Swapping from M6 to A4 and when I remove the rubber shift boot, there is a HUGE hole there and I don't think I have anything that goes back there to cover it up. Surely I don't just install the shifter and let it be?!

 

And I'm guessing the piece I circled in yellow will be removed and replaced by the back of shifter assembly?

Anything need to be done to the front of the hole....to the tunnel maybe?

 

I've seen that hole closed up (not completely, leave a little hole for the A4 shifter cable) by tack welding a plate in there. That thing you circled is part of your air bag system, dont remove it. Just unscrew the two screws, then they screw back in through the shifter holes and hold it down. Not sure about the front holes, you might have to rig something up.

 

The thing I circled is just a bracket. I think the air bag thing is directly behind it (not pictured)....it has some wires going to it.

 

The piece that you circled needs to be left there. It is used to support your center console. Just un-screw the bolts holding it down, place the rear two shifter holes on top of the bracket and torque it back down. You will have to custom fab a cover for the tunnel. Once you have the cover fabricated, just drill two holes that can be used for mounting studs for the front two holes.

 

This is a really cheesy drawing, but it may help to illustrate what I am talking about with the mounting studs. Just drill two holes in the front of the cover and create an assembly similar to this :

 

Every once in a while you can find pieces of the floor from either an auto or manual f-body on ebay. IMO you could buy one of those and weld it in.

 

ive got that area from an auto thats going to the scrapyard tomaro...if your interested om me tonite and ill try to sawzal it out...

 

My shifter won't fit over it. It is the EXACT same size as that piece.

It looks identical, that's why I tought it would replace it.

 

It looks like the circled bracket is there to support the console with a T56. Appears the old bracket comes out, and the shifter bolts in using the outer holes, and the console now bolts to the inner holes on the A4 shifter assembly.

When I installed the TH400 shifter, we bolted an aluminum plate over the T56 shifter hole and caulked it from the bottom.

 

That's what I think, but I didn't wanna argue with someone who has done it before.

 

Will the tab from the shifter slide inside the existing bracket?

 

It's possible... I haven't tried it.

If both pieces are gonna be there, I'll be threading a bolt into two threads. That makes no sense.

 

I think Injuneer is right. The shifter looks like it replaces the bracket. I am in the middle of this swap as well. I took off the bracket and everything fits perfectly.