Questions on Pistol Grip Shifter Boot, Galvanized Ring, and Stainless Trim Bezel

[MoparCarGuy]

I am still working on my auto-to-manual conversion (Tremec TKX 5-Speed) and have questions on where the galvanized trim ring with 8 screw holes goes.
Does it go above the rubber boot to sandwich it to the transmission tunnel like the pictures below and use only the screw holes not used by the stainless trim bezel?
Then, the stainless trim bezel goes on after installing the carpet, sandwiching the carpet?

Just confirming to get it right.

 

[Steve340]

You have it right from what I remember of doing mine.

 

[Deathproofcuda]

I haven't taken enough 4-speed cars apart to be certain, but I believe that the lower trim ring gets installed on TOP of the carpet using the four screw holes that aren't used by the upper stainless ring. The upper ring then gets added just as a decorative cover. Pretty sure that's the way mine was when I got it in '88 and the way I still have it set up now.

 

[moparlee]

Carpet first, then boot with integral ring and four screws, then the finish trim ring with its four screws. If you install the boot first you will trouble fitting the carpet around it.

 

[MoparCarGuy]

So the question remains,

Top to bottom:
Stainless bezel
Carpet
Galvanized ring
Rubber boot
Transmission tunnel hump

OR

Stainless bezel
Galvanized ring
Carpet
Rubber boot
Transmission tunnel hump

I think the first makes more sense since it would secure the boot to the hump and seal out air/water underneath the carpet.

 

[MoparCarGuy]

Carpet first, then boot with integral ring and four screws, then the finish trim ring with its four screws. If you install the boot first you will trouble fitting the carpet around it.

I was planning to prefit the carpet before the boot, remove it, then install the boot and sandwich it to the floor with the galvanized ring. Carpet next, then stainless bezel and finally the console.
I can see how fitting the carpet perfectly could be an issue with so many moving pieces.

 

[Deathproofcuda]

I think you are missing the option suggested by Moparlee and me,

Stainless bezel
Galvanize ring
Rubber boot
Carpet
Transmission tunnel hump

 

[MoparCarGuy]

I think you are missing the option suggested by Moparlee and me,

Stainless bezel
Galvanize ring
Rubber boot
Carpet
Transmission tunnel hump

I do see the benefit in that. Carpet can be done once and eliminate an error in the hole cutting.
Carpet edge exposed underneath but how much “weather” would even get up in there to make a difference?

 

[Steve340]

The first order. My car has the original carpet.
I believe the galv ring goes under the carpet - you need to pull the carpet hole a bit to get on to the screws and work around the shifter handle.
The chromed bezel goes on top of the carpet to tidy up the ragged hole.

 

[Steve340]

Get the carpet in place first. You need to be able to work "through" the shifter hole in the carpet.
You will not be able to lift the carpet over the installed shifter handle nor do you want to remove the carpet if you want to take the gearbox out.
A trial fit is a good idea - the shifter handle goes in to the rubber boot then install the shifter lever handle.
Then work the shifter boot and then the galv ring through the hole in the carpet.

 

[Challenger RTA]

I gave that some thought. What makes ¢ is the boot to seal form the exterior.
Top to bottom:
Stainless bezel
Carpet
Galvanized ring
Rubber boot
Transmission tunnel hump.
When I was stationed in Philly. A storm flooded the low area roads. When going across a flooded street about 2' deep. A little water was coming up through the top of the shifter boot. Later in a day or two puller the boot up to see how wet. not bad just a little damp. boot was on the tunnel first.

NOW I'M going to have to go look how I did mine?

 

[MoparCarGuy]

UPDATE: Consensus is that the factory did it this way. Carpet is already in place and the hole precut. The pre-assembled galvanized ring/boot assembly is inserted through the hole in the carpet and attached directly to tunnel hump which seals out the elements. The galvanized ring secures the boot to the tunnel with the four black screws. The hole in the carpet is now overlapping the galvanized ring/boot assembly and the stainless bezel is secured with four chrome screws thus sandwiching the carpet to the galvanized ring/boot assembly.
Top to bottom:
Stainless bezel
Carpet
Galvanized ring
Rubber boot
Transmission tunnel hump

I updated the factory drawing to reflect the carpet and display the above installation.

 

[Cav73]

Hi, I followed this discussion in October-November, to install a new ACC carpet in my 4-speed Challenger. I went with the updated advice above (separating water from the carpet makes sense) and screwed the shifter boot to the transmission hump direct. Previously, I installed dynamat over the entire floor.

I cut the carpet to fit fairly tight around the boot. I was surprised to find that the trim ring inner perimeter has a significant separation (about 1/4 in) from the base of the boot, so the carpet sticks out around the inner perimeter of the trim ring. This has given me some trouble. I am concerned about cutting it back while it is in place around the boot because I do not want to accidentally cut the boot.

Also, ACC glues carpet padding across the entire under surface of the front carpet so that it goes over the hump and across the footwells on both sides of the hump. The padding definitely interferes with making clean cuts in the carpet. I probably need to cut it back, at least around the boot.

Does anyone have any suggestions about trimming the carpet back under the upper trim ring without going too far? It is a bit nerve-wracking, trying to avoid destroying a $150 carpet. Should I take it out to do this? I have been using an X-acto knife and an ancient pair of sharp scissors, but I do not have specific carpet shears.

Also, this is not the more expensive ACC carpet that comes with a thick backing and is more molded, as I already had dynamat. The shape of the transmission hump-floor transition on the driver side is much more complex than the passenger side. I have been using weights of various kinds to pre-shape the carpet for weeks, per advice elsewhere on the forum, but so far what I have done in that area has not helped too much. I plan to put a heat lamp on it once I get the carpet in place over the boot, but I would welcome any suggestions here. It looks like the original carpet was tight everywhere based on pictures and my spotty memory.

Thanks!

 

[MoparCarGuy]

Hi, I followed this discussion in October-November, to install a new ACC carpet in my 4-speed Challenger. I went with the updated advice above (separating water from the carpet makes sense) and screwed the shifter boot to the transmission hump direct. Previously, I installed dynamat over the entire floor. I DID A VERSION OF DYNAMAT AS WELL.

I cut the carpet to fit fairly tight around the boot. I was surprised to find that the trim ring inner perimeter has a significant separation (about 1/4 in) from the base of the boot, so the carpet sticks out around the inner perimeter of the trim ring. This has given me some trouble. I am concerned about cutting it back while it is in place around the boot because I do not want to accidentally cut the boot.

Also, ACC glues carpet padding across the entire under surface of the front carpet so that it goes over the hump and across the footwells on both sides of the hump. The padding definitely interferes with making clean cuts in the carpet. I probably need to cut it back, at least around the boot. YES, CUT BACK ANY PADDING SURROUNDING THE BOOT AND TUNNEL FLAT SURFACES.

Does anyone have any suggestions about trimming the carpet back under the upper trim ring without going too far? It is a bit nerve-wracking, trying to avoid destroying a $150 carpet. Should I take it out to do this? I have been using an X-acto knife and an ancient pair of sharp scissors, but I do not have specific carpet shears. I USED THE HOOK BLADES FOR MY QUICK CHANGE UTILITY KNIFE. HOOK BLADES LINK STANLEY QUICK-CHANGE UTILITY KNIFE

Also, this is not the more expensive ACC carpet that comes with a thick backing and is more molded, as I already had dynamat. The shape of the transmission hump-floor transition on the driver side is much more complex than the passenger side. I have been using weights of various kinds to pre-shape the carpet for weeks, per advice elsewhere on the forum, but so far what I have done in that area has not helped too much. I plan to put a heat lamp on it once I get the carpet in place over the boot, but I would welcome any suggestions here. It looks like the original carpet was tight everywhere based on pictures and my spotty memory. I USED DOUBLE-SIDED CARPET TAPE TO SECURE THE CARPET IN CERTAIN AREAS TO KEEP IT IN SMOOTH CONTACT WITH THE TUNNEL HUMP. I ALSO USED THIS TAPE AT THE VERTICAL AREAS GOING UP UNDER THE REAR SEAT. VERY USEFUL IN ANY AREA YOU NEED TO "PULL" THE CARPET DOWN IN CONTACT WITH THE FLOORPAN. CARPET TAPE LINK

Thanks!

See some answers above and photos below.

TIP for making holes in carpet: To make holes for seat belts and the seat track bolts is to use an old deep-well 5/8" socket with a 6" extension. Heat the socket opening with a propane torch (cheap Home Depot or Lowes item) until it is cherry red. Push it into the nylon carpet right after removing it from the flame. It will melt through the carpet like butter and leave a perfectly round hole that is melted to prevent fraying. You can see these holes in my photos. Make absolutely sure the carpet is right where you want it and use an awl or a punch from below for the locations.
YouTube video on how to make perfect carpet holes.

TIP for orienting the galvanized ring: Some have mistakenly thought the galvanized ring had holes punched incorrectly. The holes are punched correctly but you have to flip it over and/or spin it around until it lines up correctly with the stainless bezel. Note in my photo below that the ring is just laying on the metal tunnel but it marked with a Sharpie to know the correct orientation.

The order is recapped below for each item. Rubber boot on tunnel, galvanized ring to hold boot in place, carpet over galvanized ring and stainless bezel to secure the carpet position to the below ring and rubber boot. The rubber boot seals down to the tunnel FIRST to keep out any road water.
Top to bottom:
Stainless bezel
Carpet
Galvanized ring
Rubber boot
Transmission tunnel hump

This info should help. Good luck!

 

[Cav73]

MoparCarGuy, thanks much for the speedy reply!

I did use double sided carpet tape on the vertical surfaces in front of the rear seat, and it worked well. I also used a heat gun on low heat while pulling down on the carpet. Some members have stated that you shouldn't use anything that permanently fixes the carpet in place, so I used the tape sparingly. But, I cannot see how to work with this carpet without it. I have seen videos of pros using steamers and/or spray adhesive, but I do not have the former, what I have heard is they do not always work well anyway, and spray adhesive did not work for me at all. Admittedly it is getting colder where I live now so the carpet is pretty stiff in the car and harder to shape.

On other tips you provided, I have used a soldering effectively to put in the holes for the belts and seats.

My galvanized ring is rubber coated on the bottom, and apparently this is part of the rubber boot. Also, mine says Front on top, which helps and also reminds me of a claymore mine (Front Toward Enemy) from my Army days LOL.

I am going to pull the carpet out of the car again, put it on a workbench, remove the center padding so I can mold it to the tunnel, and trim it where it goes under the shifter trim ring at the same time, using a straight edge and blade. It will be easier to measure and cut then. I will probably punch the trim ring screw holes then too. Working in the car is tough.

I like your plum crazy paint scheme, same as my 2013 Challenger R/T daily driver. I'm not sure what color my 73 was originally; the fender tag was long gone, along with the fenders, when I got it as a parts car - it ended up as a good car to restore.

 

[Lunchbox]

My galvanized ring is rubber coated on the bottom, and apparently this is part of the rubber boot. Also, mine says Front on top, which helps and also reminds me of a claymore mine (Front Toward Enemy) from my Army days LOL.

Was going to ask the same thing, my boot (from Brewers) has a metal ring molded into the rubber. They don’t offer the galvanized ring. Not sure if the original had the metal ring molded into the boot or not.

 

[MoparCarGuy]

Was going to ask the same thing, my boot (from Brewers) has a metal ring molded into the rubber. They don’t offer the galvanized ring. Not sure if the original had the metal ring molded into the boot or not.

Reproduction Shifter Boot with separate galvanized ring:
The rubber shifter boot attaches directly to tunnel hump through the opening in the rough-cut carpet, the galvanized ring goes onto rubber boot, four (4) black screws go through galvanized ring/rubber boot into the tunnel metal. Then, trim the carpet more accurately to install the stainless bezel with the remaining four (4) chromed countersunk screws in the alternate holes and sandwich the carpet.

OEM Shifter Boot & Reproduction Boots with integral metal ring:
BEST REPRODUCTION is Detroit Muscle Technologies CHR 3467770 (boot only) or CHR 346770-BUNDLE (boot with top bezel and screws).
The OEM shifter boot had the ring molded into it. Install shifter boot through the opening in the rough-cut carpet and then trim the carpet more accurately to install the stainless bezel with the remaining screws.

1970 & 1971 E-Body is listed in the parts book as part number 2996 405 but some believe the parts book is wrong as this number is also shown for the 3-speed shifter boot with a round hole in it versus the rectangular hole.
The last picture shows an OEM 3-Speed boot for E-Body and it is part number 2996 405.

1972-1974 E-Body used part number 3467 770 and most believe this is the correct number for 1970-1974.
The second picture shows an OEM E-Body shifter boot with the metal ring encased in the rubber. The rubber has torn away to expose the much stronger metal ring with contours for strength and part number 3467 770 on it.

The manufacturer vendor code was 53495 after the part number stamped into the ring which would not been seen unless the very thin rubber had peeled away.

A repro boot with the molded-in ring would be more accurate but these pieces cannot be seen under the carpet. The Classic Industries 4-Speed boots have different part numbers for "with Console" MD4007 and "without Console" MD4008. The "without Console" version stands slightly taller but all of these boots have 6 total "steps" in the boot.

 

[Lunchbox]

@MoparCarGuy thanks for very detailed explanation, just wha5 he doctor ordered!