Gaging interest in resurrecting the Shiftster

[Jim Oaks]

I have one. I used it when I bought a 2000 Ford Ranger 4x4 that was stuck in 4LO. I negotiated the price and then pulled the shift motor, installed the shiftster, and drove it home. That was about 10-years ago.

The only real issue I had was that the factory bolts were too long for the Shiftster (photo above). You can see in the photo below how tall (thick) the base is that the factory bolts go through to hold the motor. That's something that you need to account for. You don't want the thing disengaging from the selector while you're driving down the road.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Iirc, I paid us$50 in 2010. So today 100 isn't out of line.

 

[racsan]

Hello, yes I do work at a place that makes sand cores for foundries, most of the sand cores are cylindrical that we make. Not any way I could assist in this, there would be so much r&d, tooling, then need a foundry that would work with small orders, $100 for a part that’s already out there seems like a good deal, and lot less headaches.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Hello, yes I do work at a place that makes sand cores for foundries, most of the sand cores are cylindrical that we make. Not any way I could assist in this, there would be so much r&d, tooling, then need a foundry that would work with small orders, $100 for a part that’s already out there seems like a good deal, and lot less headaches.

Never hurts to ask, sometimes the answer is expected and sometimes it’s a surprise. Thanks for taking a minute to explain.

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

Talked to the machine shop today. There is good news, and some not so good news.

The good news is that it's not a big deal to make. The new version of the Shiftster, now known as the 'ShiftHappens,' will be a bit different than the original - current design revision will have a one piece CNC cut handle and rotor shaft all made from aluminum. Doing it this way will cut down on final assembly on my end, and hopefully lead to increased durability, etc. Neutral detent will be a feature as well. Still the same idea with a baseplate and spring loaded knob for locking in the correct position. Current plan is to ship as a finished unit with three bolts so that the swap is simple and it can be carried as a kit. Might include a convenient pouch, might not depending on cost.

The 'neutral' news is that increases in material costs and using all american parts and labor is going to lead to a slightly higher price point, around $129 per unit. I can probably get that lower, but will have to sacrifice the "Made in USA" stamp, which I'm not sure I'm willing to do.

The not so good news is that they want to do an initial run of 100-150 units. Not sure if the market is there for them. Unknown.

Comments appreciated.

 

[fastpakr]

How strong do the parts need to be? Just curious if there are any filaments that might be adequate so it could be 3d printed at a much lower production volume.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

How strong do the parts need to be? Just curious if there are any filaments that might be adequate so it could be 3d printed at a much lower production volume.

I mean, my understanding is that there is a pattern to 3d print a knob but it’s not something like the Shiftster, it’s just a knob so you can get 2wd or 4-low. So technically it could be printed if someone did up the CAD work.

 

[racsan]

I wondered about 3-d printing on this project myself, we use 3-d printed parts on some of our fixtures at work.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Talked to the machine shop today. There is good news, and some not so good news.

The good news is that it's not a big deal to make. The new version of the Shiftster, now known as the 'ShiftHappens,' will be a bit different than the original - current design revision will have a one piece CNC cut handle and rotor shaft all made from aluminum. Doing it this way will cut down on final assembly on my end, and hopefully lead to increased durability, etc. Neutral detent will be a feature as well. Still the same idea with a baseplate and spring loaded knob for locking in the correct position. Current plan is to ship as a finished unit with three bolts so that the swap is simple and it can be carried as a kit. Might include a convenient pouch, might not depending on cost.

The 'neutral' news is that increases in material costs and using all american parts and labor is going to lead to a slightly higher price point, around $129 per unit. I can probably get that lower, but will have to sacrifice the "Made in USA" stamp, which I'm not sure I'm willing to do.

The not so good news is that they want to do an initial run of 100-150 units. Not sure if the market is there for them. Unknown.

Comments appreciated.

I don’t know when I’ll have the money for one, but if this did happen, I’d take one.