Need help making a custom shift knob! (Wondrous pleasures await inside!)

[seven-57]

Where are you wondrous pleasures you ask? Well it's all in the satisfaction of helping this poor guy out with a shift knob!

So I have some plans for my e30 and one of the seemingly simple mods that I want to pursue is a custom shift knob. Now I'm not going to tell you what it is, but the surprise is also part of the wondrous pleasures that I was talking about before!

So this shift knob already has a hole in it. This whole is bigger than the fork/shifter that the knob needs to fit over so I need to fill that space somehow and make sure that it's tight on there. So I've found a couple write-ups on people making custom shift knobs, but they've all done it by using solid objects (like an 8-ball) and drilling a hole into the object and then using a tap to get the threads through. My issue is that I already have a hole in my knob with a bigger diameter than the fork (or threads) will fit on. So I'm thinking I might need to make something that will fit in that hole (maybe some kind of liquid resin that hardens) and will allow me to do the tapping method.

That's just a theory I have though. Any ideas??

[Buck6687]

you already have the right idea.
i was in the same situation with my illuminated knob, i mixed up some evostick adhesive, shoved it all into the hole that was over size and placed it on the thread part of the shifter which i had coated with oil so the glue stuck to the knob, took the shape of the threads and screws on and off just fine.

[seven-57]

you already have the right idea.
i was in the same situation with my illuminated knob, i mixed up some evostick adhesive, shoved it all into the hole that was over size and placed it on the thread part of the shifter which i had coated with oil so the glue stuck to the knob, took the shape of the threads and screws on and off just fine.

I think I can kind of put our ideas together. The difference is that my shifter isn't threaded and neither is the make-shift knob that I wanna use.

[aeion]

http://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-sleeve-bearings/=iug00p

You could press and glue one of these in.

(plastic flanged sleeved bearing)

[seven-57]

http://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-sl...arings/=iug00p

You could press and glue one of these in.

(plastic flanged sleeved bearing)

So using that, I should just try to find the right size to slide over my shifter?

[aeion]

Yep. Should work and be permanent if you use the right adhesive.

[seven-57]

This might be the most simple and helpful suggestion I've gotten yet. We'll see what happens.

Keep the suggestions flowing though!

[TTKickedin]

I think you have good answers here, but my opinion would be to thread your shifter, then do as the posters above me suggested.

You can also drill the hole in the knob a little bit bigger, cut out/sand/file down small grooves in it that taper outward from the center of the hole as it goes farther into the knob. fill it with jb weld. while it cures, apply light pressure with a rod with similar diameter of the knob's hole (to force any air bubbles out of the casting,) then when it finally cures, drill some of the casting out and thread it to match your shifter. It would be much stronger than just glue+bearing over a long period of time.

You want to thread the shifter because if you glue it, the glue will fail eventually.

When i was 16 i made a wooden knob that broke in half a few months later because i just threaded the wood incorrectly and drilled parrallel to the grain (oak lasted longer). would've been stronger had it been threaded with metal somehow.

[Buck6687]

is it possible to drill and tap a hole in the front lower part and use a grubscrew?
i cant work out what you are actually using as your new gearknob so dont know what materials/thickness you are working with