Gear Shift Knob

[bates91]

So apart from removing the factory eyelids, first mod to my Liberty after ~2/3 months of owning it.
Didn't really think of changing the 6MT shifter as a mod when I got the car, but found myself in a machine lab at TAFE (part of engineering subject at uni) with time to kill, access to lathes, spare material etc...plus boredom/ingenuity kinda kicked in

Took me under 2 hours probably, to produce this from a round bar of steel, then a bit more to smooth it down
still need to chamfer/round off the top edge so it doesnt destroy my hand


Weighs a fair bit more than the stock one (maybe ~150g extra), makes it a fair bit easier shifting into gears (not that it was an issue in the first place, just figured thats the main aim of aftermarket weighted shift knobs
It does sit a little bit higher than the stock one (If I get a chance at attempt #2 ill fix it) but will probably get a short shift kit at some stage regardless


Apologies for crappy photos - could only find my phone camera lying around

[teK--]

Love the DIY

Be mindful that a shift knob without a shift pattern is a RWC issue you can fix this by getting a shift pattern decal to stick next to the console area.

Also heat is going to be a big problem in Summer it will act like a heatsink and probably burn your hand like my old one which was aluminium/leather. Either get a thick sock to stick over it when parked or wear gloves .

[subnub]

Haha top marks for making it yourself

+1 to the heat thing, our Skyline has a metal gearknob (Nismo, was on it at purchase) and bugger me sideways, it gets hot in summer. I found that a mobile phone sock or if it's really bad, a stubby cooler (lol) work best. If it's parked out in direct sunlight, leaving the stubby cooler over it keeps a fair bit of the heat away (still gets pretty hot though). CBF changing it when it only affects us once or twice a year, we don't drive it a huge amount.

[bates91]

Love the DIY

Be mindful that a shift knob without a shift pattern is a RWC issue you can fix this by getting a shift pattern decal to stick next to the console area.

might have to continue the DIY and engrave the shift pattern into the top had no idea about the RWC issue, thanks for that

Also heat is going to be a big problem in Summer it will act like a heatsink and probably burn your hand like my old one which was aluminium/leather. Either get a thick sock to stick over it when parked or wear gloves .

well you see the grooves in it act like a CPU heatsink, drawing heat away and keeping it nice and cool...... [/bullshit] i wish
good idea about the sock, might get a few WTF looks from people id say haha

[teK--]

well you see the grooves in it act like a CPU heatsink, drawing heat away and keeping it nice and cool...... [/bullshit] i wish
good idea about the sock, might get a few WTF looks from people id say haha

Once you burn your hand once the sock doesn't seem so bad I got sick of it I ended up buying a Duracon shift knob.

[lozza]

Great DIY Edward,

how about making an si drive cover next

[bates91]

Great DIY Edward,

how about making an si drive cover next

unfortunately I've got a 3.0R-B, no GT so no si drive for me