88 YJ-CJ Shifter Boot

Transfer Case Shifter Boot

It's been very hot here in Texas, so indoor projects are nice during the heat of the day.  

Background

A couple of years ago, I bought a leather sewing machine.  The idea at the time was to make door panels, etc, for my project Jeepster interior.  Unfortunately, I've done nothing on the Jeepster interior since that time.  

However, I have done many furniture projects to learn how to sew and work with leather.  I'm still not great at upholstery, but I've learned a great deal about layout, stitching, types of foam, etc.    

Here's a chair project that I did.  Before:

Chair after:

I also did a leather console cover for my 95 YJ that is documented here:

I thought I would make a prototype shifter boot for the transfer case.  This will not be the final shifter boot - it's just a tool, so I can figure out the dimensions, etc.  It'll be a nice indoor project during the hot afternoons.

Shifter Boot Prototype

Vinyl shifter boots for a YJ are available on eBay for about $100, and I used it for some inspiration:




Paper mock up:

Paper mock up shown with inner transfer case shifter boot

The paper template was transferred to poster board, seam allowances added, etc

I'm just using some cheap vinyl.

Vinyl cut out:

First French seam:

3rd panel added:

View of the inside after sewing is complete:

View of the outside after sewing is complete:

Test fit...first glaring issue - the hole for the shifter arm is much too large.  It also may be a little tall.  

It works okay in the up position (4 Low):


When I shifted to 2 High, I started to see a few issues. 

The location of the transfer case shifter is mismatched to the cutout in the floor plate by about 1.5".  This is totally because of how the shifter is mounted to the transmission.  I had noticed this before and thought I could work around it.  But now, I realize that I really need to fix the issue.  

 

There are several ways to go - I could modify the existing plate and lengthen the cutout and weld in a patch.  This plate is very thin - probably 22 gauge, so not easy to weld.

I could buy a new blank plate - they are readily available from several places.  

Or I could just make a new plate from scratch.  I have the steel, so I'll just make one from scratch - another item added to the task list!

The prototype shifter boot was mostly a success.  I'll make a second prototype boot after I get the new cover plate made.  

Grab Handle Cover

Another future project is a leather grab handle cover.  Some models of CJ7 had a leather wrap over the dash grab bar, and I'm going to try my hand at making one of those: