The Blaine Fabrication Delrin shift knob is available for C4/C5 and 4thgen Fbody fitments, and others if thread size and shifter dimensions are supplied. I stock the following diameters in black Delrin:

1 1/8" : for small hands

1 1/4" : for average size hands - the knob in the pic above is this size

1 1/2" : for large hands

My standard height is 4", with the knob sunk on the shifter stalk about the same as the OEM knob, so it will stick up about 2" higher than the OEM knob, bringing it closer to the level of the drivers hands on the steering wheel.

Customs are available: other diameters, white instead of black Delrin, other thread sizes, taller (or shorter). These are made to order - if I can make it with stock material and tooling it is stock price, if I have to puchase material or tooling then it is custom price

Introductory pricing:
stock material and fitment : $55 plus shipping plus CA sales tax for shipments to CA address.
custom material or fitment : $65 plus shipping plus CA sales tax for shipments to CA address.

Regards,
Alan Blaine
Blaine Fabrication
831 427-3296

I am assuming a B&M Ripper has stock 4th gen fitment ...

How do I pay for this?

Howdy,

Sweet!

I'll take one for a 4th gen shifter (16x1.5 thread), 1.5" diameter, your standard 4" height you mention in your post, in white delrin. If white is gonna take a long time to get in, black would be ok.

Should I call you with a credit card or send a check or paypal or ?? I'd like to get it as soon as you can make it and UPS/FedEx can drive it over here. :-)

Thanks Alan!

Mark

mitch - you have an email from me.

Mitch, Mark - Thank You!

I need your ZIP codes to calc shipping cost, then PayPal to ablaine (at) cruzio (dot) com is easiest.

Post your ZIP here, or a PM, or email me at the above addy. I'll return with a total cost. I can ship both on Wed of next week if I get the PayPals tomorrow.

For small stuff like this, USPS Parcel Post is about 1/2 the cost of UPS gnd - let me know if you have a preference for UPS, else I will use Parcel Post.

Mitch - Yes, the Ripper uses OEM thread

Mark - the white will take no longer than black - my supplier has white in stock.

Thanks and Regards,
Alan

i think Mitch will be ordering 2 , one for me amd one for himself. i want mine in black and also for a 4th gen.

Is there a functional reason to go with these knobs or is it more the "coolness" factor to have C6R style shift knobs?

I have the factory Hurst leather on both of mine and don't have much trouble shifting.

I was kind of wondering the same.

Howdy,

I can't speak for anyone else, but for me, I've got the round leather ball on the top of my shifter and I don't find it particularly comfortable. I think a shift knob like this might work better.

And I also think it'll be tricker, so even if its not better I'll still look cooler than Sam. :-)

Mark

Its to get the shifter closer to the steering wheel, basically.

these were around long before the C6R. Lou has had them @ LGM for a few years for the C5. i tried to get them to make me one for an F-body and was always left w/ empty promises.

Yeah, he still has 'em for the C5/C6 for $65.95 each. Never anything for the F-Body, however. Better to get one from one of our sponsors.

Steve

all hail Blaine Fab.

I have one of these and have used it for several years. Mine was from hardbar.net and was a copy of what Pratt&Miller were doing. The reason behind the material choice was supposedly delrin doesn't conduct heat.
Get in the car on a hot steaming day and the knob isn't hot. In a race car with gloves on it shouldn't be a factor. I put it in the cmc car because I had it left over from my black car and the coolness factor. Also the vertical grip idea makes some sense. I wish I had time to tell the story about finding the tap needed to fit it to a 3rd gen. If any need this tap let me know.

jb

Thanks for the orders guys!

I've seen these on lots of race cars, pro and club - keeping the shift hand closer to the wheel should be a good thing - less time off the controls. I tried a shorter than stock C5 Ripper on my FRC and it about killed my wrist from the increased effort. The taller arm on the Fbod seems to compensate for the lever ratio changes on the aftermarket shifters.

Delrin definitely doesn't transmit heat like metal does. Maybe in a long race it would matter, I don't recall my Ripper hammerhandle getting hot.

I think the biggest difference is that the hand is oriented vertically rather than horizontal like the traditional T handle shifters. Vertical does seems a more natural position, with less twist on the wrist. The OEM cueball I found terrible - hand would slip off.

The Delrin knob is a lot lighter than the hammerhandle - I can feel the mass of that big lump of aluminum when I shift - I don't know if less mass will end up making it more or less likely to hit the desired gear, it is probably going to be more a function of how well the driver adapts a technique for using the vertical hand position.

Honestly I've not used one of these - I made the one in the pic for the customer I built that car for - he used it and liked it, so I got a variety of materials that made sense. Nothing sold on the mail lists so I put the box away and forgot about it till Mark's post.

Thanks again, I'm looking forward to feedback on how these work for you all.

Regards,
Alan Blaine
Blaine Fabrication
831 427-3296

Payment made ...

Thanks and looking forward to getting these pieces.

Howdy,



Yes, ditto on both counts. :-)

Mark

77065 please

If you're running a batch you can make me a pair in black to throw in the box with the hood. What other cool little "gotta have" dodads do you make/sell?

Parcel Post is $4 to 77065 so add that to $45 or $55 and PayPal to ablaine (at) cruzio (dot) com.

Indicate dia and color, and ship to address on the PayPal order

Thanks!
Regards,
Alan Blaine
Blaine Fabrication

Art - Will do - you want black 1 1/2" dia also?

Off the top of my head, stuff I've mentioned here:
Carbon hood, roof
aluminum Ttop filler panels
shift knobs
Koni hat tool
rear weight jacks for 2.5" ID springs (cut 'n paste required)
spacers for coilovers (gets front adjuster rings back to within 1/8" of each other for CMC)
spacers for wheels
spacers for OEM rear spring perches (and toss the floppy weight jacks)
Lexan rear spoiler
Setrab oil cooler bracket

I just hooked up with the wholesale arm of a major aftermarket retailer, have access to a huge catalog of parts. I can't quite compete pricewize with their retail prices, but charge only actual shipping and no handling charge. I also can't compete with the instant online order/ship process. I got the line mainly to support my race buildups but I'd like to broaden my customer base so if you have a need for something run it past me and I'll give you a price/delivery quote. ablaine (at) cruzio (dot) com

Other goodies in the works:
4th gen front airdam/splitter undertra
race steering column

and of course custom fabrication is my business, so let me know what you need

Regards,
Alan

Sure, let's go with the 1 1/2" dia Camaro thread.

I'm cobbling something together on Chris' car at the moment but I'd love to see your solution. I'm sure it's better than what I'm creating. And I think that there's definitely a market for it.

Jason

Something for the gas pedal for heel to reasons.

Ever see the plastic gas pedal a guy built years ago over on LS1.com?

It was a piece of plastic that had "LS1" machined in the middle.

The guy had access to a CNC machine and made about 200 of them.

I still have mine ...

I had one of those, sold it to Pimpmaro and he loves it. I wear work boots a lot and drive with the seat all the way back, so I didn't have the "extra" room to put something on the gas pedal and still drive comfortably. It looked like it would have worked very well, if it would have worked for me.

A small piece of aluminun with 2 self tapper's with grip tape!

Alan,

Any chance you know if a 3rd gen (T5) Hurst shifter is the same thread?

I just bought a spare T5 and it comes with a Hurst shifter without a knob, this ought to fit the bill well

TJ - I have a 3rd gen at the shop (2 actually), I'll check tomorrow. Just to make sure, see if your stock knob fits the Hurst.

I used a 4th gen knob on a 3rd gen Ripper in my '91. I think you're just fine.

I will likely get a black one......for a PRO5 shifter.....

It's starting to take shape shape, is going to be a real challenge to meet my design goals:
-adjustable height
-modular
-affordable

I've quit talking about dates



Thanks, Sam

I also checked a STi and Miata that are in the shop - they are a different thread than any of the GM cars. I have a car with a Ford drivetrain in the shop too, I should check it.





Randy - Paypal me $45 + $4 parcel post and I'll make one for you too. Let me know what diameter.

Regards,
Alan Blaine
Blaine Fabrication
831 427-3296

It should be a lot more comfortable to shift when using the stupid driver's cupholder (ie when a passenger is using the good cupholder)

Here is a 1.5" next to a stock cueball. Tops of shifter shafts are at the same level:

Mitch and Mark, your orders will ship later this AM.

Now, if I could just figure out how to convert a stock B/W T56 to a sequential shift ....

Howdy,



Hell, I'd be happy if I could convince it to shift at all!

:-)

I remember seeing a shifter quite a while ago that converted sequential shift motions on the shifter into the proper motions to shift a tranny normally... I _think_ it was for a toploader. Not sure if such a beast exists for a T5 / T56 style tranny.

Mark

Stang Killer - Did you send me an order? I delete a lot of spam and may have mistaken it if so.

Howdy,



Here it is:

http://www.renagate.com/info.htm

And it doesn't look like it'll work without an external shift rod tranny...

Mark

I got a batch of them years ago from a friend who was building hi tech processing tanks and fume hoods. He called them the "El Pedal". He moved on to a different job w/o a CNC cell and quit making them. I'll take a look at the product and see if it makes sense to make them. My problem is that at a $20 sale price I would need to be able to make them in <15min ea, and that wouldn't happen unless I was making lots of them. I don't know if there is a market for 50 of these things, esp if there is a rice/dress up shop selling something similar for $15.




Depending an exchange rate, at $580AU it may be affordable - I wonder how well it works? I think a small close ratio 4sp could work well in an Fbod, and with a 7.25" clutch, shed about 100#. That would be an interesting project. I once designed/built a bracket that adapted a TKO to a C4 Corvette Cbeam. It held up to 550+ rwhp and was much lighter/cheaper than the ZF it replaced.

I've seen that site somewhere in a life long gone. I had forgotten about it altogether.

But, that would be a sweet deal ...

Alan .. put on your Mad Hatter swag and make it so ...

pic please. email it to me if you need to.
Glenn_Landrum@msn.com

Stang Killer - Your knob is in the mail today




Randy - Yours is in the mail today

Shift knob install instructions for gen3/4 Fbody:

-remove OEM knob: twist CCW to unscrew. Dispose of properly or give to your cat.

-measure 1.5" down from top of shifter shaft and make a mark with a sharpie or tape.

-the BF delrin knob has .6" of shallow/no threads, then .9" of threads deep in the hole.

-screw the knob CW onto the shaft. When it gets past the shallow/no thread part you will meet some resistance, a gloved hand helps turn the knob. Screw it down till it bottoms and the resistance suddenly increases. Tighten hand tight only, do not use tools. The bottom of the knob should be within +- 1/8" of the mark on the shaft.

Regards,
Alan Blaine
Blaine Fabrication
821 427-3296

I had no idea it would be so complicated....I may not have the fab skills to pull it off.....

Seriously....Thanks Alan!

Shift knob arrived today. Very nice piece.

Install took less than 4 hours.

Payment sent, I guessed on the shipping, but it ought to be more then enough. Thanks again!

Wow - I've sold 12 of these things in 10 days, they must work! ;-)

I'm tooling up for the Subaru STi and Miata, too. And a reminder that I can make them for C4/C5 Corvette too. Same price as Fbod - $45 for black 1.25 or 1.5, $55 for custom size or white Delrin.

Regards,
Alan Blaine
Blaine Fabrication
831 427-3296

Put mine on yesterday....fits nice....it is about 1 1/2" taller than my Kragen's special I had before.....can't wait to see if I like the position of it...it feels nice.

Thanks Alan!

Silly me....had to have the manufacturer watch me install mine...

Howdy,

Mine was waiting for me in the mailbox when I got home.

Installation was harder than the black knobs, since I had to avert my eyes when screwing it on, but after a couple hours screwing around with my welding helmet shield, I got it done.

:-)

Seriously, its on and feels nice. Alan, do you use a CNC lathe for these or are they hand done? If hand done... Good job on the radii! Very even & smooth. Very nicely made.

Mark

(and its white, so I can tell anyone that drives the car "Shift it with the big white stick" and nobody will ever be confused.)