Replacement black vinyl shift boot, newer trunk carpet, trunk cover housing repaint

Bru · 05-22-2018, 12:30 AM

My gray OEM Toyota shift boot was showing it's age after 31 years so I decided to replace it with something from eBay. Leather shift boots are expensive so I went with a black vinyl smooth leather look boot for about $13 delivered. I studied the old boot before I took it off. Cleaned and rustproofed the iron frame. I used contact cement on the frame and on the back of the boot material where it was going to wrap around the frame. This boot is supposed to be a direct OEM fit and it ended up being that way. I have a C's short shifter so I pushed the collar down around the chrome neck for the look I was going for. For $13 and an hour of effort, I'd say its an improvement.

Someone wrecked a low mileage Supra (52K miles) and the parts ended up on eBay May 2018. I got a replacement rear carpet and a passenger-side taillight bulb holder in next to new condition. I also replaced the rear hatch weather seal with a new one. I was surprised how easy the old one came off. It wasn't glued on, just pressed on. When I took my old one off I found some rust down by the taillights so I touched it up with Rustoleum rust reformer and some JB weld to replace the missing metal. Saran wrap acted as a scaffolding to hold the JB weld from dripping down while it cured. After it cured, I sanded the JB weld to remove the sharp edges. I had some black 3M weather seal adhesive that I planned on using, but I didn't use much. Only in the places that looked like it needed it, but not all around. The 1st heavy rain told the tale: no leaks and no water in the taillights either!

Another problem that old Supras have is that the trunk cover housing cover cooks black from the sun and the vinyl peels off the metal. What I used was Duplicolor charcoal gray vinyl and fabric spray. I cut off the burnt black gray vinyl and sanded the area to be coated with Rustoleum rust reformer liquid. I used a small brush and several coats to try to give it some texture. I pulled out the rollup cover slightly and inserted newspaper to protect the vinyl roll from getting painted. Several spray coats later, it looked better than before. A week later I put some Toyota vinyl treatment on it which darkened and shined it slightly. I don't have a photo of that though. Just the before photos.

Check out the photos of the new shifter boot and carpet and trunk cover housing repair.

yale · 06-13-2018, 10:27 AM

Nice looking improvements!
Good tips too.

tmothy3 · 09-11-2018, 07:59 AM

Looks great. I like the idea of repainting the trunk cover.

05-22-2018, 12:30 AM	#1
Bru Bone Stock w Upgrades ;-) Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Tampa Bay Posts: 210	Replacement black vinyl shifter boot, newer trunk carpet, trunk cover housing repaint My gray OEM Toyota shift boot was showing it's age after 31 years so I decided to replace it with something from eBay. Leather shift boots are expensive so I went with a black vinyl smooth leather look boot for about $13 delivered. I studied the old boot before I took it off. Cleaned and rustproofed the iron frame. I used contact cement on the frame and on the back of the boot material where it was going to wrap around the frame. This boot is supposed to be a direct OEM fit and it ended up being that way. I have a C's short shifter so I pushed the collar down around the chrome neck for the look I was going for. For $13 and an hour of effort, I'd say its an improvement. Someone wrecked a low mileage Supra (52K miles) and the parts ended up on eBay May 2018. I got a replacement rear carpet and a passenger-side taillight bulb holder in next to new condition. I also replaced the rear hatch weather seal with a new one. I was surprised how easy the old one came off. It wasn't glued on, just pressed on. When I took my old one off I found some rust down by the taillights so I touched it up with Rustoleum rust reformer and some JB weld to replace the missing metal. Saran wrap acted as a scaffolding to hold the JB weld from dripping down while it cured. After it cured, I sanded the JB weld to remove the sharp edges. I had some black 3M weather seal adhesive that I planned on using, but I didn't use much. Only in the places that looked like it needed it, but not all around. The 1st heavy rain told the tale: no leaks and no water in the taillights either! Another problem that old Supras have is that the trunk cover housing cover cooks black from the sun and the vinyl peels off the metal. What I used was Duplicolor charcoal gray vinyl and fabric spray. I cut off the burnt black gray vinyl and sanded the area to be coated with Rustoleum rust reformer liquid. I used a small brush and several coats to try to give it some texture. I pulled out the rollup cover slightly and inserted newspaper to protect the vinyl roll from getting painted. Several spray coats later, it looked better than before. A week later I put some Toyota vinyl treatment on it which darkened and shined it slightly. I don't have a photo of that though. Just the before photos. Check out the photos of the new shifter boot and carpet and trunk cover housing repair. Attached Thumbnails Last edited by Bru; 10-28-2018 at 01:39 PM.

06-13-2018, 10:27 AM	#2
yale Intake Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: CT Posts: 38	Nice looking improvements! Good tips too.

09-11-2018, 07:59 AM	#3
tmothy3 3" Exhaust Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: SC Posts: 70	Looks great. I like the idea of repainting the trunk cover.