Custom Metal Gearknob for Vantage
Discussion
I became a proud owner of a really beautiful Quantum Silver Manual Vantage S 2015 with the last iteration of dash and sports carbon fibre seats. It even still smells new and is as close to immaculate a 10 year car could ever be!
I love most things in the cabin, but did think the gear knob could be better, so here is a little write up of changing the gear knob (to reduce the carry on jokes I shall refer to it as the gear-lever from now on).
While I had nothing against the OEM stock leather gear-lever I felt it was a little ordinary, not sure if it is actually a Volvo part but uses a volve bayonet fitting and the chrome surround plastic dome part attracts dirt and again feels ordinary for what is otherwise a lovely bespoke feel to the interior of car.
So, I decided to look at alternatives. The DBS metal alloy alternative is eye wateringly expensive and actually to my eye looks a little OTT and I think it actually raises the height of the shifting point which is the opposite to what I would ideally like.
I found a good-looking alternative from a guy on Facebook. But it was too similar to the OEM metal option, had his branding on it and was also quite expensive £400 plus.
I searched for other aftermarket options, but none were doing drop-in replacements and to my surprise, few I actually liked.
What did I want? Well, I know it needed to be polished metal to match the gear surround and to have that solid reassuring feel. I am good with the cold/hot aspects of a metal changer, as for me this is actually a nice experience and in the UK the temperature rarely would make it too hot and the car is garaged (as the vast majority of Aston’s are) so too cold was not going to be a major problem either, especially as I would not take it out on freeze days anyhow!
I wanted it to have the gate diagram on it and ideally to have an Aston Martin logo too. Also, I wanted it to be able to sit a little lower than the stock, as I have always loved very short throws, probably stemming from MX5 ownership another lifetime ago.
Finally, I wanted the whole thing to be 100% reversible, in the event I ever decided to sell the car and the new owner wanting 100% stock.
So, I found a great guy who was able to make one to my design. I decided to have 2 made as I wasn’t sure about the placement of the logo. I ended up favouring the more visible placement. But it was a close call.
I thought someone would be interested in the second one, so I didn’t feel I was wasting money.
Here it is
Taking the interior apart is fairly straight forward. I have a 2015 car with the last iteration of dash and centre console. Removing the leather covered rear tray was the hardest part. But with care and trim tools it pops out.
The rest is just removing screws and unplugging electrical fittings.
I can provide a more detailed description if anyone is interested. The OEM lever simply removed by pressing firmly down on the lever and twisting 90 degrees anticlockwise. A bayonet fitting as opposed to a screw one.
Once one metal plate that houses the leather gaiter is removed from the car. Removing the leather gear-lever from the gaiter is a bit daunting in that the metal clamp is a one-time use clamp. So once removed, you can’t reuse it. But I found the part and was able to source replacements. So, I was able to keep this exactly the same as the way it left the factory.
Once the metal clip is removed by breaking it open with pliers, the plastic clip can be removed and the leather lever pulled out from the top.
The replacements goes in the same way. Push it through the top of the gaiter. It’s designed to be the same diameter as the original, so it will go through with a little gentle push and then the plastic clip can be re-fitted and a replacement metal clip fitted. The ‘ear’ of the clip is crushed with a pair of pincers. I am sure a pair of pliers could do the job. Or even use a cable tie rather than the metal clip. This secures the leather gaiter to the gear-lever. It doesn’t lock the metal lever in the right position. Ie it can still move around. But there are three grub screws to secure it to the gear-lever shaft, so provided it is tightened with it pointing in the right direction it wouldn’t move or rotate from there.
To fit the new lever you will need to remove the pin at the top of the shaft. It is an interference fit. I used a G-clamp with a little metal spacer one end around the fat part of the pin. So that as the clamp is tightened the fat part of the pin has somewhere to go. This enabled me to move the pin part way out. To finish the extraction, I used a pair of wire strippers the sort with 3 crush points for crush fittings in electrical bullet connectors. This proved ideal at getting hold of the pin that is now sticking out and levering it out of the shaft. Keep hold of the pin if you should ever want to reverse back to the original.
The new lever is designed to fit perfectly over the stepped shaft and allows for some height adjustment if you feel it sits too low. Make sure the lever is set to the right orientation and before you start refitting any of the electrical connectors tighten all three grub screws firmly to lock the lever into place.
I applied some silicon grease to joints of the gear mechanism. It did not seem that there was any, but I thought it could do any harm and may make the action even smoother.
I also considered applying some silicon sealer on the shaft which would ‘lock’ and maybe provide a little compliance between the metal shaft and metal hole in the lever. But, in the end decided not to bother. I can confirm that the grub screws have locked the lever very securely in place. If it ever worked lose, I might revisit this idea.
How is it. Well, firstly I love the look. I like that it’s a little lower and therefore makes for a shorter throw. The feel is great and very solid.
I am very happy with what is 100% reversible and is the only thing I would consider doing to the car that isn’t stock. Other than maybe a Bamford Rose dual plate clutch!
I love most things in the cabin, but did think the gear knob could be better, so here is a little write up of changing the gear knob (to reduce the carry on jokes I shall refer to it as the gear-lever from now on).
While I had nothing against the OEM stock leather gear-lever I felt it was a little ordinary, not sure if it is actually a Volvo part but uses a volve bayonet fitting and the chrome surround plastic dome part attracts dirt and again feels ordinary for what is otherwise a lovely bespoke feel to the interior of car.
So, I decided to look at alternatives. The DBS metal alloy alternative is eye wateringly expensive and actually to my eye looks a little OTT and I think it actually raises the height of the shifting point which is the opposite to what I would ideally like.
I found a good-looking alternative from a guy on Facebook. But it was too similar to the OEM metal option, had his branding on it and was also quite expensive £400 plus.
I searched for other aftermarket options, but none were doing drop-in replacements and to my surprise, few I actually liked.
What did I want? Well, I know it needed to be polished metal to match the gear surround and to have that solid reassuring feel. I am good with the cold/hot aspects of a metal changer, as for me this is actually a nice experience and in the UK the temperature rarely would make it too hot and the car is garaged (as the vast majority of Aston’s are) so too cold was not going to be a major problem either, especially as I would not take it out on freeze days anyhow!
I wanted it to have the gate diagram on it and ideally to have an Aston Martin logo too. Also, I wanted it to be able to sit a little lower than the stock, as I have always loved very short throws, probably stemming from MX5 ownership another lifetime ago.
Finally, I wanted the whole thing to be 100% reversible, in the event I ever decided to sell the car and the new owner wanting 100% stock.
So, I found a great guy who was able to make one to my design. I decided to have 2 made as I wasn’t sure about the placement of the logo. I ended up favouring the more visible placement. But it was a close call.
I thought someone would be interested in the second one, so I didn’t feel I was wasting money.
Here it is
Taking the interior apart is fairly straight forward. I have a 2015 car with the last iteration of dash and centre console. Removing the leather covered rear tray was the hardest part. But with care and trim tools it pops out.
The rest is just removing screws and unplugging electrical fittings.
I can provide a more detailed description if anyone is interested. The OEM lever simply removed by pressing firmly down on the lever and twisting 90 degrees anticlockwise. A bayonet fitting as opposed to a screw one.
Once one metal plate that houses the leather gaiter is removed from the car. Removing the leather gear-lever from the gaiter is a bit daunting in that the metal clamp is a one-time use clamp. So once removed, you can’t reuse it. But I found the part and was able to source replacements. So, I was able to keep this exactly the same as the way it left the factory.
Once the metal clip is removed by breaking it open with pliers, the plastic clip can be removed and the leather lever pulled out from the top.
The replacements goes in the same way. Push it through the top of the gaiter. It’s designed to be the same diameter as the original, so it will go through with a little gentle push and then the plastic clip can be re-fitted and a replacement metal clip fitted. The ‘ear’ of the clip is crushed with a pair of pincers. I am sure a pair of pliers could do the job. Or even use a cable tie rather than the metal clip. This secures the leather gaiter to the gear-lever. It doesn’t lock the metal lever in the right position. Ie it can still move around. But there are three grub screws to secure it to the gear-lever shaft, so provided it is tightened with it pointing in the right direction it wouldn’t move or rotate from there.
To fit the new lever you will need to remove the pin at the top of the shaft. It is an interference fit. I used a G-clamp with a little metal spacer one end around the fat part of the pin. So that as the clamp is tightened the fat part of the pin has somewhere to go. This enabled me to move the pin part way out. To finish the extraction, I used a pair of wire strippers the sort with 3 crush points for crush fittings in electrical bullet connectors. This proved ideal at getting hold of the pin that is now sticking out and levering it out of the shaft. Keep hold of the pin if you should ever want to reverse back to the original.
The new lever is designed to fit perfectly over the stepped shaft and allows for some height adjustment if you feel it sits too low. Make sure the lever is set to the right orientation and before you start refitting any of the electrical connectors tighten all three grub screws firmly to lock the lever into place.
I applied some silicon grease to joints of the gear mechanism. It did not seem that there was any, but I thought it could do any harm and may make the action even smoother.
I also considered applying some silicon sealer on the shaft which would ‘lock’ and maybe provide a little compliance between the metal shaft and metal hole in the lever. But, in the end decided not to bother. I can confirm that the grub screws have locked the lever very securely in place. If it ever worked lose, I might revisit this idea.
How is it. Well, firstly I love the look. I like that it’s a little lower and therefore makes for a shorter throw. The feel is great and very solid.
I am very happy with what is 100% reversible and is the only thing I would consider doing to the car that isn’t stock. Other than maybe a Bamford Rose dual plate clutch!
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