Sorry to frontrun you like that, jbaj007!
For the record, I finally gave up trying to replace the stupid rubber piece. Instead, I picked-up an entire surround in very good condition on eBay (just the wood). Problem was, it was for a '91 shiftgate and was not right for my '89. (Now you know how I earned my PhD in shift surrounds
)
Well, I refused to let that discourage me. I called Phil and he sent me the black plastic frame for the surround I'd just purchased (also not compatible with my shiftgate, of course). I then went to work with my Dremel and a small router bit.
I cut back the underside of the new wood, carefully shaping it so that it would match the underside of my original surround. Eventually, I got it to fit like a glove.
Next I had to deal with the fact that the rectangular opening on the new piece was larger than the old original. I discovered that by positioning the plastic frame off-center, I could "fill" almost all of the extra opening. GREAT! I opted to permantly glue the plastic frame in place.
I next needed to file the bottom edge of the plastic frame since it jutted down too far and prevented the surround from laying flush on the shiftgate. Another job for the Dremel!
Finally, I cautiously removed the plastic switch mounting skeleton from my original surround and re-attached it to the new piece (remember, the piece I bought included the zebrano only.) I was very careful to line things up correctly here so the switches would fit correctly when reinserted, and thereby operate smoothly.
All in all, a royal pain, but I'm really satisfied with the results. My original surround was in TERRIBLE condition, and the new piece makes me smile everytime I look at it.
Judge for yourself...