun this keeps the weight of the bolts down keeping that extra weight of the front end of your car. Pure genius.

nitrous1

Scorp, I have a few questions for you.

Do you have to unscrew the switch stalk completely to remove the OD button base?

How did you remove the pin in the shift ****? - I am assuming that you are talking about the little metal wedge that is opposite the hinge points for the OD button.

The reason that I ask is that I broke the OD button on my 86 and I want to try to make a new one out of aluminum, but I need to get the plastic base out of the shift **** so that I can measure everything up accurately. I don't think that I need to completely remove my shifter ****, only the pieces of the OD button.

Thanks,

nitrous1

USAsOnlyWay

I don't know anything about partsforvettes.com but I had the same issue. Ecklers ships out the short one, then if you need the long one, they will send you that. But you don't know till you try to install it. Ecklers does sell it though, I have it on my Vette.

CentralCoaster

I bought that same POS. The garbage plastic frame didn't even fit the console plate. I had to scrape the leather off it and glue it to the stock metal frame.

**** like that pisses me off after buying a "restoration" part.

86PACER

Sounds like s***ty quality control and/or design.

robertt43

All the big distributors sell the same parts from their suppliers. Most of them are junk,cheap,foreign made crap.That's why their prices are so close together. Plus their shipping charges are all high,and the people selling the stuff are mostly inexperienced women who know nothing about cars or tools,[one lady didn't know what a brake pressure switch was ]only what is in front of them on the screen,and they will tell you anything to get the commission.....

Brimis

The first purchase for my 84 was a shift boot from Eckler's. Once I disassembled the necessary parts to install the shift boot, I had to stop and scratch my head. WTF! Did I order the wrong boot? This boot wasn't going on a Chevette let alone a Corvette!