Low cost 2005-2006 inner shift boot replacement!

[Ptm]

Like most people I hate the cost of TJ parts lately. My inner shift boot on my 2006 Rubicon has been mostly missing since I purchased the Jeep last year and the blast furnace didn’t bother me this winter but it’s getting warm in north Texas and as soon as a window gets opened or the sunrider is popped the blast furnace goes to work. I can’t keep my cold beverage cold in the cup holder and my right leg is permanently scarred from the heat coming out of my center console. I can find the replacement Mopar inner shift boot plenty of places but I’ll be damned if I’m paying $180+ for it. I’ve searched and read forums and done research and just wore myself out trying to find a cheap replacement and I found it!

I started by tearing off all the old boot material from the plastic it’s attached to. I didn’t get a picture before I ripped it out but if you’ve been here you know.

I’m lucky and live in DFW and have a multitude of stores and suppliers local to me and I also have a Summit warehouse and store close! If you’ve never used Summit for Jeep parts you’re missing out. They also have tons of non-specific and generic parts cause hot-rods… I got on the website and went through the roughly 50 different shift boots offered and had to read through the reviews and questions people have asked in the past to get the right size but some had no info at all. Drives me crazy! I picked out a few different ones that I thought would work and headed down to Summit in Arlington. They only had a few on display and none that looked like they would work. The opening in the Jeep is about 6.5 by 5.5 and although there were a few that might fit the bill without seeing them I didn’t want to waste money.

 

[Ptm]

I finally narrowed my choices down to this one from TransDapt.

Which will just cover the edges. It comes with a nice plate to attach it but I was worried about the accordion style preventing easy movement.

 

[Ptm]

While looking at pictures I saw an inner shift boot that was designed for 79-93 Ford Mustangs and I’ll damned if it didn’t look like it would work perfect. I couldn’t find a measurement anywhere online and no one at the store knew for sure but I had bought one and had em pull it from the warehouse. Lo and behold it looked just right!

Check out that price!!

 

[Ptm]

As soon as I got home I threw it on and check this out!

It’s oversized but who cares!

 

[Ptm]

The next step was to fit it to the plastic piece. I removed the plastic piece after making sure I noted exactly where I wanted to place it.

Then I started stapling. (I had seen this technique somewhere on this forum)

 

[Ptm]

After fully stapling all the way around, (I had to remove a few that didn’t go in all the way) I trimmed the edges to fit. I then used some high temp RTV silicone around the edges and over the staples.

 

[Ptm]

I was supposed to wait an hour so the silicone could dry but I was impatient and wanted to test out my genius! I reinstalled it on the trans tunnel and carefully put everything back together.

 

[Ptm]

It works perfect! No more furnace and I spent less than $20! The rubber is very soft and supple and I can’t tell the difference between having it on now and when there was nothing at all. No binding and no hard shifting. My foot A/C can actually be felt even with the doors off! Sorry for the long post but I had to share.

 

[OldBuzzard]

I just redid mine a couple of weeks ago. I used the same cheap rubber boot that @Zorba did on his. It's similar to yours, but doesn't look quite as clean. I'll have to keep yours in mind if mine doesn't last.

On yours I wonder if the rubber will begin to tear at the staple holes. On mine I wonder if the glue alone will hold.

 

[L J]

Nice work. The only thing I'd do different is to find the proper adhesive to bond the boot to the base and/or use some pop-rivets for a mechanical hold.

 

[Ptm]

I just redid mine a couple of weeks ago. I used the same cheap rubber boot that @Zorba did on his. It's similar to yours, but doesn't look quite as clean. I'll have to keep yours in mind if mine doesn't last.

On yours I wonder if the rubber will begin to tear at the staple holes. On mine I wonder if the glue alone will hold.

I figure it will last long enough for the $16 I spent. If it doesn’t last long I’ll definitely try to bond it next time. I was impatient!

 

[JMT]

It works perfect! No more furnace and I spent less than $20! The rubber is very soft and supple and I can’t tell the difference between having it on now and when there was nothing at all. No binding and no hard shifting. My foot A/C can actually be felt even with the doors off! Sorry for the long post but I had to share.

Good find! I bought a stock replacement from Collins Bros. A few years ago for $70. Now they are sky high. Why couldn’t you have just put the edges of the boot under the plastic edges and bolted it back down to the tub to hold it?

 

[Ptm]

Good find! I bought a stock replacement from Collins Bros. A few years ago for $70. Now they are sky high. Why couldn’t you have just put the edges of the boot under the plastic edges and bolted it back down to the tub to hold it?

I guess I wasn’t thinking. Haha. That’s a great idea.

 

[JMT]

I guess I wasn’t thinking. Haha. That’s a great idea.

Well, at any rate, that's a great find at $16. I should check my other 05' and seeing if it needs a shifter boot. That heat pouring into the cab gets really annoying down south. I lived in TX 45 years and know what that heat is come mid-summer. Thanks for sharing this!

 

[freedom_in_4low]

Good find! I bought a stock replacement from Collins Bros. A few years ago for $70. Now they are sky high. Why couldn’t you have just put the edges of the boot under the plastic edges and bolted it back down to the tub to hold it?

I guess I wasn’t thinking. Haha. That’s a great idea.

I knew there was a reason I've had this thing sitting in the parts bin for a year I'll happily start from the second cycle in the trial-and-error process.

Mine actually came with the metal plate around it. I'll plan on removing it and just use the rubber.

and now that I think of it...I should have done this before I installed my hand throttle this weekend.

 

[NDSpeed]

Nicely done. Now I’ll have to search for the outer boot.

 

[JMT]

I knew there was a reason I've had this thing sitting in the parts bin for a year I'll happily start from the second cycle in the trial-and-error process.

Mine actually came with the metal plate around it. I'll plan on removing it and just use the rubber.

View attachment 319210

and now that I think of it...I should have done this before I installed my hand throttle this weekend.

You might want to try to mold the metal to the tub arch and bolt it down with four bolts through those holes into the tub. I always assume the added support is there for a reason.

 

[OldBuzzard]

For the outer leather boot, I bought one from Redline Goods. It's very high quality, but not terribly fun to install on an '05-'06. You have to glue it to the metal plate under the plastic trim, and keep it flat enough to fit under the plastic. About $50 with free shipping, and their website might pop up a 10% discount. They come from Poland, so the war might unsettle things in shipping.

 

[2006 Jackpot]

Thanks for sharing this. Was looking at the universal ones on line and couldn't find one that looked close enough to try.
Just ordered the boot off ebay.

 

[TRevs]

For the outer leather boot, I bought one from Redline Goods. It's very high quality, but not terribly fun to install on an '05-'06. You have to glue it to the metal plate under the plastic trim, and keep it flat enough to fit under the plastic. About $50 with free shipping, and their website might pop up a 10% discount. They come from Poland, so the war might unsettle things in shipping.

View attachment 319220

I found your post because I just received my shift boot from Redlinegoods. I’ve used several of their products in my Civic and have been well-satisfied, but the Jeep boot is another story.

It’s too wide at the base, and yours looks the same since you had to fold it under itself at the corners.

I emailed them today that their design is off; their first response was that someone must’ve swapped my ‘06 console for the earlier version.

You made yours look good, but I don’t want to fight the redundant leather; it’s supposed to be custom, not universal. Also I imagine those creases at the corners are gathering lots of dust and debris.