Gate shitfer
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 3,189
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From: WA
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,222
Likes: 222
From: stockbridge
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 6,281
Likes: 119
emachineshop... ****ing ingenious.
i made one for my civic. i just started with thin plastic sheet, and cut a slot for first/second and then cut out the extra material, so it looked like a letter "T" cut into the plastic, but turned on its side. i the mounted the original to the plastic oem shift thingamajig with a couple of thumb tacks. i then layed another piece of plastic on top that was cut similarly, and then i just slid the top layer of plastic over the first and adjusted latteraly until it lined up with thrid/fourth gear. once i found the proper alignment, i taped the first and second layer together. i cut off the extra material, and then i did it one more time with a third piece of plastic sheet for the fifth gear/reverse.
with all of the slots being on different layers, i could slide them back and forth until they matched up with the natural shift pattern. this way i wouldnt have to guess or find some way to measure and then go through a long trial and error process.
once i had these three pieces i glued them together, and then used them as my template. i traced the design onto a piece of thin steel, less than 1mm.
once i had that design on there i dremeled the steel to the desired shape, and then used it as a template and traced the design one more time onto a piece of aproxiamatley 5mm thick lexan.
i cut the lexan out. i then super glued the steel piece to the lexan.
at this point you are probably wondering why i used lexan. the answer is that i didnt have any more than a dremel tool to do all of my cutting so using a 5mm thick piece of steel was not an option.
the lexan was plenty strong, and the steel piece on top gave at the look of steel.
when this was all said and done i drilled holes through it and bolted it to the above mentioned plastic shifter thingamajig. problem solved. i had planned on having a final piece made from aluminum by a machine shop, but i couldnt get them to undertsand what i was talking about and i lost interest.
i should have told them "a gated shifter", but this is actually the first time i have ever heard that phrase.
i will be doing one on the s one day.
i made one for my civic. i just started with thin plastic sheet, and cut a slot for first/second and then cut out the extra material, so it looked like a letter "T" cut into the plastic, but turned on its side. i the mounted the original to the plastic oem shift thingamajig with a couple of thumb tacks. i then layed another piece of plastic on top that was cut similarly, and then i just slid the top layer of plastic over the first and adjusted latteraly until it lined up with thrid/fourth gear. once i found the proper alignment, i taped the first and second layer together. i cut off the extra material, and then i did it one more time with a third piece of plastic sheet for the fifth gear/reverse.
with all of the slots being on different layers, i could slide them back and forth until they matched up with the natural shift pattern. this way i wouldnt have to guess or find some way to measure and then go through a long trial and error process.
once i had these three pieces i glued them together, and then used them as my template. i traced the design onto a piece of thin steel, less than 1mm.
once i had that design on there i dremeled the steel to the desired shape, and then used it as a template and traced the design one more time onto a piece of aproxiamatley 5mm thick lexan.
i cut the lexan out. i then super glued the steel piece to the lexan.
at this point you are probably wondering why i used lexan. the answer is that i didnt have any more than a dremel tool to do all of my cutting so using a 5mm thick piece of steel was not an option.
the lexan was plenty strong, and the steel piece on top gave at the look of steel.
when this was all said and done i drilled holes through it and bolted it to the above mentioned plastic shifter thingamajig. problem solved. i had planned on having a final piece made from aluminum by a machine shop, but i couldnt get them to undertsand what i was talking about and i lost interest.
i should have told them "a gated shifter", but this is actually the first time i have ever heard that phrase.
i will be doing one on the s one day.