Shift Boot ReplacementAfter 17 years, my shift boot has gotten pretty ratty. So I purchased a new one made from soft calf leather from a person on the MR2 forum. I had the option of picking the color of the stitching. I picked orange for some strange reason...I have since removed the stitching and maybe in the future add some grey/silver stitching. Anyway, here's some pics of the new shift boot:
Now for the installation of this bad boy. 1) Remove the driver's seat for ease of access. Undo the four 14mm bolts that hold the seat in place, two in the front
and two in the back.
2) Now remove the vertical storage box by undoing the screw on both the drivers and passenger sides.
and open the lid and remove the top 2 screws there.
The storage box should then pull right out.
3) Remove the 5 indicated screws. There are 2 screws opposite the green circled ones on the passenger side that need removal. This is for 85/6s, later years will be a tad different.
Remove the ashtray, and remove the 2 screws there.
Remove the shift knob by simply unsrewing it, and then take out the center console. Lift it out from the rear of the console, and then slide the front of it over the shifter and the e-brake. Take this opportunity to clean stuff up in here.
Here's the underisde of the center console.
4) Now remove the old shift boot. It is simply held in place by 4 tabs. Just squeeze the edge of the shift boot. There's a wire that holds the boot in place. It should flex easily enough to get past the tabs.
5) Now, you need to reuse this wire in the new shift boot, so cut it out of the old boot with your favorite utility knife.
Here the wire is out. Sand off the surface rust.
6) You will need to attach this to the base of the new shift boot. You can either sew it in or glue it in. After 2 minutes of trying to sew it by hand with a regular needle, I saw the stapler on my desk. It worked damn well and was alot quicker. If you do this, just make sure to keep the staples as close as possible to the wire, and you will need to bend the ends to secure them in place.
The underside:
7) Install the new boot into the console. It should just snap in place under the tabs.
8) Installation is just the opposite of removal for the console.
Here it is complete.
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Disclaimer: This web page in no way replaces
the MR2 repair manual. Follow what it says before me. The purpose of
this page is to give you a better pictorial description of what to do.
I cannot be held responsible for any mishaps caused by this web page.