Remove the rubber isolator from Miata shifter?

So a Miata shifter (na nb) seems to be assembled as a.bottom part with the hinge ball and shift ball and a short stub, and then an upper part with threads for the shift knob and a tube that goes over some sort of rubber isolator that connects it to the lower part. 

Has anyone separated these parts? I have a Miata trans so I need the lower half, but I am considering remaking the upper part because I think I want it a bit longer (and potentially skinnier).

RX-7s are the same way.  The rubber is bonded, once you disassemble there is no reassemble.

I made a solid shifter with a 12mm inner tie rod and the lower stub.  I prefer the rubber bushinged shifter, it seems to make the handfeel better since your hand can keep moving while the synchronizer stops the shift slider and then lets it through.

But the solid shifter also made it easier to reach after I moved the steering wheel (and everything else) back a couple inches, because it is longer and angled back (and towards the left, FB shifters point to the right)

Tradeoffs.

This thing?

If it's too old it'll tear but you should be able to stretch the rubber collar over the shifter.

In reply to j_tso :

Mmm, no not that thing though I see how you got there from my crappy description. And mine is already torn so I do need to replace. 

I think Pete is understanding what I was talking about, and yes I was concerned there would be no easy disassemble/reassemble.

Sounds like my better solution may be to make a simple extension that screws on where the Miata shift knob would go.

Yeah, my guess is that they pour the rubber into the assembly and it sets there ..

However, where there's a will, there's a way..  you can get the "pour your own bushings"kits that have the rubber you can probably reform it after modification?  I dunno, but Miata shifters are cheap, I'd roll the dice on dissasembly.

I put a solid "quick shift" kit in a friend's 04 Miata turbo, he immediately complained of transmission whine coming up thru the shift lever. I put the OEM parts back in - noise gone. We assumed the rubber is there for a reason.