So I'm just getting started installing my Hurst shifter. First I break the little T-wedge that holds the shift knob tight - finally managed to get it out after some WD-40 and a few choice words. Must have been installed with a pile-driver. After taking the console trim off, the next step was to remove the rubber shift boot. The instructions say to remove 4 acorn nuts, and then "carefully lift the boot off". They forgot to mention the part where the boot is glued on with some kind of nuclear bomb-proof rubber cement - good lawd, it put up a fight! I can't wait to see how the rest of it goes

I've been thinking of doing the samething. Let us know how it turns out.

I got the old shifter out before I had to quit for the evening - that much went pretty easily. I just held the lower boot back out of the way with a bungee cord, which gave me enough room to work, and the pin that has to be driven out to free the shift rod came out with just a few taps (I've read it isn't always cooperative).

Funny. Really - I'm laughing with you not at you. I start working on mine Friday. Replacing all the cooling system hoses, pull out and clean radiator, replace main fan. How many skinned knuckles will I end up with? How many parts will refuse to disassemble? How many other things will I find wrong or break along the way? It's always something and nothing's every easy. But then you fire it back up when you're done and somehow it all seems worth it.

Probably not an easy job on most German transmissions, but I guess the rest of the civilized world knows better than to mess with that stuff.

With trans out of the car, it's a 20 minute job. Too bad removing/replacing the trans takes 6+ hours on jackstands.

This is why my Hurst is still in a box... Next time I have $300 to give the Corvette shop, then it may get installed. Although Case has offered to do it while he's in the states. Maybe he'll give me a discount.

Even the battery is impossible to remove on this car. Never pulled out so many tools to R/R a battery in my life.

It isn't really all that bad, just putzy, like a lot of things on this car. Space being so tight always adds to the challenge. I'm really glad I'm not in any big rush - I can walk away for a while if I get frustrated, or take the time to fix little things, like a couple of tabs that were broken on the console trim.

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Chris, ya must have been doing it the hard way. Pulling the battery takes 5 minutes.

Maybe for you, my friend....

Perhaps it will be a quicker job next time, since I kinda know what I'm doing now. It was about 20 minutes of me scratching my head, and looking for Torx bits the first time. Bah!

Rub some twinkies on the nuclear glue to neutralize the bond. I've heard that twinkies are immune to nuclear radiation.

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LOL! I did find that some denatured alcohol, followed by copious amounts of WD-40, removed the evil goo.

I finished up the shifter earlier this evening - man, I think I'm really gonna like it! Messing with the shifter mechanism itself is definitely a job for blue nitrile gloves - it's slathered with grease. Real handy to just be able to wipe the gloves off with a Simple Green-soaked rag when you need to grab a tool, etc. The worst part of the install for me was getting the shift rod back in place - it took a bunch of dinking around to get it to line up and slide back on. I put a spiffy new shorter leather boot on, also. Now I'll have to decide whether to bother getting a new T-wedge - the knob feels plenty tight without it.

Awesome Brad. Sounds like it will be nice enough this weekend to maybe get a little drive in to test it out!

I'm itching to fire it up and see what the headers sound like. My new AIR tube should be here today, and hopefully my O2 sensor extensions too, so if I can get those on and the exhaust hooked back up, I just might be able to take it for a spin soon!

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Fixed it for ya!

Matthew

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