shifter knob for BMW

[peterm]

Recently finished an interesting project for a friend who is restoring a 1973 BMW. He wanted the shifter knob made from oak and he will be gluing a 1973 10 cent piece in a recess in the top and varnishing the wood.

I turned a core from brass on my 10K South Bend metal lathe and epoxy glued it into the oak block. I installed three 1/4" set screws in the bottom of the core for mounting in the car and I used them to mount the block on a steel mandrel so I could hold it in a 3 jaw chuck on my Mark 5.
[ATTACH]21991[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]21992[/ATTACH]
Here it is ready to turn with a sample knob in the background:
[ATTACH]21993[/ATTACH]
Turning continues:
[ATTACH]21994[/ATTACH]
Close to shape:
[ATTACH]21995[/ATTACH]
Note that the Mark 5 is the one that I put the variable speed sewing machine motor on to replace the non working original.......worked great. More in next post.

[peterm]

I turned a recess for the coin using the South Bend because I could control the size better with the dials than by my shaky hand. Here it is with a dime to check for size.
[ATTACH]21998[/ATTACH]
Here you see it with the example knob and the steel mandrel used to mount the new knob on the lathe. The new knob is made a little bigger than the example:
[ATTACH]21999[/ATTACH]

[berry]

So does the use of the dime symbolize the fact that it will 'stop on a dime' or is it because the supension is so sensitive that if you roll over a dime you can tell if it heads or tails or is that all the money he'll have left when all the bills are paid?

Have fun!

[JPG]

1973 BMW, 1973 dime.

[peterm]

JPG is right!:D

[skou]

JPG is right!:D

I think Barry might have a point, too.

A while ago, the boss had a '91 735i. A set of front pads would last through 3 or 4 sets of rotors. Yes, the pads would outlast the rotors. I thought that was simply amazing! Her husband (this was in the early Internet age) found some soft pads and hard rotors somewhere on the east coast. (I was in Honolulu, then) I installed them. 9 months later, the pads showed some decent wear, and I could still see the cross-hatching machining marks on the rotors. Oh, pads $55 an axle set. Discs, $185 each! Braking effect was just barely worse. 9.85 instead of 10.0.

Also, I could warp a set or discs, in 30 minutes, having fun. (but, not with the new ones.)

I changed a thermostat in a 535i, (same engine, smaller car) I think the Shuttle has fewer parts!

I still think BMW stands for Broke My Wallet!

steve

[newportcycle]

Very nice job. I still miss my old South Bend Lathe, one of the few things I wish I'd never sold.

[garys]

That looks nice. I like woodgrain knobs. I made some out of walnut many years ago for the 4 speed shifter and the transfer case on my old Chevy 4x4. I still use them today and like them better than the plastic ones it originally had.

[jere]

Nice knob, should look great on the right car. I made one (without the brass) and it didnt' really work with my 90s nissan. You should use the dime idea on the knob for 510 datsuns nicknamed "dime" or 'dimes"