I removed my shifter today to prepare for Dweeb's Q-Shifter.
The shift **** does NOT want to come off. I found the only way to get mine to come loose was to slide the rubber boots down the top half of the shifter and grip it with vice grips. Then grip the shifter itself with a wrench and loosen from there. Apparently the stock shifter is made of two pieces and the top half is part plastic. The **** has lock-tite that grips like mad and when I tried to un-screw the ****, the upper (part plastic) half of the shifter spun... along with the rubber boots... which ripped the rubber out of the screw mounts before I realized what was going on.
Also, the plastic piece that holds the ball/fulcrum of the shifter is made of HARD plastic. When I hit it hard enough with a hammer to pop the shifter out of it the little fingers broke off. About half of them. The piece is only $10 if you screw it up so that's not bad. I would recommend screwing the **** back on once the shifter is removed and grip it that way. Then use your body weight to push it out. Would probably be easier on the plastic.
Last, to get the sleeve and bushings out of the original shifter I used a 1/2 inch socket extension to push out the metal sleeve first. Then the bushings were much easier to remove.

Sorry if this is a little hard to follow but if you are installing the Q-Shifter and have read the installation manual it will make more sence.