need more help fixing smelly tranny

[ngk1053]

What's up everybody, I'm pretty new to Zilvia but I found it to be an awesome source for info. I've read all the old threads on shift boot smoking and the smell of transmission fluid and am in the process of fixing the problem. I took off the crappy vinyl boot, then the big rubber one underneath, and sure enough the last 3rd boot was torn. So I pulled it off, but the problem is I don't know how to get the new one on. The hole at the top is too small to slip over the shifter (I removed the knob). It looks as if you could probably twist that black shifter cover off of the bare steel shifter which runs all the way down to the tranny, but it won't budge. I tried vise grips just like with the knob and it seems as if I'm going to break the shifter if I twist anymore. Does anyone know if you can take it off or how to get that little rubber boot on the bottom? Thanks

-Nick