Didn't need to be so hard, but this 10 minute project took about an hour!!!! The stock shift **** is glued with Locktite, and removing it by hand is near to impossible. 2 vice grip lock wrenches did it! Was worth it though, thanks to the previous posts. One word of advice for those that have not done this yet, make sure to grip the lever under the console! And, follow the directions... See pics..

Thanks all....

 

Looks good. Nice work