Being tired of my stock OZ shift knob, I decided to try a swap with a stock Evo knob (thanks again Emil!). You might be wondering why I made a "How To" for this... Well, as many of you have found out, most aftermarket knobs leave a certain amount of gap on the stock shifter. Gap = Ugly.

Exhibit A:



This is how to fix the gap.



PARTS NEEDED:

4 rubber washers (size approx 7/8" diameter with 3/8" whole)
1 metal washer (size approx 1" diameter with 1/2" whole)

Cost: $0.61





1. First, you MUST remove the center console from back to front. Evilution has a GREAT how to for this in his B&M short shifter install here:

https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/sh...threadid=25579

NOTE: Removing the front-most passenger side console piece was a PAIN. Be careful not to break any clips.

2. Once you've taken apart the console you should be looking at this. Notice the boot support ring that is permantly bonded to the shifter.





3. Place the washers on the shifter in this order: 2 rubber, metal, 2 rubber. The metal washer is used to give a bit more support, and I found that only 1 rubber washer on each side didn't seem to cut it, at least not to my liking. Push the stack down farther than needed, as the stack tightens itself when you pull it up to the desired height.





4. Reassemble the console working backwards. The end result is MUCH better looking, and not as ghetto as strapping a rubber band under the shift boot (my first idea).






Overall, I really like this knob better than the OZ knob. I don't think it shortens the shift, but it is about 3 times lighter than the OZ knob, which makes the shifting feel much smoother IMO.

 

One more thing:

Since you have to take apart the entire console, I recommend you take the time and Armor-All everything. Its the perfect time to clean up that hard to reach dirt on your parking brake and close to the seat.

Total install time (minus the cleaning): About 45 minutes.

 

maybe this needs to be moved to show and shine...?

 

or you could always get some black eletric tape and cover the sliver part up...

 

Yhea coda, I thought it looked like you enjoy armor all. Everything in the car is so damn SHINY!

Good work. Nice way to take card of that problem. Of course, for a little more than the price of the Evo knob, you can get a B&M. The B&M leaves the gap too, but I kind like it, as it provides something to wrap your fingers around when you hold the top of the knob.

Again, nice work.

 

got the evo knob shipped for 40 bucks. i plan on getting the short shifter if ever my new job comes through.

 

The shift knob is the first thing i want to get rid of on my evo (along with the altezzas). It looks like a black baseball! You couldnt find anything nicer?

 

actually, i like the little black baseball look!

seriously though, i got it also because i just wanted a PIECE of the evo, and to me, its a step up from the oz knob, at a price i couldn't refuse.

next car however, its gonna be all momo.

 

Your install looks great, but I was going to do it a bit differently. I just got my Evo knob yesterday. Tell me if this would work, as you have taken it apart, and all......

I was thinking.... When you take the stock shift knob off, there are two sets of threads, one at the top (more narrow), and then a second set, about an inch down that is a bit wider. I was thinking about hack sawing the top set of threads off, and retapping the inside threads of the shift knob to a wider diameter (the inside is plastic, so it'll be easy to retap. Then......my knob wil sit much lower, like a short shifter. Does this sound doable?

 

doable, but not as good as a short shifter. i just got mine from www.street-customs.com and will have a full install soon.