I'm gonna have 6 set-screws in the top of the al. if I make it with a big fat 7 milled into it, or my first initial.
The wood one, I'd just etch the shift pattern.

 

Really your own preference, depends what else you'd be doing. I almost guarantee that most people will say use aluminum though and I have to agree.

 

what color is your interior? i'd say alum for just about all of them anyway, but in some cases neither alum. or wood belong.

 

Id just get the Mazdaspeed one. I like it a lot.

 

The interior in the Rex I have now is grey cloth, but she's supposed to be for sale, so I'm not counting on it going in this car.
If I get to keep her, I'll eventually have a straight black/grey interior, seats and harnesses.
I just think the wood would kinda be cool for the dork factor(I am, I know it,and I accept it(kinda)).
and that would really screw with all the redneck bigblock boys at the crusie nights I go to.

 

Im just not a big fan of the wood shifters.




But like ROD said, its really up to you.

 

Now I'm ROD?

 

<--- lazy

 

I'll make both, that way I can have the best of both worlds, or I can just use a wood one to make a model and get the grip just right for the alu.

 

I'm a classic look sorta guy. Classic sports cars means wood accents. Keep in mind, I have wood shifter, hand brake lever, and steering wheel in my Vert.

To me, aluminum is too reflective of injection molded plastic digital everything guages, and cars that look like bubbles. Not exactly what you'd find in the finest of classic sports cars. But is what you'll find in every Focus, Civic, or Corolla on the road.

But, in the end, it's what floats YOUR boat that really matters.

 

i would have to say go with what matches what you have so far. i dont think i would want my shift *** as the single wood accent in my car.

 

aluminum or carbon fiber

 

Leather, you can get some cool aftermarket ***** so forget the bling-bling factor

 

Wood belongs in a 4000lb land barge.

 

Use whatever you prefer, but aluminum will get HOT.

 

Sureshot...you positive. I drove the car all day without a shift *** on it and never really noticed the shifter itself gettng all that warm. Maybe a lil bit, but not to the point that it hurt to rest my hand on it.

 

I live in Denmark, and in the winter its freezing overhere.
I had an aluminium **** in my Te71 Corolla. Allmost had to wear gloves and i certainly wouldnt lick it

 

works with big L at UPS.

 

Aren't the old helm controls also all wood on ferry's and old river yahts?

You could make it out of balsa and say its a "lightweight shifter" hahahaha

 

Jimmy325i the balsa thing is a good idea, but I hate weak wood and I'm kinda rough on shifters(last time I drove the Rex, I had the *** flexing, it doesnt screw down quie far enough.)

 

I think he means the sun will make it hot when the car is sitting. Not sure though.

 

the balsa was a joke

The shift arm in my 7 gets quite warm, but I also don't have the urathane bushing and upper half of mine anymore. bottom line is that anything but wax which is capable of being machined will handle the temps just fine. might get above 105 degrees F, but not any more than the rest of the interior would in AZ or NM on a sunny day.

I'm assuming you're making these on a lathe? Why not see if you can get a chunk of translucent (meaning letting light through, not clear necessarily) acrylic and make one out of plastic? You can easily polish it to a professional finish and it will be lower maintenance than aluminum or wood. Much more durrable than wood, and far cheaper and easier to machine than aluminum. (although al is pretty soft and turns nicely)

You could still do an inlay in plasic using several methods. You could make the "hole" for the insignia and then fill it with something like colored epoxy or whatever and then turn down the edge to make it perfectly smooth, or glue and layer it with nearly 100% odds of success. The proper glue on synthetic materials is only second to being fused together at thir melting points. You'll wind up with a single piece which won't come apart no matter how hard you shift.

 

Mine used to get hot just from sporty driving, but that was before a switched to synthetic gear oil..

 

the wood would look cool if you had more wood in your car... but if its just the ****, it would look out of place.

 

Tint the car.