Taking a break from studying, so I got another DIY for you all. This one in particular is for those reppin' the automatic transmissions!
Want a more luxurious look? that automatic shifter lookin' a little bare? This DIY is intended to dress up your car's interior, namely the shift knob. Some automatic cars and even some newer luxury models are starting to bring this style into the mix, I've personally seen in on Volvo, my friend's grand am, and on some BMWs.
Volvo S40, 2002
yeah, so we're gonna do that.
Again with the disclaimers, i'm not responsible for damage, blah blah, this shouldn't be a risky procedure but please be sure to not mess you or your car up in the process.
LET'S DO THIS!
Tools Needed
- Phillips Head Screwdriver
- Hands and Fingers
^really? is that all I used?
Items Needed
- A Shift Boot
^wow. this is an easy DIY, haha
Step 1) remove your center console. there are 4 screws, the two in the front of the console, and two in the back, near the e-brake
Step 2) remove the 4 gold screws holding down the shift plate/gear indicator/whatnot
Step 3) Remove the shift knob
Step 4) Remove the LED that goes into the shift plate
OPTIONAL THING TO DO:
at this point, if you look at the shift plate, you will notice that there are some more screws, these ones holding the letter plate in. you can take this off, and spraypaint/polish the matte black surrounding plastic plate, you can also polish the letter plate. reassemble when done.
Step 5) Remove the plastic sliding track thing from the letter plate
Step 6) While you're there, clean up the area some. Otherwise your boot is gonna get all grimey in places where you're not gonna see anyways, haha
Step 7) Insert your shift boot into the shift plate, with the letter plate reinstalled.
Step 8) reinstall the shift plate onto your car. Remember to reinstall the LED, and when you screw down the 4 screws, make sure they're pinching down the shift boot, so it stays and doesn't come out.
Step 9) Before you reinstall the center console, reinstall your shift knob, so you can test it out. make sure you can go from park to 1st gear without stressing the material, and make sure it looks GOOD while doing it. the shift boot that i'm using in this tutorial (i've since changed it to a different shift boot) was fickle, and I had to mess with how it creased in certain places to get it to shift how i wanted it to, and look good. so just test and test to get it to your liking. don't skimp out on this step, because it's frustrating to have to take off the center console to tweak something tiny that you could've done now.
Step 10) reinstall your center console, and your shift knob! (PS: I used a 90-91 shift knob, because i like extra buttons, and it looked better than that blank 92-93 shift knob ;D)
Step 11) STAND BACK AND ADMIRE YOUR DRESSED UP AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION!
I painted the surrounding plate silver, to get a more luxurious, chrometastic look.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
Alright all, back to studying. Hope you enjoy this simple DIY! it really looks great.
Here's my current set-up, for those who might be wondering. a little saturated in light, but you get the idea. SHINE!
and yeah, that's cardboard spraypainted black to cover up the gaping hole where a stereo system used to be, haha. car thieves suck! I've been using portable speakers powered by 4 AAA batteries for a year now hahaha, it's actually pretty fun to see people's reactions when i whip out my "deck," and i unfold my speakers and plug in my music player, hehehe.
REP THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION!
Want a more luxurious look? that automatic shifter lookin' a little bare? This DIY is intended to dress up your car's interior, namely the shift knob. Some automatic cars and even some newer luxury models are starting to bring this style into the mix, I've personally seen in on Volvo, my friend's grand am, and on some BMWs.
Volvo S40, 2002
yeah, so we're gonna do that.
Again with the disclaimers, i'm not responsible for damage, blah blah, this shouldn't be a risky procedure but please be sure to not mess you or your car up in the process.
LET'S DO THIS!
Tools Needed
- Phillips Head Screwdriver
- Hands and Fingers
^really? is that all I used?
Items Needed
- A Shift Boot
^wow. this is an easy DIY, haha
Step 1) remove your center console. there are 4 screws, the two in the front of the console, and two in the back, near the e-brake
Step 2) remove the 4 gold screws holding down the shift plate/gear indicator/whatnot
Step 3) Remove the shift knob
Step 4) Remove the LED that goes into the shift plate
OPTIONAL THING TO DO:
at this point, if you look at the shift plate, you will notice that there are some more screws, these ones holding the letter plate in. you can take this off, and spraypaint/polish the matte black surrounding plastic plate, you can also polish the letter plate. reassemble when done.
Step 5) Remove the plastic sliding track thing from the letter plate
Step 6) While you're there, clean up the area some. Otherwise your boot is gonna get all grimey in places where you're not gonna see anyways, haha
Step 7) Insert your shift boot into the shift plate, with the letter plate reinstalled.
Step 8) reinstall the shift plate onto your car. Remember to reinstall the LED, and when you screw down the 4 screws, make sure they're pinching down the shift boot, so it stays and doesn't come out.
Step 9) Before you reinstall the center console, reinstall your shift knob, so you can test it out. make sure you can go from park to 1st gear without stressing the material, and make sure it looks GOOD while doing it. the shift boot that i'm using in this tutorial (i've since changed it to a different shift boot) was fickle, and I had to mess with how it creased in certain places to get it to shift how i wanted it to, and look good. so just test and test to get it to your liking. don't skimp out on this step, because it's frustrating to have to take off the center console to tweak something tiny that you could've done now.
Step 10) reinstall your center console, and your shift knob! (PS: I used a 90-91 shift knob, because i like extra buttons, and it looked better than that blank 92-93 shift knob ;D)
Step 11) STAND BACK AND ADMIRE YOUR DRESSED UP AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION!
I painted the surrounding plate silver, to get a more luxurious, chrometastic look.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
Alright all, back to studying. Hope you enjoy this simple DIY! it really looks great.
Here's my current set-up, for those who might be wondering. a little saturated in light, but you get the idea. SHINE!
and yeah, that's cardboard spraypainted black to cover up the gaping hole where a stereo system used to be, haha. car thieves suck! I've been using portable speakers powered by 4 AAA batteries for a year now hahaha, it's actually pretty fun to see people's reactions when i whip out my "deck," and i unfold my speakers and plug in my music player, hehehe.
REP THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION!
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