How to Remove the C6 Corvette Shift Knob and Install the Southern Car Parts Shift Knob
The C6 Corvette Shift knob is kinda tricky to remove. Unlike most Shift Knobs, they simply unscrew. The Corvette C6 Shift knob comes off a little different, but once you know how to do it, it is really simple. See below for a quick and easy way to replace your shifter knob.
Tools Needed
T20 torx driver needed (2005-2007 and 2009)
Phillips Screwdriver (2008)
3mm hex key
Loctite (optional)
See Below IF YOUR SHIFTER BOOT HAS A CHROME RING
AT THE TOP (GENERLY 2008 AND UP)
Remove the OEM as shown below (if your boot has a chrome ring see below)
Install your new shift knob, give it a few hard twists while putting downward
pressure to seat the knob. This knob has a precision fit, it's critical to be sure
the knob hole is in alignment with the screw hole in the shifter or you may strip
the threads. The OEM screw has a starter stud in the front to help align the
screw. If you meet resistance installing the screw check alignment and try again.
Reinstall the OEM screw using loctite if you have it. Tighten firmly using a ¼
ratchet if you have an adapter or as tight as you can if using a universal driver
handle. Slip the boot over the retainer ring working one side up and then the
other, you may have to twist the boot over the ring or use some Windex as a
lube.
2008 and up shift knob removal and installation
Remove the OEM knob by grasping the chrome ring and rotate it COUNTER CLOCK WISE until the ring drops down and exposes the screw
on the driver's side. Depending on the yr, you will either have a phillips or torx head screw. People have had problems removing the phillips
screw and most likely that is why GM switched to torx which is much less likely to have problems. To successfully remove the phillips, I
suggest the following. Use the best #2 phillips screw driver you have (do not use a power driver). Remove the screw when the car is hot
(after a good drive). Have someone hold the OEM knob and apply force from the passenger side as you apply pressure on the driver and
remove the screw.
Once you are happy with the ring fit, install the new bolt into the knob (loctite optional) making sure you are aligned with
the hole. Do not force the bolt in or you might strip the shifter. Using a 3mm hex key, make the bolt tight. the fit between the bolt and the ring
is very close and you must have the chrome ring positioned so the little tabs are facing front and back at the 12 and 6 positions. This will
give you the most clearance to install the bolt. Reinstall the chrome ring when you are done.
Corvette C6 DSVette Leather Sunvisor Installation
Down South Vettes Leather Sun Visor Installation
Instructions.
Adding a Down South Vette's Leather Sunvisor is a great way to upgrade the interior of your Corvette C6.
Difficulty: 3 out of 5.
Time: Plan on about 30 minutes.
The tools used are:
A medium blade screw driver
A small flashlight may help get a better look at the work location as you start.
Let's get a look at the project. If you have a coupe, you may want to remove the roof. If
you have a convertible you may want to lower the top. This will both make maneuvering
the visor assembly easier but it will also provide you with better lighting in the cockpit for
your task.
Here are a few side by side comparison photos of the new Down South Vettes visor and how
it compares to the OEM unit you will be replacing.
The DSV unit starts with an OEM core and removes the fabric treatment and replaces it with
the same
The Down South Vette unit starts with an OEM core and removes the fabric treatment and replaces it with
the same high quality leather used in each of the other interior parts
The leather treatment to the sun visor will add a little bit of thickness to the unit.
Start the installation by tipping the sun visor down towards the windshield as if you were
trying to block out the sun while driving.
Next, unhook the sun visor from the latch up on the windshield frame. Once you have done
this it may be a good time to grab your flashlight and take a look at the steps that you will
be doing next. In the picture below you will see the screwdriver placed near the slot that
you will use to release the sun visor from the pillar.
To describe the task, you need to place your screw driver up in to this slot as shown here
Now, while pressing your screwdriver up in to this slot you need to press firmly with your
left hand and using your right hand, rotate the entire sun visor assembly counter-clockwise
(counter-clockwise for the driver side, clockwise for the passenger side) back towards you
as if you were moving the lowered sun visor from the windshield to the side window. It
should only take about a quarter of a revolution of the bezel as pictured above. This
quarter turn will translate to about 45 degrees of the sun visor relative to the windshie ld. If
the windshield is 0 degrees and the side window is 90 you should end up about halfway in
between. You will feel it when it unlocks. You will see that the bezel is no longer seated
against the roof. It will look like this:
Once the bezel and the assembly are unlocked from the car you will need to pull down on
the sun visor arm to remove it from the hole. You may need to work it back a forth slightly
to free it from the car. Don't pull down too hard. Firm is fine but be prepared for it to come
loose. Now that it is loose from the car you still have the connector assembly to contend
with. You may need to reach up inside the opening to free the connector. The connector
looks like this:
To disconnect the connector you will need your screwdriver again to free the clip from the
detent on the mating connector. You can see the slot for the detent pictured below. Insert
the screwdriver in the top righthand corner and gently pry forward until the clip is above the
height of the small tab. This will allow you to pull on the connector and free the visor.
Once you have the connector disconnected it should still have the bezel attached and look
like this:
Now you need to remove the bezel from the visor assembly. If you look down at the
connector end and bezel you will notice three locking tabs on the bezel that hold it on the
visor assembly.
Using one hand to hold the visor assembly near the arm, with your other hand you need to
pull out on the three tabs to free them from the locked position on the visor assembly.
Once the bezel is unlocked it will float freely on the visor arm.
To remove, align the triangle on the bezel with the triangle on the visor arm and you can
slide the bezel up and off the visor assembly. Now just free the connector from the bezel.
Pick up the new Down South Vettes visor and take note of the shape of the locking
mechanism at the connector end. You will notice three distinct shapes to the corners of the
connector triangle.
Each corner has a different radius and will match up with a radius on the bezel as pictured
here:
Match the shape on the bezel with the same size shape on the visor assembly and slide the
bezel over the connector and down onto the visor assembly. When you first slide it on it will
look like this:
While looking from the top down as pictured above, rotate the bezel clockwise and you will
feel it lock in to place on the visor assembly. Once locked it will look like this:
With one tab of the bezel now aligned with each tab of the visor assembly. You should also
notice that the base of the bezel as viewed from the side is now flush with base of the visor
connector mount. You are now ready to put your new visor back in the car.
Grab your screw driver as you will need to reverse the steps you took to get the visor out of
the car. Place the visor up on end in your lap and re-connect the visor electrical plug:
You now need to tuck the connector back up into the frame. Tuck it up in towards the
rearview mirror side.
It's time to push the visor assembly and bezel back up in to the frame. There is only one
way for it to go back up into the car. You may need to work it a little bit to find the location
but try to remember the angle at which the visor was at when you removed it. Once you
find the slot for the latch to go into, slide it up and press it firmly in place. You will need to
hold it in place and reach for your screw driver. It should look about like this:
All that's left to do is latch the assembly back in to place. You will need to use your
screwdriver and place it back in the slot like you did to remove it. This time, place the
screw driver to the right side of the visor arm (This is for the drivers side. In either case,
place it into the slot and have the shaft of the screwdriver on the rearview mirror side of the
visor arm.) While pressing up firmly on the screwdriver rotate the visor and bezel assembly
from the arm pressing against the screwdriver blade and this will cause the bezel to rotate
and latch into place on the car. Congratulations, you've just installed your new visors.
Corvette C6 Leather Console Cover Replacement
Another Modification for your C6 Corvette that takes 15 minutes and really makes the interior look like an exotic sports car.
You can find leather Corvette console covers all over the internet, but we are partial to the Down South Vette's leather console cover.
The quality is impeccable and the extra cushioning they put in it really makes a difference.
Difficulty: 1 out of 5.
Time: Plan on about 5 minutes.
The tools used are:
A T15 Torx driver to take off the console cover screws.
A flashlight may help get a better look at the screw location as you start.
We are ready to install a Down South Vettes leather console cover.
The OEM cover to replace:
Open the cover to reveal the four T15 Torx screws that hold the cover in place
Remove the four Torx screws and then remove the console cover. Take caution as
you remove the last screw. The console cover can fall off and you don't want to
damage your cover or interior at this point. Remove the last screw with your left
hand while holding the top center of the cover with your right hand.
Here are the two covers side by side:
And a close up to get a look at the added padding in the DSVettes cover:
You simply need to reverse the process now to install the new DSVettes cover in
place of the old OEM cover.
Seated in the driver's seat, hold the cover in place with your right hand and with one
of the screws in your left hand. Find the threaded hole and start the first screw.
Once the threads start, take out your driver with the Torx T15 insert and tighten the
screw most of the way. While still holding the cover, start one of the remaining four
screws with your left hand. When both of these are in tight, you can release your grip
on the console cover. Insert and tighten the remaining two screws and sit back and
enjoy your new console cover.
Once complete it will look like this:
Corvette C6 Leather Shift Boot Installation
The interior of the Corvette C6 is pretty top quality BUT you can make a few upgrades that will really set it apart from the crowd. A favorite is replacing the fake leather components used on the console lid, shift knob, shift boot, etc....with real leather pieces. This in the installation of the Down South Vette Leather Shift boot on a Corvette C6. Maybe a 30 min project, BUT it reaps beautiful results!
Difficulty: 2 out of 5.
Time: Plan on about 30 minutes.
The tools used are:
A small blade screw driver to open the tabs that hold the ring into the console.
A T25 Torx driver to take off the shift knob
A flashlight to get a better look at where the tabs are located
Flat tweezers to reseat the new boot around the base of the shift knob
Common desktop stapler to reattach the new boot to the trim ring.
The original OEM shift boot to replace.
The shift knob comes off with a T25 torx screw. Just pull down the top of the old boot to expose
it.
Using your screw driver you will need to pry back the five tabs that hold the trim ring into the
console. These are located at roughly 12 o'clock, 2 o'clock, 5 o'clock, 7 o'clock and 10 o'clock.
Here is what the assembly looks like out of the car.
A side view.
The console location where the shift boot just came from.
Use your small blade screwdriver to pry up the staples. It is best to put the staple under the
boot and pry each side up and off the trim ring. Do this all the way around until all of the
staples are free.
Orient the new boot so that the notches in the leather line up with the tabs on the trim ring.
You want to make sure that your seams are in the center at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock. Once you
are happy with your placement, start using your stapler to attach the new leather boot to the
trim ring. Start at 12 o'clock and work around the ring keeping an eye on your seams. Don't
worry, if you miss a staple or aren't happy with the placement, you can simply pry it out and
try again. You'll need to press firmly and slowly with the stapler to make sure the staple goes
in straight and reaches the trim ring through the leather. When you are done it should look
something like this.
The new boot mounted and ready to be installed.
Now comes the hardest part. Putting the trim ring and the new boot back into the console. It
is best to start with the bottom of the trim ring and get it seated in the console location. You
will literally need to work your way around clockwise, deforming the ring towards the shift lever
and pressing down to seat it into the console. Keep an eye the leather to make sure that it is
not bunching up around the outside at any one location. Keeping working around and pressing
down until you can fully seat the ring and feel the five tabs return to their original positions
flush with the console locations. Gently pull up on the leather to make sure it looks even
around the console edge.
Once you have the trim ring back in place in the console you will need to replace the shift knob.
To do this you will need to compress the leather boot quite a bit more than you did with the
OEM part as the new boot is a bit thicker. Place the knob on top of the shifter. Compress the
boot with your right hand and try to insert the torx screw back into the hole with your left hand.
The next step is to get the boot seated around the base of shift knob. Using your tweezers in
between the boot and the lip at the base of the knob, slide the boot up the tweezers and get it
over the lip on the base of the knob, now rotate the boot counterclockwise and leave the
tweezers in between use this as a slide to get the boot around the base. Once you are about
halfway around you can take out the tweezers and just keep working the boot up and rotating
counterclockwise. This twisting motion will allow the boot to seat on the lip. Once the boot is
seated, twist to align the seams to center
The finished product back in the car and ready to go.
Corvette C5 Vararam Installation
If you have ever tried to install a Corvette C5 Vararam Intake on the Corvette C5 with the factory instructions, you are in for a real treat (instructions are terrible). Cajundude from the Corvette forum compiled much better directions to completing this daunting installation.
Tools you will need:
- Jack, jack stands
- Sockets: 7 mm, 8mm, 10mm
- Small flathead screwdriver, long flat head screwdriver
- T30 Torx head
- Needle nose pliers
Step 1:
Jack up the front of your car or just drive it up onto ramps. Open your hood and disconnect the negative battery cable.
Step 2:
Removal of the factory air box assembly. Release the latches on the air box and remove the hose connected to the driver's side.
There is a goofy clip on the hose and the easiest way to remove that clip is to take a small flat head screwdriver and pry it in gently sliding the teeth of the clamp parallel.
Loosen the clamp around the throttle body where the stock accordion hose hooks up and unplug the MAF. You can now remove the air bridge and filter.
Pull the lid of the stock airbox off of its supporting studs. Pull out the two T30 Torx head studs and save in case you want to go back to stock in the future.
Step 3:
Remove the four 10mm bolts holding down the factory radiator cross support, remove it and set it aside. Unclip the MAF wire harness from the shroud.
Step 3:
Remove the four 10mm bolts (two on each side) holding down the factory radiator cross support, remove the support and set it aside. Unclip the MAF wire harness from the shroud.
Step 4:
Remove the air dam from underneath the front of the vehicle and place to the side by removing the two 10 mm bolts. Now remove the access panels to the fog light area. There is one on each side and each one has five 7mm bolts.
Step 5:
Remove the fan/radiator/condenser shroud. There are seven 7mm bolts holding this in. There are 5 across the front bottom of the car and one on each side.
You will also have to disconnect two plugs and a mounting spot for another.
After you disconnect the plugs you will find that there are two more clips, one on each side of the cover around the lower middle area that are white in color. To get these off, use a long flathead screwdriver and pry between the middle of the shroud and there mounting spot. They will pop out of there places and you will remove them from the shroud later. Remove the shroud from the vehicle. I found it easy just to pull it up from the top.
Step 6:
Unclip the wiring harness from the bottom of the bezels. These clips will come out without breaking. Just squeeze the back side of the clips and push through.
Pull the brake cooling ducts away from the front of the car and push the front end of them towards the outside of the car. This will free up some more clearance and is pretty much necessary in order to get to one of the bolts on the bezels you remove in a minute. There is one 10mm bolt for each fog light. Let them hang off to the side out of your way. Remove two 10mm bolts from the fog light bezels and remove the bezels. You will find that after you remove the brake cooling duct you can get a socket through that opening from the front to access one of the bolts easier on the bezel (see pic).
(Brake cooling duct below)
(10mm bolt for fog light below)
Step 7:
Install one of the air scoops. I used the OEM bezel bolts here without any spacers. On my car everything lined up perfectly. Install the air scoop for the other side.
Step 8:
Reinstall your fog lights. If you think they are misaligned you can do a search for the proper way to align them. Mine seemed to go in perfectly so I am not going to discuss alignment procedures. The only difference it that the VaraRam does cover up a portion of the top of the fog light, not much, but some.
Step 9:
Take the white clips out of the front shroud with the intention of reusing them. I took a small flat head and pryed the retainer away a little and worked it off with a pair of needle nose pliers. Push the white pins back into their original location on the AC condenser. You can get it mostly in and use a long flat head to push the rest of it in the hole. Reinstall the shroud and connect all of the plugs in their original locations and replace the retaining clips on the white pins.
Step 10:
Install the VaraRam filter and push it in all the way until it looks even. This filter goes in with the screen side facing the throttle body.
Step 11:
Pull the elbow out of the stock air box along with the grommet and install it onto the VaraRam box. Put the grommet in first. This is a compression fitting so it is difficult to get both in at the same time. Replace the hose clip you took off earlier. This simply clicks together now you don't have to run the teeth parallel to put it back on. Put on the VaraRam box.
Step 12:
Replace the radiator cross support. Replace the air bridge, plug the MAF back in and replace the battery cable and you are good to go!
VaraRam suggests around a 45 minute drive at speeds above 55mph to get the PCM to program itself for the extra air. Alternatively, about three passes at the strip. This intake yields EXCELLENT RESULTS!
Courtesy of Cajundude from the Corvette Forum