hey,
is this as simple as removing the two cone screws? will the shift rod slide toward the front of the car to allow the boot to be put on? put the car in neutral right?

i think it goes like this, if not, hopefully others will correct misinformation. remove the 2 cone screws then to remove the rod between the firewall and the cover, have someone hold the rod as someone "shifts the car into 3rd or 5th" this pulls the rod out of the connection point at the firewall (where the rod comes out of the bodywork by the proportioning valve) then the rod can be disconnected from the linkage point where the cover is.

When I forget to put the cover on (not that I've done that more than two or three times...in a row), I have to remove the cone screws, pull the rear shift rod back to pull it off of the front shift rod, slide it forward out of the "shift rod head" at the rear, slide the hole (with the accordion boot) over the end of the rear rod, slide the rear rod back through the side-shift console and through the shift rod head, then put it back onto the front rod. Then I can install the front cone screw, then align the shift rod head on the tail end, and install that one's cone screw.

--DD

sweet! thanks you guys. hopefully i can swing that. just got another alternator...this time it's OEM...wish me luck