For purely cosmetic reasons and possibly because I am running out of mods, I replaced the shift knobs with the Drake/DV8 aluminium knobs and got a black aluminium gear surround to round it all off.
You don't need to use plyers, straps, breaking them or extreme force to get the knobs off (sic) - just put the transfer case in N or 4L and then pull hard on the knob while wiggling it back & forth and for the gearbox, use a screwdriver to lift the 4 tabs that hold it onto the shaft. It took me 10 minutes all up including moving the Jeep so I could get in the passenger side.