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Column shifter boot wear

How many people would be interested in a better quality aftermarket column shift boot


  • Total voters
    63
So couple of questions. Is the part number on the back of the oem boot somewhere? How do you remove this from the column? Don't want to jack it up.
 
So couple of questions. Is the part number on the back of the oem boot somewhere? How do you remove this from the column? Don't want to jack it up.
I didn't see a part number on mine when I pulled it off but it could be somewhere.

If you gently squeeze on the base of the boot where it snaps into the steering column trim pieces it'll slide/snap out. Then can slide it up the shifter and gain access to the inside of the trim. You have to unbolt the shift lever itself (one bolt, I believe it's a torx head) and then slide the boot off the lower part of the shift lever. I'll take pictures of the disassembly/reassemble when I get mine in and do the whole process.
 
Did some digging on techauthority’s parts catalog, and I don’t believe anyone with a 2019+ has a 68400287AA installed on their truck. The generic online mopar fitment years are incorrect.
2020 is the only year they offer a replacement part number for the boot on the parts diagram, and it’s 68480815AA. The other 2019+ years, the boot is grayed out with a note that it is only serviced with the shifter. All 2019+ use the same shifter part numbers.
That’s what I get for trusting the online parts houses. :( Shoulda just stuck with @Nd79 ’s measurements.
 
So my boot from stitch boots came in today. It is definitely cut too short to fit over the entire edge like I believe it is supposed to. I'll email stitchboots to let them know and see what they come back with.

That said, after messing with it for a little while I think I found a solution that is going to work with me. It may not work for everyone. I slipped their boot into the first fold of the stock boot and after massaging it for awhile I was able to get it to look fairly well in my opinion. These are reflected in the last 3 photos I'll post after this post (10 pic maximum).

My plan right now is to run the recommend adhesive they suggest (I still have to pick some up) in this first fold of the stock boot which will actually give the aftermarket boot more surface area to adhere to vs the final edge of the plastic bracket/ stock boot. So a big portion of the stock boot will remain, but be unseen under the aftermarket boot. I'll also see what stitchboots comes back with.

The black leather of the stitchboots one already seems far superior to the fake rubber of the original and hopefully last much longer.
 

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I'll also do a write-up after I get this completed
Interesting.. thanks for sharing photos. I am actually impressed by the oem design and color. After seeing the crazy designs on her site, I was half expecting Hello Kitty to be embroidered across it. Very excited for her to get it ''plug & play'' so I can order myself.
 
Mine is here, now waiting for the truck but it looks like it will take some adjustment to get it right. We'll see! Here's some rough measurements.
 

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So I had some time last night and today to get the install done. I think it came out pretty well overall and as long as the material holds up longer than the stock material I'll be happy. There were a few things that I could have done better that perhaps the rest of you can learn from and improve upon. That also includes their possible measurement changes at stitchboots for a better fitment. I did reach out to them and she said she would email anyone they have sent them out to already. Anyways, here's how it went.

First thing's first, I had some time last night to use the 3m weatherstrip adhesive to attach the new boot to the old the best I saw fit. I trimmed out some of the stock boot to allow shifter movement without folding wierd like the stock boot likes to do.

My stitchboots boot was a bit undersized and this is where there could be some improvements on the aftermarket boot if they leave on a little more material to reach the outer ring. I instead glued it to the first "flap" of the stock boot only to the outside of that flap. I used binder clips to hold one side in place while putting the adhesive on the other side. That stuff is super tacky and can create a mess easily if things get out of hand so keep that in mind.

I did end up with a fold/wrinkle up front and could have pushed the top up a little more to hid the seam between the two boots better but I'm happy enough with how mine came out.
 

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Part 2.

Today I installed the new/repaired boot and I'm definitely much happier with how this looks and how it shifts. The way I put mine on, when shifted the boot folds and unfolds neatly unlike the stock boot which never seemed to fold right.

As far as install goes, it's super simple. First you have to unbolt the shifter with the bottom 10mm bolt (assuming your old boots is already off) in my picture. Then you slide the new boot on the shift lever, and reinstall the shift lever and 10mm bolt. My ratcheting 10mm wrench was my friend here as that bolt is really long winded. Then slide the new boot down and squeeze/snap it back into place between the two steering column bezels. I have a video of the shifter moving but not sure if I can get it to post on here.
 

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Part 2.

Today I installed the new/repaired boot and I'm definitely much happier with how this looks and how it shifts. The way I put mine on, when shifted the boot folds and unfolds neatly unlike the stock boot which never seemed to fold right.

As far as install goes, it's super simple. First you have to unbolt the shifter with the bottom 10mm bolt (assuming your old boots is already off) in my picture. Then you slide the new boot on the shift lever, and reinstall the shift lever and 10mm bolt. My ratcheting 10mm wrench was my friend here as that bolt is really long winded. Then slide the new boot down and squeeze/snap it back into place between the two steering column bezels. I have a video of the shifter moving but not sure if I can get it to post on here.
Got mine in the mail. Thanks for the pics, at first I was thinking "How the H-LL do I make this work!" Cool, got it now, Thanks for setting this up!
 
Update: yesterday I received an updated boot from stitchboots. It appears larger and has the correct curvature towards the top from what I can tell.

They sent this to me without me asking so they've done the right thing in my book.

I'll have to find some time to mess around with it again but this one appears like it'll fit much better.
 

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So glad this is already down the road and close to having good replacement options. My boot has been a mess since day 1, and its the only thing on the inside of the truck that I don't like.
 
My Stitch Boots version is still waiting to get installed. Maybe in a week or so I can work on it.
 
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