Custom Billet Shift Knob for Toyota Tacoma (2-1/4" diameter). ***Utilizes factory boot.***

MT 2.0 is complete. Still not 100% if I want the knurling effect, so I'll use it like this for a while.

I also ordered a small lathe for home, but I won't see it for 8-10 weeks. After that, I will have to design a CNC conversion kit for it ... because nobody offers one. There are ways I can make these knobs on a manual lathe, so I will have to decide which way I will go with that before I start spending money one way or the other.

The pics (installation will be later today).

 

Good luck with the transition! That delrin combo knob looks great! Geez, I guess I’ll look at Anarchy Motive for a knob, I dunno, he’s really really really slow.

 

Good luck on the job transition.

I'm thinking of one myself. We'll see.

 

Thanks dude!

This current job was pretty awesome, and I thought I would never, EVER leave. A little over a year ago my direct manager was stormed at his desk by our head of Global HR, 2 HR security guards, 8 police cruisers shortly followed and he was immediately arrested in a huge pedophile sting.

The guy who took over managing for him is completely clueless, and any kind of flexibility I had for my commute was taken from me. Being able to work through lunch and get home earlier was clutch. I never had to worry about being a few minutes late due to traffic anomalies either, but now I do. It is amazing what so very little time can mean in a situation like this. That is the short of it, and why I started looking. There are many more reasons, and it makes me very sad to have a shitty manager in an otherwise great position and company.

It's funny because our HQ leaders know me since I travel and attend their conferences, I am curious to see what happens when I put in notice. They are awesome, have great vision and are genuine leaders (unlike the idiot I am dealing with), but for some reason they never care to interfere with the satellites. Truly unfortunate situation, but I will reach out to one in particular just to thank him for the inspiration at a particular summit we had. At that time he put me in touch with my Canadian counterpart, which lead to one hell of a work relationship for several years. That guy also left the company last year, for much of the same management issues/fractured company, etc ... his resignation pretty much destroyed me.

Back to the lathe that is on order. I am very happy with my PM 25MV mill, so I stuck with the same company. It may not be feasible to offer the stainless hybrids anymore, or even the SS AT knob, because this thing is relatively low on torque. I'll be able to pump out aluminum and delrin all day, though. Solid stainless and titanium shouldn't be a problem, it's just that opening up to large diameter ID's would be incredibly time consuming.

 

I do the work-through-lunch thing also. Traffic gets bad very quickly and it just isn't worth losing that time at the office.

My deal is that I left a previous company over 10yrs ago due to many broken promises and other issues that seemed important at the time. The folks that I left with started the current company and it has been a clusterfuck since. I was thankful that in the very slow time in 2010 and 2011 I got to hang on, even though I should have been out of work. That thankfulness is starting to run out, esp with the lack of good work in the office and any pay raises in over 3yrs (the fam has done a great job keeping the spending down, but it is getting ridiculous). I like these offsite assignments so that I don't have to hear the wildass ideas that come down that are not even close to doable, much less attainable.

You are right that a different manager can completely hose up the work and home life relationship. Often, they miss the point of actually managing versus being the by-the-rules oppressor.

Thankfully, I have work here that seems to be unending including part certification and the implementation of a quality system for a company that does both design and manufacturing. That last one is keeping me up at night though. Thankfully, the folks are catching on to the massive change in culture that it will require. The owner said that he'd like to have me come direct. We need to sit down and hash that out and I need to clear out 10yrs of personal junk from the current place also.

That looks like a sweet little lathe. You'll have a good time setting it up and pumping out cool stuff.

Hopefully the change is smooth for you, or the upper level folks figure out what you are worth to the company.

 

The broken promises thing, yep ... that is why I left my last job 12 years ago. Plenty of that here, too ... but I won't even bring that up in my exit interview.

Plenty of change on the horizon for both of us, it seems. Good luck to you as well!

 

If I end up beating him to the sale with all that I have going on, that would be pretty sad!

You still looking for aluminum? I'm trying to figure out if I can squeeze a few more in before I leave. I just can't promise it.

 

Yeah. Corporate doesn't care. For the number of folks that I have seen move on, I don't think that anything has ever flowed out of exit interviews. Now that pay comparisons are online, I don't think they even care about that either. Just a box to check. As always, it isn't worth burning bridges either since you never know what might change down the road or who you will be bumping into or working with.

Thanks! It will be a rough bunch of weeks when it happens. I've been sweating that for way too long.

 

I don’t think I want something super heavy on it. I dunno about everyone else’s shifter but mine wobbles like crazy over any little bump. I think the aluminum would be the sweet spot. That delrin combo is sweet though! I like the shift pattern and SR logo, though I have a trd.

Just get yourself sorted first, if you can squeeze one in, great, if not, no big deal, thanks!

 

I will definitely have the TRD available for the collar, it's just a matter of importing a .dxf from my V1.0 file. Easy.

Yeah, mine wobbles as well ... and I've been smacked in the knee with my 580g knob a few times, haha. It's not too bad, but it certainly gets your attention.

 

Damn dude crazy set of events, you are not wrong for needing a change. I'll be hanging in there till you get your own setup rolling for that ss knob, plenty of other mods to focus on in the meantime. Good luck sir.

 

Thanks! Which stainless version are you interested in? I will machine all the blanks I have at home as far as I can take them for now.

 

The wobble is from the soft transmission mount. Folks have installed one that is more rigid. I think it is out of a Ford and uses a custom cross member bracket that someone around here sells.

Regardless, I do like the direct connection to the gearbox. All our previous MTs were on linkages. Some good, some really bad.

One thing about the stiffer mount, I don't know if it makes the stresses worse on the transmission case or other motor mounts in the long term. That kind of keeps it off my mod list. It probably is a non-issue, but I don't want to chance it on a truck that I am keeping for the long haul.

 

Installed, works perfectly. I might mill a groove in the collar to capture the head of the zip tie better, but it really doesn't need it.

 

Damn, that looks fantastic! Oh well, if you ever make any more of those, sign me up for that one! lol

 

This one is titanium, no takesie backsies!

 

I'm thrilled with it, and considering I am the one who designed/made it I feel like I am laughing at my own joke or something.

 

That is hands down bad ass! Been following along since day one... Good luck with the transition! Keep me posted if you manage to start production of V2 at home... I call dibs on one. Seriously, cash in hand. It's next on the mod list.

 

Is anyone else making custom shift knobs??

 

Dood, nice job...really like that collar also. Why am I always an early adopter dammit lll