Great job buddy. I didn't want to touch my car, but you just confirmed what I thought: stock knob feels like weighs nothing.
I just did a very involved job (countersinking a metal knob is not easy) of adapting a knob from an '10 Acura TL to my Accord DD, and seems like you're going to make me do a second job
. The hardest thing was to remove the cap too, and I ended up using my Sam's Club ID card, then a credit card. Still messed up the leather a little bit, but a sharpie made it invisible. A screwdriver would have marred the cap, no doubt.
My questions for you are: how exactly did you remove the cap? And how secure is the boot with just the cable tie? Doesn't pull itself down over time? And finally how did you secure the knob to the shaft (silicon, just pressure, etc)? Oh, and where can you buy the knob and how much? I really like how the stock knob is just one continuous leather piece, so might have to develop some courage to butcher it
. Take care.