The factory 917s had balsa shift knobs to reduce weight.



A guy on the Pelican 911 board is making replacements for 901 and 915 shifters...

Here's mine on my Rennshift shifter

I was gonna whip one up on the lathe this winter. How much is he asking for them? (If you don't mind me asking)

David

That's more important than losing unsprung weight! All that weight savings at the end of the shifter must really speed up shifting! Seriously though, it looks cool.. It'd be fun to do a checkerboard pattern or something

.....now you got the old wheels turning...i'm always up to try something original

David

ooo i like that...hmm should i get that? or the one with the porsche crest...and yeah..how much?

$39 including delivery.

This was the 1.75" version. There is also a 1.5 inch version.

It is very well made. It has been machined so that you still utilize the crush sleeve. The fit and finish are perfect.

Contact Mark Cross vie e-mail at

macross860@columbus.rr.com

Tell him you came from 914world.com

40 bucks!!!! wow!, that beats the 80 bucks for the other one...sign me up!

e-mail Mark in the message above!

I got some new picture of the original knob in a 917. I thought I would share. Sure would look good in the 914's!

Thanks Qarl!

If your handy with woodstain, paintbrush & can figure out how to mount the thing you could save yourself a bundle of cash & get the same effect.

I made seomething similar for my Audi & was considering doing one for my teener.

Pop down to a local craft store, they should have wood spheres from 1" to 2" in various increments. Cost 0.50c.
Wood stain & varnish
Dremmel with sanding & gouging bits.
Mounting hardware, for the audi i used a couple of nuts which matched the shifter thread.

Used the dremmel to make a hole in sphere. Glued the nuts in with some wood glue.
Sanded the wood smooth. Wood stain to create whatever color & effect you desire. Use some painter pinstrip tape to make patterns. Or use a stencil.
Let dry & clean then varnish to protect the finish.

HTH.

Just ordered mine.

looks way cool...how does it "feel" when shifting?

I know the factory plastic knob sucks and it too damn hard.......

will a ring damage it (yes, I wear a ring on my right hand as well as my left)

One of the reasons I work with wood everyday, it always feels good in the hand.
I do not believe a ring would be a problem, the knobs are finished with a friction polish while they are still on the lathe. Its not super hard, but should hold up well to use. Plus the wood will develop its own patina over time.