My Console Install

Started a strange trip this month when I decided to purchase a complete 96 Impala floor shift setup for my wagon. Back in November a member of ISSF posted a complete setup for sale but it was too high priced for my liking. He put it on ebay where the price stayed more manageable but I forgot to watch it on ending day and it slipped past me, darn. The ebayer ended up (no surprise really) being a deadbeat and the setup was again for sale. I contacted him and said I would pay the amount he would have had from ebay and he agreed.

Before sending money I asked if it was indeed a complete setup, he already stated it had no Shift Handle. He said that it was a missing a small bracket and I asked which one. He said it was the gear select lever for the trans, which is easy to find, so I said that was fine. Sent him the money, overnight since he had been screwed over so much. He sends the item but says he lost the receipt and can't give me the tracking info. WTF? I gve him the benefit of the doubt and the item arrived a few days later so no big deal.

The items weren't packed very well and UPS isn't easy on packages. A few parts got busted up, that require major surgery and big money to fix. The item was insured but I didn't really want to mess with that, so I made a trip to Pull A Part. They sat a 94 Caprice out as I was walking by so I scored all the repair parts for pocket change. Had to swap ignition cylinders so pulling the column down was in the cards anyways. No harm, no foul.

Turns out that it was missing ALL the brackets for mounting the cable. All info on ISSF says you NEED the Impala Cable bracket or one from a Blazer. You are out of luck without them So I figured I would look for the parts at PaP. Found out the info on ISSF is dead wrong. The Blazer bracket is too large and the cable ball stud is bigger. The F body brackets they say won't work are a perfect match, so I grabbed all of them I could find. Also grabbed a handle from a Firebird that matches the Impala part fairly well.

Having grabbed all the parts I needed....so I thought....







I sat out to do the task this past weekend since it was warm and sunny outside. Damn I miss having garage space.

Since my carpet is disgusting I thought I may as well change it. After some searching and code using I found that Rock Auto is the cheapest place to grab a set. I love RA, that ship very fast and all that good stuff

So, on Saturday I set out on my journey to hell, I mean floor shifting. The sun is in the shot but I was so happy to see it, I didn't mind.



Told you it was nasty. This is one of the cleaner areas....



When I pulled the rear seats I was greeted with my first surprise. Water AND Mud is something no one wants to find INSIDE their wagon



More on that later though.

Tested my column a few days earlier and found out the current Ignition Cylinder is DOA. So off to the store for a new one, no one has anything in stock around here EVER. So I decided to go to Auto Zone since it was closer and to my surprise the part is in stock. Not wanting to pay dealer prices for more keys I found one for 7 bucks shipped on ebay and the locksmith in town cut it for free. Had to tear the column down to replace the busted ignition cylinder housing and the switch the TS arm plugs into when I did the Ignition.

With that done I removed the old column....



This is the switch setup on the column shift setup that you must make a harness to connect to the same parts that are mounted on the shifter.



I had to also find a Backup Light Switch/Plug, and Interlock Cylinder Plug at the PaP. While looking at the old column it becomes obvious to me that my existing dimmer switch will not work on the 96 Column So off to Auto zone again and they had it in stock.

Mounting the shifter/console plate to the floor is very easy.



Drill the hole for the cable and viola, floor shift goodness.



The won't work late model F body brackets work perfectly.



By the time I reached this point the weekend was gone so I had to stop. Today is cold and cloudy so I figured I would pull things apart to find my water source. I wish I hadn't found it, even though I knew what it was.



So, I have to wait for warmer weather so I can seal this up. I will repair it all properly in the coming months but McGuyver will have to suffice for now.

I have the column installed, just have to wire everything up, install the carpet and reassemble the interior. Also have to cut down the driver seat but will post pics of that when completed.

Pleeeeease document this with as many photos as possible.

Got the carpet installed and will never buy from ACC again. Looks like crap so I didn't bother taking pics.

I did remove the Arm Rest from the drivers seat and remove the center section.

Cut and remove the arm rest support. The end portion of the metal tube and a couple of flimsy brackets in the rear.



Trim up the seat padding and a little work with some scissors to cut the seat cover down. Glue it in place and you have a bucket seat.





Not really happy with the end product so it will be replaced soon with a pass side seat bottom.

Completed. I am very happy to once again have a floor shift car.

Looks really good!!!

Just a few comments.I wonder if one of those home use style steam cleaners/disinfectants tools would generate
enough steam to help bend and mold this type of carpeting.Second on every advertisement for carpet they offer
stock,plush and extra plush.I would pick the extra plush and I am wondering if the backing is thicker than the stock
carpet?I figure the thicker the backing the much more difficult it will be to mold the carpet to the floor contours.
Feedback will be appreciated as I have one of those steam cleaners and it puts out a ton of steam.Would a hair
dryer/high output dryer work on the carpet backing to help with the moulding or would it just ruin the backing?
M H O
Jim Gordon or just plain J E G

I tried using my high powered heat gun to no avail.

The main problem with the carpet is the thick rubber pad on the back side. If I had it to do over I would order the plain backing and use the matting Chris installed in his OCC for the extra padding.

Get the Plush carpet as it matches what came stock. The extra plush, according to ACC is what comes in brand new cars and looks a little different.

81X11 wrote:

Looks really good!!!

Thank you. It was along road thanks to both nature and hiccups encountered.