So you want a heavy shift knob?

[IGSDann]

Been wanting to do this for a while, I figure it was $7 for the smallest hitch and free to machine (you'll need to have a friend who works at a machine shop because the stock shifter flares out to .55 inch, which is 5 thousands more than most people have for drill bits) and is nice and heavy and feels good in the hand. Just wondering if anyone else has beaten me to it?

[cbcustoms]

WOW You definately have a heavy shiftknob

[TravisSW]

And a dirty center console!

[CursedGTR]

Dude, That is straight Ghetto. But I LIKE IT!!!

[projectRDM]

That is a great idea. The OE knob is weighted nice, but a few more pounds must really feel tight as hell. I like it. Maybe powdercoat it for a cleaner look, otherwise I'd rock one.

[ThatGuy]

Make sure you have an oven mitt in your car for the first day you park it in the sun.

[burnsauto]

Originally Posted by ThatGuy

Make sure you have an oven mitt in your car for the first day you park it in the sun.

my thoughts exactly.

+1 for the powdercoated idea though.

[swpdwgn]

hah funny because i always play with the hitches and pretend like its a shift knob lol

[IGSDann]

Originally Posted by TravisSW

And a dirty center console!

Yes... Looks alot worse under a camera flash... Damn 10 year old cars...

But really, it's got a great feel, I was planning on doing something to keep it temperate, like powdercoating or leather wrapping. It's just the right size though.

And thanks to everyone who digs and even those who don't.

[undesiredshoe]

now you can hitch trailers onto your car!!

[Phlip]

My pool ball was plenty heavy enough, but somehow I find that to be pretty cool, maybe a LITTLE heavier than I might like personally, but not a bad idea at all.

[slw240sx]

i made one that looked exactly like that on the lathe, i could have saved myself some time, damn..

[burnsauto]

im still rocking a shiftknob i found out of a junkyard maxima....that used to be leather wrapped...but after a few weeks of driving, the leather started to rip off....so now its the weird rubbery core of it....but i like it...it doesnt heat up.

[VROOOM]

Originally Posted by ThatGuy

Make sure you have an oven mitt in your car for the first day you park it in the sun.

i just put a sock over the shift knob. works great

[Bubba]

Plug the hole on the bottom with masking tape, scuff it with 80 grit, and hit it with spray-on bedliner until the top is smoothed and you are satisfied with the overall look of it. Cut around the tape with a razor and reinstall.

[tougeracer]

great idea, I like the pool ball idea also !

[JRas]

better than the pool ball and beer bottle ideas by far

[Lordrandall]

Originally Posted by VROOOM

i just put a sock over the shift knob. works great

I just put my Raiders hat on it.

[fromxtor]

I know short throw shifters are the bomb, but this thread is for cheap skates like me who appreciate stock and making it better without dropping cash. Those of you interested in improving your stock shifter, read on.

Soon after getting my '92 240SX SE I took off the stock shift knob and replaced it with an expensive MOMO knob I had lying around. Since then I've used the MOMO and another cheap knob.

I like the look and feel of the MOMO, but it sticks up so high, and you don't have much confidence when shifting fast because after a few months the little set screws can loosen up and the knob can twist or come off.

To try to make the knob sit a little lower I used my dremel to cut about 3/8" off the threads on the top of the shifter. Still, too high, and could still loosen up unexpectedly.

Being a home grown DIY guy, I came up with a plan, it was a dirty and raw plan, but I thought it was good.

I suspected that since the factory knob was counter wieghted, then it was done so for a reason, so I needed a heftier knob, but I'm too cool for stock :grin so it had to be something custom.

So I decided to cut up a 2" trailer ball and make my own shifter. At first I was planning to drill the bottom and taper the hole and thread it so I could screw it on, but I don't have a drill press for precision, and I don't have a tap set for those metric threads, I just wanted something different.

I decided to drill straight through the ball, and since the shifter is tapered just below the threads, I drilled the bottom hole a larger diameter than the hole where the shifter comes through, then when you tighten a bolt on top it pushes the new knob against the taper and locks the shifter into position.

I made a drawing to clear it up a little, the verticle red lines are where I drilled, the horizontal line is where I cut the ball off.



What that drawing does not show is that I notched the top of the ball so that the washer and nut on top would sink into a little bit, I would have sunk it deeper, but I started with a hollow hitch ball and didn't have much steel on the top to work with.

So I made the thing up, sanded and smoothed it a bit (it was the used hitch ball that came off the back of my Samurai) and painted it. I was going to go with black, but everything in the car is black, so I went for some contrast with white. You might hate the look, I love it, it's different. The thing is, you've got a blank slate, you can paint it, wrap it in leather, go with a layer of carbon fiber cloth and resin, whatever.




That's the finished project. If you are wondering about the nut on the top, you don't even feel it when you are shifting, I painted it red, but I might take another nut and put some gun barrel blue on it, it would be cool to find some color anodized nuts to put on there.

Anyway, that's the aesthetics, this is where it really gets good.

The extra weight of the knob and it sitting lower has improved shifting 10 fold... at least! With a taller shifter you'd have more leverage on the shift, but sitting lower decreases the distance you throw and gives more precision. It feels so much smoother shifting, and I'm more confident knowing that this shift knob is not going anywhere. That's the main point, this shift knob is functional!

Looks like I'll be selling this:

Seems cool maybe cut off the bottom.

[Tops*]

I would be cracking up if I peeped in a car and saw a sock just chillin' over the shift knob. I use my iPod sock. Fits like a glove.

The pool ball idea is pretty balla too. Might have to make try one of each.

[2ilvia]

Originally Posted by ThatGuy

Make sure you have an oven mitt in your car for the first day you park it in the sun.

and a ski glove for the winter [personalexp/]

[VROOOM]

its not just a plain white sock, its gotta be argyle.

[undesiredshoe]

looks like a skateboard wheel...

[KRPS13DEMON]

skate wheel is good idea....hmmm unless you live in the south west 100+ in the sun all day with the windows up

[kandyflip445]

What about coat it with that bedliner stuff? Then it would have a tough coating and it wouldn't get all stupid hot like bare metal.

[burnsauto]

Originally Posted by kandyflip445

What about coat it with that bedliner stuff? Then it would have a tough coating and it wouldn't get all stupid hot like bare metal.

maybe if you put a few coats on it and sanded it down a little bit...that shit would be a little rough on the hands after awhile..

[beetlejuice]

My understanding is that if the shift knob is "too" heavy, the extra weight can damage the tranny (synchros and such).

Kind of like when people rest their hand on the shift knob when they drive, damage can result from the extra weight.

That aside, interesting idea.

Tennis ball, golf ball, hand grenade, what's next for the shift knob pioneers?

[JRas]

Originally Posted by beetlejuice

Tennis ball, golf ball, hand grenade, what's next for the shift knob pioneers?

back to the clear dildos

[sikkk240]

this girl i know, has an actual dildo in her car..as a shift knob..

[Bubba]

As I previously mentioned using the bedliner I forgot to mention that there are some with no texture additives in them. Some rely on spray pattern alone for texture and some can be bought in a one gallon can at Wal-Mart. Without adding the sand to it, just dip it and hang it.

I think I may go for a handgrenade now that someone brought it up. Just have to find an empty casing that is a good size and make sure I position the lever towards the dash so it doesn't get in my way.