Down South Vette Corvette C6 Emergency Brake Handle Installation
Difficulty: 3 out of 5.
Time: Plan on about 20 minutes.
The tools used are:
A small blade screw driver or flat tweezers to reseat the new boot around
the base of the e-brake handle.
T15 Torx driver to take off the console cover.
Phillips head screwdriver to remove the e-brake handle.
flashlight may help get a better look at the screw location as you start.
The original OEM boot and handle to replace.
The first step will be to remove the center console cover so you have access to
the screw that holds on the e-brake handle. Open the center console to expose 4
T15 Torx screws. Now, remove the center console cover.
Once the center console cover is off, pull down the e-brake boot to reveal a
Phillips head screw which holds the e-brake handle in place.
Once you remove the Phillips head screw, the only thing holding the handle in
place at this point is the brake release button at the top. The button is held in
place with a friction fit and a detent in a notch. To remove (easiest from the
passenger side), grip the OEM handle firmly and pull (slide) the handle off which
will "pop" the brake release button off the top of the handle. You can now slide
the handle off with ease.
Now that the handle is off you need to remove the OEM brake boot. Take a
minute to examine the new Down South Vettes boot. This will give you a better
understanding of the four attachment points on the OEM boot.
The boot is held in place by two press to fit clips on the driver's side and two
angled clamps on the passenger side. Start at the front and lift up and towards
the windshield and the front two clamps will come out. The rear clamps are a
little harder to get. Next pull up near the rear press fit on the driver's side. Last,
pull the boot up over the handle to get the metal frame underneath back to level
and work to pull up and forward to unseat the last clamp. Once this is complete
the boot will lift off of the brake handle.
Take the new Down South Vettes brake boot and place it over the top of the
handle set at a convenient angle. Through a combination of movements the
object is to get the frame and leather boot over the handle and back to level so
that you can press it into the four retaining points on the console. Snap
everything firmly into place.
Now we need to get the handle back on. Your new shift boot is considerably
thicker than the OEM boot and as such it is difficult to screw the handle back into
place. Move back to the drivers side of the car and get the handle, the Phillips
head screw and your screw driver ready in the open console.
Using your right hand, compress the boot as far down as you can and see if you
can get a clear view of the hole on the side where the screw needs to go. You
may need to twist and maneuver the boot a bit to get it compressed enough to
allow the screw to be reinserted. This will take some effort but it will go. Once
you are comfortable that you can compress the boot, hold the boot down and
place the handle back on the arm. Now use the handle to hold the boot down in
place with your right hand and try to start the screw with your left. Once you
get it started, use the screw driver and tighten screw to a stop. Be careful not to
drop the screw into the boot as you will need to remove the boot to retrieve it
and start over again. Once the handle is screwed back in place press fit the
silver brake button over the black cap and down into the hole on the emergency
brake handle. Press it down well and it will snap back into place.
Now it is time to get the boot reseated on the base of the handle. Using both
hands work the boot around the base starting in the back (or top) as pictured
below. Once the boot is started you can twist counter clockwise while pressing
the boot up into place. This will allow the boot to seat the rest of the way
around the base of the handle.
Now all that's left is to put the console cover back on using the four T15 Torx
screws, sit back and enjoy the look of your new leather.
