Knob arrived today, ordered it on Friday. Looks very good, a slight bit more cherry/rosey in color than the existing wood, but thats probably due to the existing wood fading with age. But installed, it looks very good. It feels very nice, and I adjusted it when installing to fit where I keep my hand nicely. It does have a different feel than the leather, something that feels a bit strange for now, but will grow on me in time.
I'm going to price out refinishing the center console wood, rear center console wood(not the sliding door but the front cap) and the left door wood at the guy my dad uses for his Rolls. I'll also price out replacements, and then see what the price difference is.
I like the shifters with the star too, like the newer style ones, but couldn't find one to work, unless I took mine to my machinist, with the New knob, and had him cut, bend, and thread a new shaft to fit it.
That would probably have been more than what I paid, figuring the shaft would have to be custom milled down to the right size for the shift gate, not to mention for the new knob, plus the bending, threading, and then of course the chroming of it, or painting of it.
I'll post some pics soon. It was easy to install.
My Version of the install, Step by Step.
Step 1. Lift carpet from center console.
Step 2. Undo Single Screw holding center console wood in.
Step 3. Lift Shift gate trim piece. Rubber on some cars, plastic on others... mines plastic.
Step 4. Lift out center console piece.
Step 5. Put car in neutral.
Step 6. On the front of the shift gate. look for a tab on the right hand side. you lift the tab away from the shift gate box on the front. on the left side of the shift gate, there is another tab you lift away just enough. Then pull up from the front/side.
Step 7. Grab your 14MM Open Ended Wrench and loosen the nut turning it counter clockwise.
Step 8. Unscrew the shift knob counter clockwise.
Step 9. Clean out center of shift gate once knob is removed.
Step 10. Remove nut from old shift knob, and screw all the
way on to the new shift knob.
Step 11. Insert new knob into shift gate, then insert threaded end back into The Threaded Linkage shift knob holder and screw it on until it is where you want it.
Step 12. Tighten down the nut to the threaded shift knob holder, so that the threads are showing above the nut, and it secures the knob to the linkage with enough tightness so the knob can not come loose.
Step 13. Put the car back in park, and Reinsert center wood console.
Step 14. Replace screw under center console carpet.
Step 15. Replace trim ring
Step 16. Grab a soft 100% cotton towel or cloth, and buff the fingerprints and such from the knob.
Step 17. Stand back and Admire your New Knob in your car.
Step 18. Turn on the car, put it in gear, go for a drive and don't get too into your new knob.
Time: 2 hours. 30 Minutes to install (That included glueing the ashtray wood back on cause it came off), 30 minutes to admire, 1 hour of driving pleasure.
Alon