Topic: Frankenstein Elvis shift knob installed

[Tim in Ohio]

I​ have​ a​ 1989​ P.O.S.​ Dodge​ Spirit​ that​ I​ am​ going​ to​ have​ some​ fun​ Kustomizing.​  First​ step​ is​ changing​ the​ stock​ shifter​ knob​ out​ in​ favor​ of​ a​ kustom​ Jimmy​ Flintstone​ 'Frankee​ Stien'​ shifter​ knob:









These​ knobs​ come​ unpainted,​ and​ require​ some​ effort​ to​ install,​ because​ they​​ are​ not​ tapped​ with​ threads​ for​ attaching​ to​ the​ shifter.​  In​ my​ case,​ the​ problem​ is​ further​ compounded​ by​ the​ fact​ that​ my​ car​ has​ an​ automatic​ transmission​ with​ "positive​ lockout"​ in​ Park​ and​ Neutral,​ meaning​ that​ in​ order​ to​ shift​ in​ or​ out​ of​ Park​ or​ Neutral,​ a​ button​ on​ the​ stock​ shift​ knob​ must​ be​ depressed.​  Clearly​ Frankee​ has​ no​ button...​ so​ some​ ingenuity​ is​ required.

[Tim in Ohio]

My​ stock​ shift​ knob/gear​ shift​ setup:



Gearshift​ with​ stock​ knob​ removed:



The​ "button"​ mechanism​ is​ actually​ attached​ to​ a​ long,​ slender​ plastic​ rod​ that​ extends​ down​ inside​ the​ hollow​ shaft​ of​ the​ gearshift.​  The​ bottom​ of​ the​ rod​ has​ an​ upside​ down​ "u"​ shaped​ piece​ that​ engages​ the​ "positive​ lockout"​ switch​ down​ below​ the​ PRNDL​ console:



About​ halfway​ down​ the​ slender​ plastic​ rod​ is​ a​ sphere​ shaped​ knurl​ that​ is​ approx​ 9mm​ in​ diameter...​ just​ the​ right​ size​ to​ slip​ down​ into​ the​ inner​ shaft​ of​ the​ gearshift.​  This​ little​ knurl​ keeps​ the​ "u"​ shaped​ end​ piece​ centered​ in​ the​ shaft​ so​ it​ will​ be​ in​ the​ right​ position​ to​ engage​ the​ "positive​ lockout"​ switch​ and​ allow​ shifting​ into​ Park​ or​ Neutral:

[Tim in Ohio]

Here​ is​ a​ shot​ down​ inside​ the​ shaft.​  You​ can​ barely​ makeout​ the​ little​ wire​ deep​ inside​ that​ serves​ as​ the​ "positive​ lockout"​ switch​ mechanism.​  This​ is​ what​ the​ "u"​ shape​ engages​ when​ the​ button​ is​ depressed:



In​ order​ to​ install​ the​ Frankee​ knob​ and​ have​ it​ work​ properly​ and​ look​ good,​ I​ will​ need​ to​ solve​ a couple of​ problems:

A)​ I need​ to​ have​ an​ 'extension​ sleeve'​ fabricated​ to​ fasten​ to​ the​ existing​ base​ of​ the​ shifter​ (the​ part​ left​ after​ the​ stock​ knob​ was​ removed.)​  OR-​ I​ suppose​ that​ I​ could​ purchase​ an​ aftermarket​ shifter​ for​ Auto​ transmissions​ from​ someplace​ like​ Lokar...​ I've​ never​ installed​ one​ of​ those,​ so​ not​ sure​ if​ that​ would​ be​ a​ quick/easy​ solution...​ OR​ a​ tricky​ operation.​  If​ you've​ installed​ one...​ please​ pipe​ in​ with​ your​ opinion!

B)​  If​ I​ go​ the​ 'extension​ sleeve'​ fabrication​ route...​ I'll​ need​ to​ somehow​ figure​ out​ how​ to​ incorporate​ the​ inner​ rod​ shown​ above​ in​ order​ to​ engage​ the​ "positive​ lockout"​ switch​ when​ needed.​  Obviously,​ with​ the​ design​ of​ the​ Frankee​ head,​ a​ "button"​ is​ out...​ so​ prolly​ need​ to​ somehow​ work​ it​ so​ that​ the​ Frankee​ Head​ is​ threaded​ directly​ onto​ the​ extension​ sleeve​ and​ that​ whole​ extension​ assembly​ is​ somehow​ pushed​ down​ in​ order​ to​ engage​ the​ positive​ lockout​ switch.​   Have​ I​ lost​ you​ yet?​
 

[Tim in Ohio]

Dimensions​ of​ the​ shifter:

inner​ shaft​  1/2":



 "Extension​ sleeve"​ would​ would​ want​ to​ have​ an​ OD​ to​ match​ the​ existing​ shifter​ base:​  5/8"



I guess based on those dimensions we would be looking at a piece of steel tube with an OD of 5/8" and a thickness of 1/8".

Since the Frankee head is not tapped yet...  the threading on the end of the steel tube could prolly be about any standard thread per inch count/diameter/pitch.

I​ have​ a​ friend​ at​ work​ whose​ husband​ is​ an​ expert​ machinist...​ hoping​ to​ get​ his​ ideas​ on​ what​ to​ do​ with​ this​ tricky​ little​ project.​  Justin...​ whattaya​ think?

Also,​ if​ I​ get​ it​ fabricated,​ I​ understand​ that​ a​ choice​ would​ need​ to​ be​ made​ regarding​ what​ type​ of​ metal:  beats​ me...​ I​ heard​ there​ is​ something​ called​ "#$%*tymetal"...​ if​ there​ has​ ever​ been​ a​ car​ that​ would​ be​ appropriate​ for​ trimming​ in​ "#$%*tymetal"​ this​ is​ prolly​ it...​    

[Tim in Ohio]

I'm betting some of my old motorcycle building buddies could also be helpful with ideas...  whattaya think Spikey?  Scunny? 

[scunny]

how about installing the lockout on the dash. I presume it is just a lever on the gearbox ?

[ColinMc]

Could you make it so you just push down on the shift knob itself in order to shift...so the whole knob itself is the lockout switch?

[Tim in Ohio]

Hey Scunny.  Thanks for stopping by.   Yeah, I think what you are saying is possible.  It would require me to remove the console, and dig a little deeper into the guts than I was hoping for, but hey... I've jumped in over my head before... remember? 

Colin Mc:  Thanks for your input.  What you are suggesting is kinda what I had in mind.   Maybe attach a long rod to the knob and rig up some sort of retaining hardware on top of the shifter that would limit the travel of how deep the knob could be depressed as well as hold it in place so as to not fall off the shifter when I'm just rolling along.   Hey... come to think of it...  pretty much just do exactly what the stock one did, but look cooler!   

[Tim in Ohio]

Shift knob conversion still on the drawing board...   in the meantime here are some pics of my Kustomizing project.   Decoupaging door panels and dash, etc with images of pin-up girls, frankenstein, tiki-stuff, zombie head, hot rod/Kustom Kulture type stuff.

Passenger door in progress:

[Zaipai]

Wow that sure is different. I guess I hold off on a thumbs up or down until I see the final results.

[Tim in Ohio]

Wow that sure is different. I guess I hold off on a thumbs up or down until I see the final results.

Thanks Zaipai.  I think 'different' is a fair statement  

Listen, I KNOW this isn't for everyone.   My wife thinks I'm crazy for doing this.   Before the car was given to me, I think the highest offer my grandma had for it was $300!  So, no real worries about 'ruining' it.   Not to mention.  Have you checked out out the interior of an '80s car lately?  I'm choosing fun, funky and unique over the 1980s blah look.  Remember Ted's tux from 'Something About Mary'?  "The guy said it's tan and taupe..."  

[Zaipai]

Wow that sure is different. I guess I hold off on a thumbs up or down until I see the final results.

Thanks Zaipai.  I think 'different' is a fair statement  

Listen, I KNOW this isn't for everyone.   My wife thinks I'm crazy for doing this.   Before the car was given to me, I think the highest offer my grandma had for it was $300!  So, no real worries about 'ruining' it.   Not to mention.  Have you checkout out the interior of an '80s car lately?  I'm choosing fun, funky and unique over the 1980s blah look.  Remember Ted's tux from 'Something About Mary'?  "The guy said it's tan and taupe..."  

Very valid points.. Some of the sickest (in a good way) cars I have ever seen have been ones where the owner thought out of the box.. so go nuts, but keep the pic's coming..

.: Scott :.

[Tim in Ohio]

OK.  Fresh off the drawing board... here is my rough design concept for how to deal with the shifter fabrication:






Drop in with your two cents.  There are two issues not addressed by the design: 
1) The whole thing just sits on top of the existing base with nothing holding it in place.  If you were to grab the shifter and pull upwards... the whole thing would come right off!   Do you have any ideas how to deal with that?
2) Similar to above, there really isn't anything that would keep the whole shifter assembly from spinning around on the existing base.  I thought maybe I could deal with this by superglueing or welding some sort of little ridge to the inside of the tube that would be positioned in that "groove" in the top part of the existing base.
 
What do you think?

[Zaipai]

This maybe a dumb idea, but can you drill a hole all the way thru and use a carter pin to hold it all together and also keep it from spinning?

[Tim in Ohio]

New Discoveries!   I decided to put my fears aside and 'dig in' a little deeper on the shifter.  Turns out that the PRND12 panel is nothing more than a trim piece that pulls right out if you have the guts to start yanking on it!   Also-  that "wider" part of the shaft that I was calling the "base" is nothing more than a plastic sleeve that also pulls off.  So my tube will NOT have to be big enough to go over the "base" just big enough to slide over the .503 in shaft.   I have attached a pic and video clip below to show how the "Positive Lockout" feature works.  Just like in the Wizard of Oz, when you look behind the curtain, and see the little old man... it ain't all that impressive.   Turns out that "Positive Lockout" is a piece of plastic that is shaped to hang up in some notches and prevent the shifter from moving.  When you push down, a spring is compressed and the plastic piece moves out of the way.  Also, I should have realized this before... that compression spring that is already there makes it unnecessary to add any springs to the design of the kustom shaft that i am getting fabricated!  It will automatically push everything back up, just as it currently pushes the existing button back up with the stock setup.

[ColinMc]

What about disabling that mechanism...so you don't have to push down on anything? Or would the shifter not stop in each of the notches at all then?

[Alan F.]

a good tip is to find a similar model car in a junkyard, you can disassemble anything you want and just walk away, you'll learn quite a bit that way.

-A

[Tim in Ohio]

Good thinking Alan.  I'll have to try that in the future.

Colin- I don't want to disable the lockout.  I'd hate to be driving along at speed and have some sort of freak thing happen where the shifter gets bumped and thrown into reverse...  sounds like instant transmission self destruct.

[Tim in Ohio]

Finally got the Frankenstein Elvis shifter knob installed.  It works and looks great! (i think  ):





 

[Achmed]

Nice documenting of the project. Even if we don't want a Frankenstein knob, we can enjoy the ride! Thanks

[Zaipai]

Nice work. It looks freaking awesome!!!

[754]

I dare ya to take Grandma for lunch...

 ya probably owe her anyway...