How do i make the shift knob lower/shorter?

[snake952]

I don't mean a short shifting kit, i mean physically lower. Here is a pic of what i want it to look like:
http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/9162/e30interiorab0.jpg

Should i just cut the bar?Do you reckon it will be comfortable to drive?

[fcsteve]

i cut 2 inches off my shift lever and its still very high. it bieng comfertable is more about what shift knob you have on.

[N2MYE30]

I have that same setup. Its either a Z4 2.5 or 3.0 shifter ($60)with a Z4 M shift knob ($60). Worth every penny. I personally got the 2.5.

[E30bimmer]

i took the sawzaw to mine. Im right with fcsteve, i cut mine about 2-3 inches...it still sits kinda high, but it looks a little bit better.

[downhiller]

i took the sawzaw to mine. Im right with fcsteve, i cut mine about 2-3 inches...it still sits kinda high, but it looks a little bit better.

wait, your telling me i can cut the shaft and have a "ghetto" style short shifter? do you have to shave the shaft a bit to get the knob over or just it just slide over?

[snake952]

ok thanks i guess i can try it

[omw41]

i took the sawzaw to mine. Im right with fcsteve, i cut mine about 2-3 inches...it still sits kinda high, but it looks a little bit better.

Ok yeah, but don't you have to get an aftermarket knob with a set screw or something if you do that? The slot on the top of the stock shifter is what "locks" the stock knob in, no?

[Pen318]

Ok yeah, but don't you have to get an aftermarket knob with a set screw or something if you do that? The slot on the top of the stock shifter is what "locks" the stock knob in, no?

Couldn't you just grind the slot back in? If you're going through the trouble to cut it down anyway, cutting a new slot doesn't seem that difficult.

[fcsteve]

the factory knobs wouldnt mount. the groove and the slot in the top would be gone. i made an aluminum shift knob for my car.

[omw41]

Couldn't you just grind the slot back in? If you're going through the trouble to cut it down anyway, cutting a new slot doesn't seem that difficult.

I can tell you this, if you take a sawzall all to grind in a slot, that shifter is going to shake around like a cheap hooker on crack during Mardi Gras. Plus, the shavings get everywhere. I suppose what you are saying is possible, but unless I am wrong, the spot where the slot is is a bit thicker than the rest of the shifter. I think it tapers down a little.

[E30bimmer]

yea, i bought an aftermarket shiftknob. but i didnt even need the screws, it was such a tight fit that i just hammered it on with a rubber mallet. Pretty easy but i did put the screws in just for some added insurance.

[omw41]

yea, i bought an aftermarket shiftknob. but i didnt even need the screws, it was such a tight fit that i just hammered it on with a rubber mallet. Pretty easy but i did put the screws in just for some added insurance.

:thumbup:

[Pen318]

I can tell you this, if you take a sawzall all to grind in a slot, that shifter is going to shake around like a cheap hooker on crack during Mardi Gras. Plus, the shavings get everywhere. I suppose what you are saying is possible, but unless I am wrong, the spot where the slot is is a bit thicker than the rest of the shifter. I think it tapers down a little.

My assumption was that the shift rod would be removed and in a vice to begin with. And grinding the slot would be done with an actual grinder, even a Dremel.

[E30bimmer]

just buy an aftermarket shift knob. i was lucky enough to find a shift knob with the color to match my bronzeit beige perfectly. it actually looks better than stock.

[fcsteve]

before:
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g285/forsakenceo/Photo-0035.jpg
after
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g285/forsakenceo/Photo-0036-1.jpg

when you cut the factory shift lever you lose the slot on top
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g285/forsakenceo/Photo-0037.jpg
and you also loose the groove that the stock knob also hls onto.
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g285/forsakenceo/Photo-0038.jpg

my dhift knob is all the way down to where the lever tapers out.
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g285/forsakenceo/Photo-0039.jpg

why did i cut my lever and why does it still look high ?
my shift leveris bent so second and 4th gears were hitting my center console and had to be held in.
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g285/forsakenceo/Photo-0034.jpg
if you cut your shift lever it will sit lower then mine because mine is bolted to my car to stop any non-shift movement and also because the ears on my tranny are broken :thumbup:

[omw41]

My assumption was that the shift rod would be removed and in a vice to begin with. And grinding the slot would be done with an actual grinder, even a Dremel.

I did not have a vice or I would have done it that way. Also, removing it is a PIA when you have to do it in your driveway, but you are right. That would be the better way to do it.

[omw41]

before:
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g285/forsakenceo/Photo-0035.jpg
after
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g285/forsakenceo/Photo-0036-1.jpg

when you cut the factory shift lever you lose the slot on top
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g285/forsakenceo/Photo-0037.jpg
and you also loose the groove that the stock knob also hls onto.
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g285/forsakenceo/Photo-0038.jpg

my dhift knob is all the way down to where the lever tapers out.
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g285/forsakenceo/Photo-0039.jpg

why did i cut my lever and why does it still look high ?
my shift leveris bent so second and 4th gears were hitting my center console and had to be held in.
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g285/forsakenceo/Photo-0034.jpg
if you cut your shift lever it will sit lower then mine because mine is bolted to my car to stop any non-shift movement and also because the ears on my tranny are broken :thumbup:

I think it looks really good.

[whamac]

A simple alternative.
Over 1" lower than most stock knobs, heavy, customizable, and no messing with the shift lever.

www.whalenshiftmachine.com

[fcsteve]

A simple alternative.
Over 1" lower than most stock knobs, heavy, customizable, and no messing with the shift lever.

www.whalenshiftmachine.com

that shift knob would be horrible. notice how mine has a black section thats not metal ? did you wonder y ? did you ever touch a metal object that has been in a hot car or even worse .. in the sun ? an all metal shift knob can be a very bad idea.

[downhiller]

that shift knob would be horrible. notice how mine has a black section thats not metal ? did you wonder y ? did you ever touch a metal object that has been in a hot car or even worse .. in the sun ? an all metal shift knob can be a very bad idea.

ive been getting that lately. 105 degree days and a hot engine, the air heats up the shift lever and my shift boot shows about 1/2 inch of metal. and man, i never knew that metal could get that hot. not like first degree burns, but hot.

[snake952]

Its weird my shifter bar is alot shorter than the one in the before picture, it stock so i dont see why it would be any shorter, would it be easy to buy a really small boot?

[fcsteve]

if you cut your shift lever it will sit lower then mine because mine is bolted to my car to stop any non-shift movement and also because the ears on my tranny are broken :thumbup:

replied to ur PM. but for everyone else. your factory shift lever sits about 2 inches down from mine.

[whamac]

that shift knob would be horrible. notice how mine has a black section thats not metal ? did you wonder y ? did you ever touch a metal object that has been in a hot car or even worse .. in the sun ? an all metal shift knob can be a very bad idea.

Well, I'm not so sure about the "bad idea". You would have to ask the 3,000 + people who have bought them from me.
Many of them go to So Cal, TX, FL; even a few to Phoenix.

Yep, stainless steel gets hot in the sun; the same temperature as everything else in the car gets, actually. What makes it "hot" is the heat transfer rate.
It doesn't transfer heat nearly as fast as aluminum, so it could be worse.

[fcsteve]

Well, I'm not so sure about the "bad idea". You would have to ask the 3,000 + people who have bought them from me.
Many of them go to So Cal, TX, FL; even a few to Phoenix.

Yep, stainless steel gets hot in the sun; the same temperature as everything else in the car gets, actually. What makes it "hot" is the heat transfer rate.
It doesn't transfer heat nearly as fast as aluminum, so it could be worse.

the leather shift knobs dont get nearly as hot as the metal ones. just cuz 3000+ people bought them doesnt make them good or not a bad idea. car manufacturers sell products and put out recalls on a regular basis. when stainless gets hot it will stay hotter longer.

im not downing your product, i like the way rounded shift knobs feel and your knobs look great. im just warning that in the sun theywill and do get very hot.

[fcsteve]

i made my shift knob sit like 2 inches lower today. i machined a shift knob that slides over that huge tapered part of the factory lever. i also machined in the black and silver gear location picture on top of the shift knob. ill get some pics tomorrow. the shorter it is the better it feels. (no matter what she says :rofl:)

[snake952]

i still havnt attempted do change mine, ill get a Z3 shifter knob first

[fcsteve]

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g285/forsakenceo/Photo-0045.jpg
figured id put in the gear locations to make it look better.
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g285/forsakenceo/Photo-0046.jpg
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g285/forsakenceo/Photo-0047.jpg


Installed. (that rubber boot is from an e36 thats y its cut and not round in the front)
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g285/forsakenceo/Photo-0044y.jpg
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g285/forsakenceo/Photo-0043.jpg

its really nice except earlier today i had to cover it for like 10 minutes so it could cool down.