When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Hi everybody, new to the forum so I figured I'd start off with a DIY I did a few days ago!
Tools/Materials:
Item to be made into the shifter
Drill
Thread insert (10 x 1.25 for g37s 6MT)
Weights (I used lead)
Epoxy putty
Hot glue
Various pokey bits, knives and screw drivers
File/Sandpaper
Okay! Now that you have your tools, lets get started.
I started with an old joystick that didn't work anymore and I thought that would make a sweet shift ****
Generic picture off the internet, but you get the point.
I started with opening up the joystick, but this will obviously change from case to case. Be creative and work with what you have!
I wanted to keep the buttons, that's why I kept the circuit board in there
Notice all those little ribs inside. I wanted to weigh this shifter so I needed to some how take those down. I started by just taking pliers and yanking them out. But that left a very rough bottom that I knew would be a pain to make a weight for. So, I took the dremel and sanded the ridges down.
Next, I went outside to melt the lead and pour it into the mold. I got the lead from an old pack of pellet gun BBs, but you could really use anything as long as you can make it work. I kept my set up simple. I used a camping propane tank, a copper end cap, and some vice grips. For the mold, I took some aluminum foil and folded it a few times. Then I simply molded it to the spot I wanted, took it out so it didn't melt the plastic, and poured! I ended up using a little less than a pound of lead. I'm not sure what a heavy shifter felt like, so I thought I'd give it a try.
I ended up with 4 different "pockets" of weights.
Next came the time consuming part of filing and sanding the weights so they fit perfectly inside and still allowed it to close. This took some time, so be patient. I used a combination of files and sandpaper. Trial and error and they fit perfectly! I glued everything down with hot glue and made sure everything fit together perfectly before I started the next step.
This next step I couldnt take pictures because of the little work time I had but I'll try to explain it as best as I can.
The bottom of the joystick had a hole the perfect size for the thread reducer/insert. My plan was to fill the entire bottom cavity full of epoxy putty, put the threaded insert in the first half, fill the second half, and sandwich them together. I mixed up the putty and went with my plan. Everything went easy easy, but I wanted to make sure this part was perfect because once I close it up after this, I wouldn't be able to open it.I didn't realize how little work time I had so I had to work QUICK. It was starting to harder up on me before I even got the second half filled.
Once its hardened up I took a drill and drilled a hole through the epoxy, up through the insert.
But after that, you're done!
It feels surprisingly good in the hand and the extra weight is great. It sits a bit high because I didn't recess the insert inside the shifter but that's a project for a different day
Thanks for reading! Hopefully I was clear enough, if you have any questions or feedback feel free to ask!
To change the height I'd need to have that threaded insert deep into the joystick. And since that insert is epoxied in there...I think its gonna stay that height lol
What I might do is add a little wooden spacer to fill the gap. A new shift boot would be cool too, well see!
Definitely different but I commend you on your level of creativity.
Are you thinking about changing the height at a later time? How about fabricating a new shift boot?
To change the height I'd need to have that threaded insert deep into the joystick. And since that insert is epoxied in there...I think its gonna stay that height
What I might do is add a little wooden spacer to fill the gap. A new shift boot would be cool too, well see!
Hey jay! I bought one of your clutch springs a few weeks ago haha finally made an account. I actually had to glue the buttons in place because of how much they rattled �� It was fun while it lasted
Maybe wire in the buttons to the ftp (flash to pass) circuit.
Hey jay! I bought one of your clutch springs a few weeks ago haha finally made an account. I actually had to glue the buttons in place because of how much they rattled
04-12-2017, 12:43 AM
