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.