Stage 3.
Das Barton. You probably noticed that there are two grips in the picture above, one showed up damaged and Barton replaced it without question. Good business. Anyway, swapped the inserts and shook a leg using the Wiki as a guide:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BybAs8mRALAYVFo5SlBOb2pNRFk/view?usp=drive_open
Some of the process was pretty straightforward and some was a laborious PITA. Specifically, like getting the shifter boot off the console - fear of breaking it was real even with the right tools and techniques - and fighting the large grey connector apart (silly tight for some unknown reason). In addition to the Wiki guide I also unplugged the ABS sensor (keep the battery disconnected!). After a few minutes it looked like this:
General disassembly of the stock shifter assembly is a simple task as nothing binds and has lots of slop built into it. That changes dramatically with the Barton.
The Wiki doesn't do a great job of showing the pins floating. so here's a hi-res picture. You will definitely need to put the PS pin in from underneath the car - especially if you have a fist full of dicks you call a hand. Just accept it. The other issue I faced was putting the retention pivot pin under the shifter handle - the bushing is tight and hard to realign - I used a series of Allen keys to get it to line up. A real treat.
You might be able to see the little dab of black touch-up paint on the little kick-out on the PS floor pan, shifter leg rubbed there a lot. If this car ever gets stolen I now have forensic evidence to prove its mine. LOL. Like I said, the Barton is tight in the hole and starts to have interference issues with the linkage so where before everything flopped around and promoted easy access - now you have to get creative with the tools you use for reassembly.
I've read the horror stories about the fasteners loosening on these shifters, and the fact that there are 14 bolts is an exercise engineering excess. The 12 bolts that go into the shifter base got red Loctite added to them to avoid them backing out - I can afford a new shifter, not a new life or family. I'd suggest this should have just been offered as a fixed shaft. The adjustment built in is unnecessary for 99% of people buying this shifter - myself included. The bolts for the upper grip got slathered in blue Loctite - because of the potential for future disassembly. I set the shifter up so that when it is in 6th gear my hand rests naturally on it - and 1st through 5th make me reach for it forcing me to use muh muscles to slam doze gears!
For reference: I left the heavy rubber mat/shifter surround out from underneath the console - felt like 2-3lbs. There are much better ways to insulate for NVH or heat. So, if needed I'll address it then.
The last and perhaps most frustrating task was getting the shifter boot over the girthy shifter handle base. I cut out the O-ring and had to snip the stitching at the opening to get enough give - the trade off here is the positioning of the handle lock bolts and not covering them for installation. A real PITA - we'll see if the boot holds up long term or if a new solution must be sought. Again, this could have been avoided without the over-engineering.
Tasteless ricer mods need not apply.
First impressions is how bloody awesome this shifter is. I just got an upgrade on my man-card with this. I am glad I didn't do the 5-6 shifter spring tension mod as the leverage gained from the pistol grip seems to offset the pressure enough for me (read: not a noodle-armed wussy) . This should be joy to drive after the CDV delete happens.
My Mrs is going to knit me a grip cozy to avoid burning my hand in the summer. I kinda want it to look like a penis to keep people from touching my car.
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