Any tips would be great. Im off to remove the cdl linkage from a 2004 Discovery tomorrow. It's about a hour from home and I'll be bringing my general tool box.
Anything special I'll need to remove the shifter assy and linkage? Anybody know the sizes and whatnot?
Do HAVE to drill the rivets or can i just pop em?

Thanks for Any insight

 

Take took a grinder to mine. Zipped right through them. I doubt you be able to just pop them off. There are a lot of them and they are pretty close together.

good luck

 

I agree with Frank that you won't be able to just pop off the rivets, or if you can it would be more work than just drilling them. Be sure to watch a video or two about how to remove the console and other stuff to get to the shifter. I've done it three or four times. Make sure you have plenty of extensions for your sockets and ratchet. Here's one tip I've never seen here or elsewhere - to remove the shifter solenoid wiring from its connector pull up on the little tab. With most connectors you push down to release. This is the exception to that rule. Good luck.

 

Use this video:

 

P/S. Be careful when you are yanking out the transmission shifter ****. It is a force fit, ie., you simply pull it off vertically. But make sure your head is not right above the shifter ****. It has happened to some of us.... the shifter handle pop out unexpected hit you in the chin. Here is a pic of the shift handle and the force fit set up.







When you are putting the CDL into your own truck, replace the pop rivets with these screws (for easier access in the future). Or you can also use rivenuts.

 

Fried my drill a few days back and dont feel like buying a new one as work is replacing it. Guess im going at this with a cordless dremel, big hammer and a cold chisel. Should be alright though. I can turn stuff left and hit things with hammers. So hopefully I come home with my linkage in just a bit. Ha.

 

The Dremel should work fine, depending on what bits you have.

 

yeah, do NOT twist the shift lever when you pull it upwards. it's pretty easy to break things and you end up having to replace it so it doesn't turn around.

 

You can just pry the plate loose and pull the rivets through with a big prybar, but you may want to chisel them out to preserve the plate. The non-cdl plate is different so you save yourself a step if you keep the cdl plate. The top of the rivets are aluminum, a chisel and hammer will make short work of them. A cordless sawzall with a long flexible blade also works. Or cordless multi-tool with cutting blade. Grab all the keepers you can, even the e-brake pin and keeper, never know when yours will go boing during reinstall and you will be glad you have a spare. You will need 8 mm sockets with long extensions and flex or u-joints, but otherwise easy. DON'T try to pry the shift cable out of the shifter, you will break the cable. Either punch the ball out of the socket from the other side or just unbolt the cable from the xyz switch and pull the whole thing up to get it out of the way. Grab the slabs ecu while you are there also, that will enable cdl and TC use at the same time.

 

Voice of experience?