Not sure if I have all the info I need to make an educated decision on this swap. I have part numbers and current pricing but am still unsure if the FX4 Level II chrome shift lever/boot/knob combo will fit in my 1997 model year. Will the shift lever bolt in? Part numbers are as follows:

4L5Z-7277-AA (boot)-$35.28
1L5Z-7213-AB (knob)-$79.61
1L5Z-7210-AD (arm)-$117.59

I may just go with the shift boot...anyone else swap the boot out? I just want to rid the truck of the ugly, huge rubber boot. Out of all the Rangers I have had they all had the same ugly boot:)

Why not get the Hurst Shifter? It's a shorter throw and it looks just as good (if not better, I'm partial) than the FX4 shifter.

Why not get the Hurst Shifter? It's a shorter throw and it looks just as good (if not better, I'm partial) than the FX4 shifter.

I agree. The fx4 is mostly just for looks. The hurst is both looks and function.

i just got a hurst and its prolly the best mod i did to my truck. ebay has them for 232. i got mine for 168 used.

Or you can get the Hurst shifter with an FX4 leather boot like I did. I can't stand the rubber boot on either one.

No offense intended, but I actually prefer the looks of the FX4 setup myself. That is why I may just use the shift boot from it on my existing shifter if I can't verify that the FX4 shift rod will bolt up to a '97 trans.

Im not sure that the fx4 boot will fit a stock shifter without some modification. The stock shifter gets pretty thick towards the bottom of it.

Yeah, I was thinking about that too. My shifter looks to be about 1.75" dia. around the area where the boot would terminate. Anyone have the I.D. of the top of the FX4 boot by chance?? I may think about ordering a customized boot from Redline Goods. Have it about 6" shorter than original and have him have the top at the proper diameter for the stock shifter. I ordered a nice set of a shift boot (custom for the short shifter) and e-brake boot for the wife's ZX3 and one for the 'stang (again, custom for the short shifter) from them and they are excellent! Hmmmm, what to do....

Ill go check mine later and get back to you but Im going to stick to saying it wont fit, It fits tight around the Hurst shifter which is not even close to the stock one.

I had the FX4 leather boot on my stock shifter on the 03. It does get a little thick at the bottom, and the boot needs to get stretched out to fit on it, but it does fit. The FX4 shifter is bent differently, so the boot needs to go on the stock shifter reversed front to back compared to how it fits on the FX4 shifter. (I also had a Mustang shift knob on my truck).

http://www.rubydist.com/images/RangerShifter.jpg

Well, ok! Thanks for the feedback from all of you. Guess I will keep the stock shifter and slap a nice boot on it.

Is there a physical size difference in the FX4 shift boots between the one used with the manual TC shifter and the one used with the electronic TC. I know the one with the manual TC lever setup is round at the base and the one with the electronic TC is square around the base but are the boots themeselves the same? I ordered part number 4L5Z-7277-AA which I believe is from a 2003 FX4 Level II. The parts guy did not specify which TC setup it came from. Will this one work with the standard '97 2 cup holder console?

Not sure if I have all the info I need to make an educated decision on this swap. I have part numbers and current pricing but am still unsure if the FX4 Level II chrome shift lever/boot/knob combo will fit in my 1997 model year. Will the shift lever bolt in? Ford changed the shifter stub sometim in the mid to late ninties don't know when exactly. early had the flat on the side but later ones including the level ii were ninety degrees off. If yours has the flat on the side, the level ii shifter won't fit

Is there a physical size difference in the FX4 shift boots between the one used with the manual TC shifter and the one used with the electronic TC. I know the one with the manual TC lever setup is round at the base and the one with the electronic TC is square around the base but are the boots themeselves the same? I ordered part number 4L5Z-7277-AA which I believe is from a 2003 FX4 Level II. The parts guy did not specify which TC setup it came from. Will this one work with the standard '97 2 cup holder console?

They are completely different, and not interchangeable. The 02 and 03 level 2 had the stick to shift the t-case, and those boots will not work with the other trucks. in 04+ the level 2 had the electric shift t-case and that is the boot that you need - it fits right into the same opening in the same plastic trim piece that's used on all the Rangers. Only the level 2 had the leather boots. The part number you list is a 04 part number, so I'm hoping its the right one - there is a thread on here somewhere that lists the part numbers you need - you might do another search.