Shifter Knob???

[redronin]

Ok so I bought a new chrome opel shift nob (which sooo sweet!) and I was wondering how you would take off the original???

[tbags32]

You can unscrew it. If it is good condition and you want to sell it I am interested in purchasing it.....

Tom

[BQS4]

Actually the OEM shift knobs are pressed on and require heating in hot to boiling water to get them off.

[rowdygt]

Originally Posted by BQS4 Actually the OEM shift knobs are pressed on and require heating in hot to boiling water to get them off.

In an upside down pan !!!! ( Maybe in Australia)

[David McCollam]

You must remove the shifter from the transmission and place the lever, knob and all in a pan of hot water (approx. 175 degrees F). It will take about 5-10 minutes to soak it and then take a rubber or nylon head mallet and tap it the shifter. Have fun. You heat and reapply the new knob in the same fashion.

Dave

[jvandyke]

Originally Posted by redronin Ok so I bought a new chrome opel shift nob (which sooo sweet!) and I was wondering how you would take off the original???

What did you get and let us know if it fits. Have to maintain clearance issues with the reverse lock out ring (no first hand experience, just what I've been warned of) Does the new one use adapter/spacer rings, set screw?. I'd like a billet aluminum one myself.

[Lindsay]

Originally Posted by rowdygt In an upside down pan !!!! ( Maybe in Australia)

That procedure will get you in HOT WATER!
Procedure is indicated in Opel FSM, Manual Transmission. It does say that old button (knob) can not be reused. but creative Opeliers would reattach old knob with RTV (or equivalent goop).

[Mike Preble]

Here, in Tucson, a shiney chrome shifter knob would be tough to handle as it is 107deg in the shade during the day.

Mike

[automata3.0turbo]

i almost made the mistake of buying a shift knob when i first got into opeling, good thing i didnt because the gt turned out to be an automatic. good luck with urs, cant believe u have to go thru all that trouble just to remove a lousy shifter knob.

[newman27]

Originally Posted by redronin Ok so I bought a new chrome opel shift nob (which sooo sweet!) and I was wondering how you would take off the original???

Did you purchase this one: chrome knob

I have purchased from this eBay seller before (valve stem caps and license plate bolts - see my parts reviews). They have good quality and are very responsive when you send them questions. I really wanted their leather Opel shift knob but he confirmed that it will not work with the reverse ring of the GT (he is going to change the item description in the future).

Originally Posted by Mike Preble Here, in Tucson, a shiney chrome shifter knob would be tough to handle as it is 107deg in the shade during the day. Mike

This is what has kept me from buying the chrome knob. Does anyone have any experience with a chrome shift knob and high temperatures? I'm assuming it gets really hot in the summer and very cold in the winter.

Thanks,

Matt

[BQS4]

Matt;
As I have been here in Hotlanta for most all my life, if you get one of those protectors that people put in their windshields (has a shiny foil looking side) it drops the temp dramatically inside the car. I know as I have to park out in a lot that has absolutly no shade. If you work where there's a parking deck, then you have no problems. If you don't want to bother with the windshield thing, them just grab and old sock, or if you want to get fancy, go by one of the many golf shops in and about the Atlanta area and get a golf club cover and pop it over the shifter when you park the car.

[newman27]

Thanks Gene - it sounds workable. The GT will be garaged at home and in a parking deck at work and I will be using a windshield heat protector on those occasions that I do have to park in the direct sun. I don't need anymore sun related damage to the interior. I like the golf club cover idea too - . OK, you convinced me, I'm getting the chrome one.

[pvcar]

well here in good old northern Iraq temperatures are on a good day like ive said before about 120 we have this little beater Nissan pickup with a manual trans that we use to run around on our forward operating base, well its got a black rubber shift knob and when u get in that thing around noon u have to put ur hat or other object over the knob since it will literally burn ur hand i don't even want to no how hot a chrome shift knob would get. well when i got my gt several years ago i got in it one day when i was heading off to school cold morning and i was about half a mile down the road and i went to shift into 2nd if i recall correctly and the shift knob literally broke in half i bought a new rubber one from ogts and i was able to use a rubber mallet to install it rather then the hot water method. well gotta get back to work. specialist Juneau out

[GTJIM]

Originally Posted by rowdygt In an upside down pan !!!! ( Maybe in Australia)

Just send me your GTs and I will do the upside-down thing ... and post the knobs back to you-all!!

[newman27]

Originally Posted by pvcar well here in good old northern Iraq temperatures are on a good day like ive said before about 120...well gotta get back to work. specialist Juneau out

Thankfully, it doesn't get quite that hot here in Atlanta. I hope when you get back, you get lots of free time with your Opels. I'm sure you've earned it. Thank you for your service!

[BQS4]

I personally have a leather AMCO shift knob on my Sportwagon, and either with or without the windshield cover, the knob never gets hot. I even have a leather steering wheel, again no problems.

[P.J. Romano]

Originally Posted by newman27 Did you purchase this one: chrome knob I have purchased from this eBay seller before (valve stem caps and license plate bolts - see my parts reviews). They have good quality and are very responsive when you send them questions. I really wanted their leather Opel shift knob but he confirmed that it will not work with the reverse ring of the GT (he is going to change the item description in the future).

Matt, I was able to fit this leather knob without much trouble. After removing the original knob (unfortunately I broke it in the process), I realized that the leather knob had the hole of slightly larger diameter than the shifter, therefore I tightly inserted piece of plastic tubing in the knob that I previously softened in a hot water. Next was to carefully tap the knob-in. After the tubing cooled and hardened, the knob was seated as tight as the original.

[newman27]

Originally Posted by P.J. Romano Matt, I was able to fit this leather knob without much trouble...

That looks just like the leather shifter knob I wanted originally. However, when I contacted the seller on eBay, he said the leather knob was 2.5" tall and would interfere with the reverse pull up ring. The chrome knob comes in a 2" size that apparently solves that problem. What is the height of the leather shifter knob you used?

Thanks,

Matt

[jvandyke]

I don't know if a chrome one would get much hotter then anything else. It reflects light and black sucks it up and heat too, no? Bumper is never hotter then the hood that I've noticed.
Anyway, I'd like an aluminum one myself.

[P.J. Romano]

Originally Posted by newman27 That looks just like the leather shifter knob I wanted originally. However, when I contacted the seller on eBay, he said the leather knob was 2.5" tall and would interfere with the reverse pull up ring. The chrome knob comes in a 2" size that apparently solves that problem. What is the height of the leather shifter knob you used?

Matt,
This knob is coming from Brazil, from the same supplier that you are talking to. The knob is 2.5" tall, so you must be careful not to tap it more than 2" as it will interfere with the reverse ring, indeed. I have cold-tried few times and than marked with the masking tape how far I can push the knob on the shifter. As I said, once the knob has been installed, it sits firmly and would not move, very similar to the original knob.

[RallyBob]

I've had a 1.75" diameter round chrome-plated (brass) shift knob in my daily driver for many years. I've never really noticed it getting hot, and today after paking my car in a commuter lot for 4 hours (about 90 degrees today) the interior of my car was probably 110-115 degrees. Knob was not noticeably hotter than the environment, certainly not enough to burn my hand.

However, during the winter, yeah....it gets REAL cold to the touch. Enough so that I have my passenger dash heater vent permanently pointed at the shift knob for my winter warm-ups in the morning. If I wipe snow off the car, then grab the shifter while it's still cold, my gloved hand will adhere to the shifter.

Still, I like the overall feel of it, and the extra mass of the brass knob makes shifting feel very solid compared to some lightweight shift knobs.

Bob

[redronin]

hate to resurect a post but I posted this a long time ago and never responded to the questions....lol but yeah it gets hot to touch especially here in hell.... I mean Florida and I did have to fill it with a little bit of epoxy so that it didnt interfere with the reverse up thingy..... and lastly the black part of the opel symbol faded to a antique brownish.... I think it looks pretty cool I'll have to post pics if anyone wants to see it....