Purpose: Boredom, style, looks, no need for that wack RAZO auto knob moarrr clean
Costs: Free- $20
Time: 5 hrs - 2 days
Difficulty:**
Things you'll need:
-2" wide wood cylinder OR
-knob that a hole can be drilled into the back(should be more than 4'' long to work)
-this is 10x easier with a shift boot
-screws/driver
-saw
-drill
-pliers
-knife
-solder
-Hammer
-chisel
-REMOVAL
Step 1:
Remove all center console trim(i took out the radio and arm rest unit for more space)
Step 2:
Unscrew the 2 screws behind the knob, and the 4 screws around the P/R/N/D/1/2 box, knob and box should be lose now so lift those up as much as they can(the shift lock button should pop out of the shifter and it should not lift a lot because the Overdrive wire is clipped down). use a dull flathead or a long thin dull object to pry the clamps from around the 2 black wires(OD and a sensor i think) these is one deep down by the base of the shifter, and one close up that can be reached, just follow the OD wire.
Step 3:
Check if the overdrive button works, then clip the the B&W wires free just under the auto knob. at this point you can remove the auto knob and P/R/N/D/1/2 box after you unclip the light. on the auto knob, pry away a bit around the OD button and just stick a knife or something in to pop the buttom assembly out. at this point it should only be the base shifter and cut OD wire.
-MAKING A 2" WIDE DILDO TYPE KNOB
Step 1:
Buy about 4 feet of 2" wooden pole for about $6.(1" can be used but that takes more precision) Decide how much you want to use and then cut an inch more than you want.
Step 2:
Find a drill bit that will almost fit snug into the bottom of the auto shifter, find the center on the bottom of the wood you are using and drill it out. MAKE SURE YOU MEASURE HOW TALL YOU WANT THE WOODEN KNOB TO STAND against the metal shifter before you drill, then use that measurement and mark it on the bit so you know when to stop, i believe i used 3 1/3 inches. Use trial and error and check if the wood knob fits snug on the metal shifter (a little play is ok)
Step 3:
Now you have the knob base and hole, but need to make the boot sit? Measure 3/4" at the knob base and trace that 3/4th long around the circumference. a small hand saw works fine, my blade was 1/2"inch tall so i started sawing around, as soon as i could not see the blade i knew that area was fine. after the sawing i just stuck a knife inside where it was just sawed and the wood popped out easily. now it should look like L (cylinder with a cap) and at the corner of the L use a file or knife to cut around it to form a groove that the clamp for the shifter can fit inside. use a metal hanger and hand fit it around the groove to form a general O shape
step 4:
seat your knob on the auto shifter and make sure everything fits nicely. do not push down on the knob, make sure the shift lock is up and there is no pressure on the knob, use a rough object or knife to mark on the metal shifter where the bottom of the knob meets the shifter. remove the knob and measure from that mark you made to the white plastic ^ shaped shifter lock. make sure you measure the marked line to HALF WAY of the white lock piece so that the screw can sit snug into that plastic piece.
Step 5:
with that measurement, measure from the base of the wooden knob to however tall it reaches. mark off that point and make sure everything is centered.
Step 6:
use a drill bit which is slightly wider than the screw you are using(BTW use a wood screw with a sharp tip) and drill up into you reach the center of the knob. now you can look into the bottom of the knob and see light shining through the little hole.
Step 7:
put the knob on the shifter and mock everything up, now you should use a screw gun for this, this 'plastic' is HARD. align everything to the best of your ability with the hole facing the front of the car. put the cad in D2 and drill the screw through the knob hole into the plastic lock piece. now everything should work knob should be tight and locked into place. start having fun shifting out of park lock just by pressing the knob down
Step 8:
remove the knob, and use your imagination of how you want to shape the shifter, and color it for final finish.
-OVER DRIVE RELOCATION
Step 1:
you should have the OD button out by now, so find what you want to do with it, you can throw it in the ash/penny tray. mock it up inside of a blank piece next to the mirror adjuster, you knowwww.
Step 2:
poke out a blank rectangle piece. find the center of that and drill it out(or use a knife and keep at it in a circular motion), just enough so that the OD button can fit in, like quarter inch.
Step 3:
ok so the OD button's out, if you look on the bottom, theyre 2 prongs on each side. those are the prongs you cut off. cut those hellaflush and also the big round top, cut it flush too.
Step 4:
Everything fits together perfectly, so get the black cover w/ hole and throw the OD button in there. make sure everything fits clean, and just put some super glue in there to keep it in place (DO NOT GET ON THE BUTTON, lol)
Step 5:
Only do this when the shifter is in place and everything finished off. route the cut B&W OD wire to where the black piece is, wire is more than long enough. get that solder out and attach each wire to a separate prong. turn the car on ACC and enjoy your new OD button.
MAKE SHIFT BOOT
Step 1:
save yourself the hassle and just use an official shift boot,(theres a DIY thread) i didnt even bother to cut my boot so it's all in the way, but it works.
Step 2:
make sure the boot can fit into the small bottom piece on the knob, the hanger is used inside the groove which you made earlier. just cut the hanger and twirl it around with pliers, snip the ends. and the boot should be attacted to the knob.
Step 3:
my boot was long enough so i just screwed it to the 4 screws that hold the P/R/N/D/1/2 box in place, along with the box and everything fit into place.
FINISHING
At this point everything should be done so just install everything in reverse order, and DONE!
Too Detailed for an automatic? Lol my bad, but it's worth it.
If you're good with your hands and wood this should all be a no brainer, i havent used wood in about 5 years and just went for it, came out almost perfect, im just going to dye the knob a darker oak.
I just realized you can do this with basically any shift knob as long as a hole is able to be made through for the screw, just use said shift knob and follow MAKING A SHIFT KNOB step 4 !
