Woo hoo!! Guess what I got in today! A ZHP Short Shift Knob!
Since scouring the net for some useful info on the install, I figured I'd try my hand at my own DIY post. Obviously, there are some steps that I probably didn't need to take, but I thought it was best to do it (just because I'm a cautious kinda guy, and because the Ms have a wiring harness underneath that the non-Ms don't). BTW, as with any DIY, I'm not responsible for any mess-ups you might incur while doing this... so do it at your own risk!
Original Knob (pardon the dust):
Pull up on the shift boot at one of 4 corners to release the boot:
This will expose the wiring for the original ///M lighted knob (note, non-Ms don't have the wires). Disconnect the harness (I used a couple of needle-nosed pliers):
Now, put it in gear (your choice of 2nd or 6th) and pull up on the knob. You'll need to use great effort, and be careful not to aim towards your mouth / eyes. It took me ~3-4 good tries to finally yank the sucker off (no injury either!)
Bare nekkid:
Here are the shifters side-by-side:
From here on, everything goes in reverse. Snap your shift-boot back into the console, then push in the new shifter. I was looking for a "snap" noise to ensure that the new knob was in, but it doesn't do that. Once I got her in, I just gave it a good smack down and then tried to pull up. It stayed in place.
End result:
Comparison with the original knob:
