shift knob solution
 

Dilemma: I hate the stock shift knob in my Z almost as much as I hate the thought of paying $180 to replace it with something decent.

Solution: 12x1.75" 6061 aluminum rod and access to a lathe... enough for 2 attempts and I'm only out $24 counting shipping. I'll keep this thread updated with how this minor project turns out. Yup, I'm a cheap bastard.:tup:

Yet another homedepot mod?

McMaster-Carr, actually.:rofl2:

I Iike that vendor. :D

Me too. I ordered the aluminum at like 5:30 yesterday evening and it was at my door today. That's almost frightening, in a George Orwell sort of way.:ughdance:

Mostly I'm just excited to add "lathe" next to MIG welder, sandblaster, and plasma torch on the list of things I've recently learned how to use. Worst case scenario is I bollocks it up and my shiny new aftermarket shift knob ends up costing me $24 more than it should have. Worth the risk IMO.

I already have a Tommy Kaira... But this looks interesting... IN


-M-

Uhm... using a metal lathe automatically makes it WAY more difficult than any homedepot mod ever.

Instead of paying $180 for a knob, he is going to spend 7-12 dollars on material and then a lot of time making it(time is money if you spent 2-4 at work on overtime you could probably make enough to buy the $180 knob instead)

There are a lot of sub $180 shift knobs out there, heck a lot of sub $80 knobs.

You can find a Nismo shift nob for <$80 if you know where to look. IMO stock is MUCH nicer than what you are about to do to it. Heck it's a very good knob in general.

Password JDM Shift Knob < $50 @ amazon.com

:tup: Have fun OP! I like making small custom pieces like this too. Is it a cnc lathe?

It's just a regular old manual lathe with a few bits and attachments. I'm planning to start tomorrow and hopefully I can get it done in a day. Pics will definitely be uploaded for everyone to ogle (if it works out) or laugh at (if it goes horribly wrong). In any case I'm picky so if I'm not 100% happy with how it comes out I'll just buy one.

Thread pitch is 10x1.25, right?

Good luck man I hope it turns out great. A lot of satisfaction can be gained doing things with our own hands. Turning a hunk of metal into a shift knob on a manual lathe is far from a home depot mod.

Sometimes life is about the journey not the destination. Enjoy your journey.

Make something H. R. Geiger-y skull like :tup:

Got a late start and the wife was impatient for date night, so I guess I'll have to finish up tomorrow. So far so good though.

Excellent! Looking good. :driving:

:icon17:

That looks pretty awesome OP!


-M-

looking forward to seeing more pics as finish up.

Nice start

Ran into a temporary snag with the base (more like me being an idiot and not looking up what the threaded stud looks like) but it all worked out in the end.

Congrats, very nice job. I love the red accent to match your interior.

Is it heavy? How is the shifting compared to the stock knob? Looks really cool btw!


-M-

Thanks.:tiphat:

It's 6061 aluminum so it's got some weight, but I wouldn't call it heavy. It's probably slightly heavier than the weighted stock knob, but it's spread out over a larger area. I designed it so I can use a pistol style grip when shifting away from me (1,3,5) and an overhand pull for shifting towards me (2,4,6). The length gives a lot of leverage for quick downshifts into 2nd and 4th.

We'll you definitely did an impressive job!


-M-

I appreciate that, but this was nothing. You should check out my Mustang thread if you want to see a real project... I'm kind of surprised/disappointed nobody seemed to care about that one.:confused:

http://www.the370z.com/other-vehicle...e-project.html

It is a mustang... :rofl2: :icon17:

Shift knob came out sick! Nice work man :tup:

Wow. Nice job putting your idea and skill into function.

Sorry, haven't, but may need to check the 'cough-cough' mustang thread...

Thanks for the props guys! It came out 10x better than stock IMO. It was also cheap and fun.:happydance:

duc- good job! :tup: looks good. hell, looks better than that titanium nismo knob :icon17:

LOL'ed at homedepot sig. :rofl2:

that knob of yours definitely aint HD (home depot) though. lol

great job on this home made mod, unfortunately here in N.E. having a metal shifter has his drawbacks such as having burn you in the Summer and having to use gloves in the Winter ( I had one on my RSX-S and swore I never would do it again, lol)

(you should consider making some for profit :tiphat:)

nice work

Very clean! I like it and big kudos on a cheap DIY solution. I wish i had those skills on a lathe.

Looks sharp. Did you consider counter sinking the knob a bit to take up some of the gap between the boot and the knob base? I really like it!

the only miscalculation is that some of us would rather spend hours in a garage tinkering than spend extra time at work. I'd happily trade 8 hours on a lathe vs 2 hours at work. different strokes...

@OP good luck and enjoy the garage time!

Thanks. I ended up using a stepped bit inside the knob to sink my threads enough so that the base ends up flush with the leather boot when the knob is screwed on. If I had it to do over again I would have made the whole piece slightly shorter (maybe by 0.5"-.75"), but I like it enough that I'm not going to bother making another.

I got drunk at a craft beer tour yesterday and impulse bought this:
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15...20a2d6a0d3.jpg
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15...3994204dc0.jpg

First off, yes, it is real.
It had the bottom drilled out and there was a nutsert in it, threaded on to a post for a beer tap. I dont know if the threads match yet but if they dont, im going to, just get a different nutsert.

I never knew how heavy these things were! Its going to be an awesome shift knob.