Interior/Exterior BMW gearshift knob modification how-to with pics
#1
05-15-2003, 05:42 PM
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Tucson
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Below is a picture of a highly modified BMW gearshift **** fitted to my '03 MCS. I've detailed the modification procedure below to guide any ambitious fellow motorers in performing a similar modification of their own.
The Background
The MCS **** is stylish but cold and hard. In Arizona, there's an even greater drawback to the stock ****, but you wouldn't understand unless maybe you accidentally fell into a kiln or something.
I looked around at the variety of available aftermarket ***** and while many looked comfortable enough, they were all tastelessly slathered with cheesy corporate logos like "MOMO" or "Type R" or just "RiceBoy". The only stylish solution I found was the "Whalen Shift Machine" which, gorgeous as it is, simply would not work in a city as painfully close to the sun as Tucson.
Then it occurred to me that a BMW **** should snap right on, a little research confirmed that Bimmers do indeed use the same snap-on/alignment pin arrangement as the MINI. There were lots of ***** to choose from -- everything from full leather to full wood and anything in between. And they all have a comfortable quality look and feel. The good got even better when I found LeatherZ.com -- these guys mix, match and remake a variety of BMW ***** in any color/material combination you like! Without a second thought I ordered the $100 M-Tech **** with MINI-grey leather and the 6-speed shift pattern from an 850iL.
LeatherZ sent the **** in no time and it arrived looking mahvelous! Much to my horror however, it turns out BMW ***** do not fit the MINI. The BMW uses a much longer shaft and the alignment pin is crooked for some bizzarre reason. Good thing I'm handy with a mig-welder. Well, no, it wasn't quite that difficult -- in fact, the procedure is much simpler than it looks and requires very few tools. Plus, you can learn from my mistakes!
Tools/Supplies
Dremel with sanding drum.
Hot knife -- an exacto knife attachment for your soldering iron.
Drill -- a drill press is better, but it could be done by hand.
Countersink bit and 1/2" or larger drill bit.
12ga shotgun shell -- preferably pheasant shot.
M5 x 25mm bolt or 12-24 x 1" bolt.
2 very small countersink-head wood screws.
Epoxy.
Available options from LeatherZ
Full leather in 2-tone or solid
Half leather, half silver/chrome/wood
Black/grey/beige/red/blue leather.
5-speed, 6-speed, ///M 5-speed, ///M 6-speed, or plain ///M.
The ///M logo ***** can be illuminated although that would require some tricky further modification. The non-M inserts cannot be illuminated -- they are fully opaque.
If you're ordering the shift **** from LeatherZ or elsewhere, be sure to get it without the shift-pattern insert installed. The ONLY way to remove the shift insert is to drill into it until it shatters. Replacement inserts are $8. The part number for the rare logo-less 6-speed insert from the 850iL is 25 11 1 221 622.
The procedure
1. The Torx bolt on the top releases the plastic portion (I don't know how the full-leather **** will differ). From there, the rubber can be peeled from the white plastic. Note: Do NOT peel the leather from the rubber -- only peel the rubber from the plastic. The rubber is glued to both sides of the spine, once cut or torn loose it will peel off easily.
2. Mark the location of the alignment pin. Err on the high side -- you don't want the pin to bottom out and prevent the **** from fully seating. Drill the hole as straight as possible for the new alignment pin -- a bolt. If you have a drill press you can get the hole perfectly straight and use the snug-fitting 5mm bolt, otherwise, the smaller 12-24 bolt will allow for some very slight error. I cut the bolt to fit entirely within the sleeve but realized later that I should have left the bolt intact such that the protrusions would interlock with the epoxy. You can wait until the sleeve is separated from the head if you find it easier to drill that way.
3. Drill out the head with the largest bit you have. The hole will eventually be over 3/4" but a 1/2" is fine if it's all you have. A deep 3/4" hole saw would work best for this but a regular drill bit will suffice. Just don't try a speed bore or a router bit. This hole needn't be precise in any way -- it's just to remove the bulk of material prior to Dremeling. I stupidly attempted to use a router bit in a high-speed drill press and had a problem.
4. Use a hot knife to cut the sleeve out from within the three splines coming down from the head. Just cut straight through the small vanes -- they're not needed but be sure to keep the three large vanes intact and attached to the head. Once the vanes are cut you can cut the sleeve from the head and trim it smooth. I used a Dremel circular saw attachment instead of a hot knife -- it looks like a cut-off wheel but made of paper-thin steel with razor-sharp teeth. It works great but was taken off the market about 15 years ago due to the serious safety hazard it presents. It'd probably be easier with a hot-knife anyway.
5. Clean up the sleeve and cut it to length SQUARELY (err toward the long side). The shorter you cut it, the lower the **** will be; I cut it very short (only about 1/8" excess) to position the new **** as low as the stock **** was. It can be cut with the hot-knife or hacksaw, but a miter saw is best. Square it with a disk sander or by hand with sandpaper on a sheet of glass as needed until it stands vertically on the cut end. Roughen the outside of the sleeve with sandpaper so that the epoxy will adhere well -- roughen the entire length so that the three splines from the head will adhere well also. Use a dremel or hot knife to clean out the inside of the head and make the 3/4" hole in the bottom as clean and round as possible. Just grind out as much of the head innards as needed to fit the sleeve without any interference -- I removed the innards entirely only to realize later that they would have interlocked nicely with the epoxy.
6. Mix epoxy with bird shot, sand, or similar. There's not much room inside for buckshot or gravel and you'll be drilling into this later so gravel and sand aren't the best choices. Just ask a hick for a pheasant shot shell and cut open the plastic part with a razor blade to retrieve the lead pellets. It doesn't take much and even a 16ga or 20ga shell should be plenty. If your prefer a lightweight ****, mix the epoxy with micro balloons or buy the pre-mixed lightweight stuff at a hobby store. Bondo should also work well. Be sure to glue the three vanes to the sleeve as well as possible. Don't let epoxy build up outside the sleeve-head seam as that transition needs to be sharp or else you'll need to trim the rubber covering to fit.
7. Once the head is full of epoxy, stick a small scrap of wax-paper to it and invert it onto a flat surface to cure. If the sleeve was cut square in step 5 it will stand straight and seal against epoxy leakage. The next day, trim the flashing with an exacto knife and make a final test fit on the car before gluing the rubber covering back on. Test fit the rubber/leather portion on the car as well -- you'll see that you'll need to grind a little relief in the rubber just below the bottom of the sleeve to clear the flare on the MINI shift arm. The rubber will stretch around this flare just fine but it will bulge out a little if not relieved. I used a tripled-up Dremel cut-off wheel to grind the rubber and polyurethane woodworker's glue to adhere the rubber to the plastic. It may also be necessary to shave the rubber with an exacto knife for the epoxy fillets that will inevitably be formed around each of the 3 splines.
8. Grind down the little alignment tab inside the plastic cover so that it will seat fully on the ****. Drill a couple of small holes -- not too near the edges and not too near the center. Countersink those holes as well as you can without nicking the raised edge. I used 3/4" long screws intended for "Euro" cabinet hinges. Be very careful countersinking these holes!
9. Screw it together, slap it on and motor about! Make sure all is well before sealing the deed with the shift pattern emblem!
The Background
The MCS **** is stylish but cold and hard. In Arizona, there's an even greater drawback to the stock ****, but you wouldn't understand unless maybe you accidentally fell into a kiln or something.
I looked around at the variety of available aftermarket ***** and while many looked comfortable enough, they were all tastelessly slathered with cheesy corporate logos like "MOMO" or "Type R" or just "RiceBoy". The only stylish solution I found was the "Whalen Shift Machine" which, gorgeous as it is, simply would not work in a city as painfully close to the sun as Tucson.
Then it occurred to me that a BMW **** should snap right on, a little research confirmed that Bimmers do indeed use the same snap-on/alignment pin arrangement as the MINI. There were lots of ***** to choose from -- everything from full leather to full wood and anything in between. And they all have a comfortable quality look and feel. The good got even better when I found LeatherZ.com -- these guys mix, match and remake a variety of BMW ***** in any color/material combination you like! Without a second thought I ordered the $100 M-Tech **** with MINI-grey leather and the 6-speed shift pattern from an 850iL.
LeatherZ sent the **** in no time and it arrived looking mahvelous! Much to my horror however, it turns out BMW ***** do not fit the MINI. The BMW uses a much longer shaft and the alignment pin is crooked for some bizzarre reason. Good thing I'm handy with a mig-welder. Well, no, it wasn't quite that difficult -- in fact, the procedure is much simpler than it looks and requires very few tools. Plus, you can learn from my mistakes!
Tools/Supplies
Dremel with sanding drum.
Hot knife -- an exacto knife attachment for your soldering iron.
Drill -- a drill press is better, but it could be done by hand.
Countersink bit and 1/2" or larger drill bit.
12ga shotgun shell -- preferably pheasant shot.
M5 x 25mm bolt or 12-24 x 1" bolt.
2 very small countersink-head wood screws.
Epoxy.
Available options from LeatherZ
Full leather in 2-tone or solid
Half leather, half silver/chrome/wood
Black/grey/beige/red/blue leather.
5-speed, 6-speed, ///M 5-speed, ///M 6-speed, or plain ///M.
The ///M logo ***** can be illuminated although that would require some tricky further modification. The non-M inserts cannot be illuminated -- they are fully opaque.
If you're ordering the shift **** from LeatherZ or elsewhere, be sure to get it without the shift-pattern insert installed. The ONLY way to remove the shift insert is to drill into it until it shatters. Replacement inserts are $8. The part number for the rare logo-less 6-speed insert from the 850iL is 25 11 1 221 622.
The procedure
1. The Torx bolt on the top releases the plastic portion (I don't know how the full-leather **** will differ). From there, the rubber can be peeled from the white plastic. Note: Do NOT peel the leather from the rubber -- only peel the rubber from the plastic. The rubber is glued to both sides of the spine, once cut or torn loose it will peel off easily.
2. Mark the location of the alignment pin. Err on the high side -- you don't want the pin to bottom out and prevent the **** from fully seating. Drill the hole as straight as possible for the new alignment pin -- a bolt. If you have a drill press you can get the hole perfectly straight and use the snug-fitting 5mm bolt, otherwise, the smaller 12-24 bolt will allow for some very slight error. I cut the bolt to fit entirely within the sleeve but realized later that I should have left the bolt intact such that the protrusions would interlock with the epoxy. You can wait until the sleeve is separated from the head if you find it easier to drill that way.
3. Drill out the head with the largest bit you have. The hole will eventually be over 3/4" but a 1/2" is fine if it's all you have. A deep 3/4" hole saw would work best for this but a regular drill bit will suffice. Just don't try a speed bore or a router bit. This hole needn't be precise in any way -- it's just to remove the bulk of material prior to Dremeling. I stupidly attempted to use a router bit in a high-speed drill press and had a problem.
4. Use a hot knife to cut the sleeve out from within the three splines coming down from the head. Just cut straight through the small vanes -- they're not needed but be sure to keep the three large vanes intact and attached to the head. Once the vanes are cut you can cut the sleeve from the head and trim it smooth. I used a Dremel circular saw attachment instead of a hot knife -- it looks like a cut-off wheel but made of paper-thin steel with razor-sharp teeth. It works great but was taken off the market about 15 years ago due to the serious safety hazard it presents. It'd probably be easier with a hot-knife anyway.
5. Clean up the sleeve and cut it to length SQUARELY (err toward the long side). The shorter you cut it, the lower the **** will be; I cut it very short (only about 1/8" excess) to position the new **** as low as the stock **** was. It can be cut with the hot-knife or hacksaw, but a miter saw is best. Square it with a disk sander or by hand with sandpaper on a sheet of glass as needed until it stands vertically on the cut end. Roughen the outside of the sleeve with sandpaper so that the epoxy will adhere well -- roughen the entire length so that the three splines from the head will adhere well also. Use a dremel or hot knife to clean out the inside of the head and make the 3/4" hole in the bottom as clean and round as possible. Just grind out as much of the head innards as needed to fit the sleeve without any interference -- I removed the innards entirely only to realize later that they would have interlocked nicely with the epoxy.
6. Mix epoxy with bird shot, sand, or similar. There's not much room inside for buckshot or gravel and you'll be drilling into this later so gravel and sand aren't the best choices. Just ask a hick for a pheasant shot shell and cut open the plastic part with a razor blade to retrieve the lead pellets. It doesn't take much and even a 16ga or 20ga shell should be plenty. If your prefer a lightweight ****, mix the epoxy with micro balloons or buy the pre-mixed lightweight stuff at a hobby store. Bondo should also work well. Be sure to glue the three vanes to the sleeve as well as possible. Don't let epoxy build up outside the sleeve-head seam as that transition needs to be sharp or else you'll need to trim the rubber covering to fit.
7. Once the head is full of epoxy, stick a small scrap of wax-paper to it and invert it onto a flat surface to cure. If the sleeve was cut square in step 5 it will stand straight and seal against epoxy leakage. The next day, trim the flashing with an exacto knife and make a final test fit on the car before gluing the rubber covering back on. Test fit the rubber/leather portion on the car as well -- you'll see that you'll need to grind a little relief in the rubber just below the bottom of the sleeve to clear the flare on the MINI shift arm. The rubber will stretch around this flare just fine but it will bulge out a little if not relieved. I used a tripled-up Dremel cut-off wheel to grind the rubber and polyurethane woodworker's glue to adhere the rubber to the plastic. It may also be necessary to shave the rubber with an exacto knife for the epoxy fillets that will inevitably be formed around each of the 3 splines.
8. Grind down the little alignment tab inside the plastic cover so that it will seat fully on the ****. Drill a couple of small holes -- not too near the edges and not too near the center. Countersink those holes as well as you can without nicking the raised edge. I used 3/4" long screws intended for "Euro" cabinet hinges. Be very careful countersinking these holes!
9. Screw it together, slap it on and motor about! Make sure all is well before sealing the deed with the shift pattern emblem!
#4
05-15-2003, 06:29 PM
#5
05-15-2003, 06:32 PM
Nice work!
I'm wondering, though, if there would be a market for a little adapter that would fit into the slot at the top of the MINI lever, and raise/re-orient the anti-rotation slot, so that a BMW **** would just slip on?
Any thoughts?
If anyone wants to be the guinea pig, I'll whip one up.
BTW, I've never understood why BMW has that slot cocked at about 10 degrees, either!
I'm wondering, though, if there would be a market for a little adapter that would fit into the slot at the top of the MINI lever, and raise/re-orient the anti-rotation slot, so that a BMW **** would just slip on?
Any thoughts?
If anyone wants to be the guinea pig, I'll whip one up.
BTW, I've never understood why BMW has that slot cocked at about 10 degrees, either!
#6
05-15-2003, 07:18 PM
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Tucson
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The BMW **** will simply snap right on in stock form, the alignment pin won't engage so it'll swivel, but it does snap right on. No adapter is needed -- you could simply open it up and put a bolt through the sleeve just as I did. The extensive modification was done to get the **** back down to stock height. You can't imagine how tall it would have been otherwise. It even blocked the speedo!
The stock **** is indeed very attractive and I do miss that little extra character it adds to the interior but it is uncomfortable in every way. The BMW **** is about as high quality and nice looking as a conventional **** gets. Although the leather is a slightly different shade of grey (exaggerated in the photos), the silver plastic is an *exact* match and you'd never know it wasn't a genuine BMW part (get it? It *is* a genuine BMW part.)
The stock **** is indeed very attractive and I do miss that little extra character it adds to the interior but it is uncomfortable in every way. The BMW **** is about as high quality and nice looking as a conventional **** gets. Although the leather is a slightly different shade of grey (exaggerated in the photos), the silver plastic is an *exact* match and you'd never know it wasn't a genuine BMW part (get it? It *is* a genuine BMW part.)
#7
05-15-2003, 09:09 PM
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IMHO...
Ugly. looks like a Fiero Shift Stick... It looks like it belongs on the end of a JEEP's stick. Too bulky. Stock looks better and's less work.
But I removed my stock **** for a beautiful WhalenKnob.....it's just too cool.
Remember, the opinions expressed in this post are just mine.
Ugly. looks like a Fiero Shift Stick... It looks like it belongs on the end of a JEEP's stick. Too bulky. Stock looks better and's less work.
But I removed my stock **** for a beautiful WhalenKnob.....it's just too cool.
Remember, the opinions expressed in this post are just mine.
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