Custom shift knob removal?

Okay, I feel stupid.

For Christmas, my brother got me a Hurst-branded shift knob. It looked nice and felt good in my hand, so I wanted to try it. I have the factory Hurst shifter. I think he bought it from AutoZone, but I haven't found it online anywhere.

Having just gotten the car out of storage a few days ago, today I followed the directions and had minimal difficulty installing it. I've now decided (took about ten seconds after I had it installed) that I want to put the stock one back on. In the car, the new one doesn't look or feel the way I want it to.

Problem: I can't get the dang thing off!

It installed like this:
http://homepage.mac.com/jakerobb/camaro/installation/shiftknob/medium/shiftknob-install-3.jpghttp://homepage.mac.com/jakerobb/camaro/installation/shiftknob/medium/shiftknob-install-4.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/jakerobb/camaro/installation/shiftknob/medium/shiftknob-install-5.jpghttp://homepage.mac.com/jakerobb/camaro/installation/shiftknob/medium/shiftknob-install-7.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/jakerobb/camaro/installation/shiftknob/medium/shiftknob-install-8.jpghttp://homepage.mac.com/jakerobb/camaro/installation/shiftknob/medium/shiftknob-install-9.jpg



I can unscrew the shift knob from the adapter piece, but I can not get the adapter off the stick. I'll Dremel it off if I have to, but I'd like to be able to return this thing. Here's a pic of the adapter on the stick, with the retainer ring stuck below it:

http://homepage.mac.com/jakerobb/camaro/installation/shiftknob/medium/shiftknob-removal-1.jpg

Any ideas?

BFP

big fcking pliers!!!

or a pipe wrench

More detail: the adapter is just pressed on over the end of the stick.

I tried threading the shift knob down on the adapter and using it to pull the adapter off, but it won't budge no matter how much thread I engage. It feels like the adapter is probably tighter on the stick when the shift knob is screwed on, so that seems like a bad idea. I haven't found a way to get the adapter to rotate on the stick, which it seems would be the first step to getting it to come off cleanly.

BFP

big fcking pliers!!!

or a pipe wrench
Like I said, I'm looking for a way to do it without damaging the plastic adapter, so that I can return it. The threads are pretty soft.

In order for this to work, you're gonna have to take some measurements but here goes: start off with a steering wheel puller kit. Take the round plate in the kit and drill the hole in the center out to just a large enough diameter that it will fit around and clear the threads on the shifter adapter. Then, find a nut that fits the adapter itself. Slide the round plate down around the adapter and thread the nut over the top of it. This will be used as the "hold" end. Next, get yourself a two-jaw puller. What size two jaw puller you get will be determined by measuring the diameter of the shifter shaft. You will need to use a puller that has a center shaft that is narrower than the shifter shaft diameter. Once you've got one that's appropriately sized, butt the center shaft of the two-jaw puller to the tip of the shifter shaft, and hook the jaws of the puller around the edges of the steering wheel puller plate. Then just simply tighten the center bolt in the two-jaw. Adapter comes off clean and threads won't be harmed. Just an idea.

In order for this to work, you're gonna have to take some measurements but here goes: start off with a steering wheel puller kit. Take the round plate in the kit and drill the hole in the center out to just a large enough diameter that it will fit around and clear the threads on the shifter adapter. Then, find a nut that fits the adapter itself. Slide the round plate down around the adapter and thread the nut over the top of it. This will be used as the "hold" end. Next, get yourself a two-jaw puller. What size two jaw puller you get will be determined by measuring the diameter of the shifter shaft. You will need to use a puller that has a center shaft that is narrower than the shifter shaft diameter. Once you've got one that's appropriately sized, butt the center shaft of the two-jaw puller to the tip of the shifter shaft, and hook the jaws of the puller around the edges of the steering wheel puller plate. Then just simply tighten the center bolt in the two-jaw. Adapter comes off clean and threads won't be harmed. Just an idea.
That sounds like it would work... too bad I don't have a steering wheel puller kit or a two-jaw puller.

Maybe I can fab something up, or borrow something...

Heat it up.

Get underneath and hammer it off.

You think they would notice if it was returned missing one adaptor???

You think they would notice if it was returned missing one adaptor???
It's no so much that as the fact that if I returned it and they sold it to someone, I might be screwing them over. I'm too nice, I guess.

Anyhow, I went to AutoZone last night and they don't stock, can't order, and have never sold this shifter, so apparently my brother didn't get it from there. Comparable shifters, however, were selling for $20 or less.

I decided it wasn't worth my time to figure out where he might have bought it, got out the vice grips, and cranked the sucker off.

The threads are wrecked, but the black plastic material is so soft that I was able to screw it back into the shift knob, and the metal threads on the shift knob cleaned up the threads on the adapter pretty nicely. It still doesn't look good, but it would work.

If anyone likes the look of the shifter, it's yours for the cost of shipping. :D