How to make a cheap chromed gated shifter

[MadMechanic Active Users Find all posts View Profile Close MadMechanic]

I called up a metal plating place to get a quote on what it would cost to chrome my shifter and was told that it would be at least $75 Canadian!

Not discouraged, I decided to go to my local Walmart and try to come up with a gated shifter design on my own. Here's the result:



(BTW the wheels is a $100 CAN Grant wheel from Canadian Tire with a $20 Ferrari Horn button from ebay)

Not exactly 4Re style, but still looks really good in my opinion, and after all, a perfect replica is an impossibility (then it wouldn't be a replica!)... so how'd I do it?

The Knob was $40 Can (About $25 USD). It's a universal fit. I "chromed" the shifter by buying a chrome-style bathroom towel rack for $5 canadian (They're hollow, and exactly the right width!) Just cut it down, slide it on top, attach shifter and you're done?

And what about the gated part, you might ask? Go to home depot and by some aluminum sheet metal and just cut one out! I'm personally not using a gated shifter, instead I'm just going to use a black leather shift boot with a chrome lining.

[ferrari_guy Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close ferrari_guy]

Re: How to make a cheap chromed gated shifter

You can buy a round ball (like OEM Ferrari) from a machine shop parts book. There made to go on the ends of levers on large machinery. My cost was $4.50

[MadMechanic Active Users Find all posts View Profile Close MadMechanic]

Re: How to make a cheap chromed gated shifter

How did you go about chroming the rest of the shifter?

[ferrari_guy Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close ferrari_guy]

Re: How to make a cheap chromed gated shifter

I bought the gated shifter kit. shift itself, H- plate with cloth filler. At Fiero Nats for $45

[starfighter Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close starfighter]

Re: How to make a cheap chromed gated shifter

Hey Ari what do you and evreybody else have going on for the Ferrari gauges?

[ferrari_guy Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close ferrari_guy]

Re: How to make a cheap chromed gated shifter

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/Album...4884&a=9116379

has lots of pics of my interior, not quite Ferrari, but enough to get by. You might glance at the other albums there too.

for some reason keeps wanting to put a space at the last number, you may have to type it in if link wont go. it should be 9116379

[Guest Close Guest]

Re: How to make a cheap chromed gated shifter

Starfighter...

I know of a guy that will sell you the VDO set that ferrari uses AND have the Ferrari emblem silkscreened INSIDE the gauges as in the originals. From there, they are identical.

DKOV -

[MadMechanic Active Users Find all posts View Profile Close MadMechanic]

Re: How to make a cheap chromed gated shifter

I bought a Ferrari decals for little ferrari model cars, poped off the plastic of the standard fiero gaugepad and just put on one of the stickers and put the plastic back on - its the cheap way out (Cost me $2.50 maybe?)

[starfighter Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close starfighter]

Re: How to make a cheap chromed gated shifter

DKOV. How expensive are the VDO gauges and how would we get in contact with him?And Ari that is pretty slick about the decals frfrom a model.Hmmmm... learn sumtin new every day.

[MadMechanic Active Users Find all posts View Profile Close MadMechanic]

Re: How to make a cheap chromed gated shifter

My whole donor Fiero cost me $500 (Well, I paid a lot more, it cost cost Tony that much...)

[MadMechanic Active Users Find all posts View Profile Close MadMechanic]

Re: How to make a cheap chromed gated shifter

My Fiero Gauges with the toy race car emblems