'97, 3800, T5

1st: Shifter. The previous owner tore out the OE cloth boot, ****, and replaced it with a rubber Hurst boot that sits down inside the center console (and the Hurst logo piece hits everything in there) and a random ****. I want to restore this to similar to OE, but I don't know what all parts I'm missing to try to find replacements.

From what I gather, there is a rubber boot that attaches to the floor pan, a cloth boot cover that attaches to a wire frame clip which attaches to the center console, and the **** which is threaded on the shifter lever. Am I missing anything? I was going to try to find a shift boot cover aftermarket with stitching to match the exterior, and wanted a leather wrapped ****. Is there a good place to find direct fit parts, or am I limited to aftermarket universal parts?

2nd: The gauge cluster stays illuminated 100% of the time. As a side note, the odometer does not display but the back light is working. I need to go through the fuses and fix the stereo wire harness first but wondering if there is anything else I need to look at? Is it normal for the gauge cluster to stay on?

3rd: Drivers side window/lock switch bezel is hanging off the door. I noticed this was a common problem between the several Firebird and Camaro's I looked at over the weekend. Is there a common fix?

 

1. looks like you've identified all the parts. I don't know about the availability of stock parts, but you can go to someone like Shift BOOTS - Interior ACCESSORIES
and get a custom boot. Don't know about leather covered *****.
2. No the inst. lights should go off with the rest of them. The ground wires for most of the lights are all the same color. If any wiring has been done behind the dash it's easy to tap into this harness and "back feed the lights".
3. These switches just snap in. Could be the clip is broken or worn.

 

You can get shift boots and other interior parts from Hawks Third Generation ? 1982-2002 Camaro and Firebird Specialists . Some parts may still be available from GM.

The switch bezel uses two metal clips that snap on the bezel. Then the bezel snaps into the door panel. The clips are probably missing. GM may still stock the clips or you can get them from Hawks. There are pictures of them on the website.

 

The original factory support for the external boot was flimsy plastic. The plastic frame was extremely fragile, and usually broke. There is someone who sells replacements made out of bent wire, that are actually decent pieces. Appears you may already have that wire piece.

Factory (from a 97 SS T56):



The boot on my T56 was "pleather". There is an outfit that advertises on the "Appearance" forum once in a while, that makes custom boots out of Italian leather. Worth a look

https://www.camaroz28.com/forums/app...ur-car-590678/


- this is their Amazon listing:



There were also optional factory leather shift ***** for both the Camaro and Firebird, and SLP sold an optional leather wrapped shift ****. SLP appears to have pretty much abandoned the 4th Gen F-Bodys though. Might be able to find a factory part using the "Parts Wanted" forum.

 

Thanks for the info! I found a rubber boot on ebay, so going to grab that. Also, Redlinegoods pricing on the leather boots seems good, I'll probably go that route.

 

I ended up replacing the stock leather wrapped shift **** with a Hurst 6 speed ball. I like it and don't miss the worn out leather one, couldn't find a new one anyway. The boot is loose too as the plastic frame underneath is all broken apart so it just moves around. I've seen the wire pieces too and am going to try that also. The boot I have is pleather also, could stand to be cleaned or replaced altogether.

As for wiring who knows what a previous owner has done. You might have to take apart part of the dash and start tracing wires. Get a wiring diagram for the instrument cluster and see if they've been spliced into.