Baseball Shift Knob

This instructable will show you how to turn a baseball into a shift knob for your car.

Step 1: Tools and Materials

Materials

1. Baseball. I went with a weighted baseball I found on Amazon. There are a couple reasons to go with a weighted ball instead of a regulation ball. The construction of weighted baseballs is better for this application because of the size of the core. But also, I wanted a black baseball to better match the interior of my car and weighted baseballs come in a variety of different colors based on the weight
2. Threaded Slide-on Shift Adapter. My shift lever is not threaded, so I bought an adapter from TWMPerformance.com that is held in place with setscrews. You can find one here: http://www.twmshiftknobs.com/shiftknobs/knobinsert.php
3. 5-Minute Epoxy

Tools

1. Drill or Drill Press
2. 11/16" Forstner Bit - The shift adapter from TWM Performance is 3/4", so I went one size down. If you are not using the adapter, adjust the size as required. Recommend using a forstner bit vs a standard drill bit as it makes a flat bottom hole and won't catch on the string inside the ball when you drill it.
3. Hobby Knife

Step 2: Preparing the Baseball

Before we start drilling the baseball, there are a couple things we need to do. First, set the adapter on a table with the threaded side up. Then, place the baseball on top, making sure to align the baseball seams to reflect how you want the final product to look. I went with the four-seam fastball look.

Next, flip the the ball and adapter over and trace the outline of the adapter onto the ball.

Note: My baseball came with logos that I didn't want to keep. I was able to remove them with a bit of paint thinner. I recommend applying a bit of paint thinner to the where you will be drilling first to see how it will affect the leather.

Step 3: Preparing the Baseball Cont'd

Before we are ready to drill, we'll need to cut a hole the leather with a knife. I didn't have a hobby knife handy, so I used a pocket knife.

Cut the leather along the outline you traced in the previous step

Step 4: Drilling

Now we are almost ready to drill. Place the forstner bit on a table next to the threaded part of the adapter and apply tape to the bit to mark the depth you'll need to drill.

Now carefully drill the ball, starting slow. Once you get through the string part of the ball into the solid core, you can speed the drill up (if you are using a hand drill). Drill until the tape reaches the ball.

Step 5: Assembly

It's time to assemble your new shift knob. Make sure to clear any debris out of the baseball that's left over from the drilling. Test fit the adapter by screwing it into the ball. It will be a tight fit but you should be able to screw it all the way in.

Once you have the adapter screwed in all the way, take it out to your car and test fit the whole assembly onto your shifter. Make sure you are okay with the height of the ball. You can drill the hole a little deeper to lower the height, but make sure you don't drill so far that you ruin the integrity of the ball. I recommend not going much deeper than halfway through the ball.

Step 6: Epoxy

This next step is optional, but highly recommended to prevent issues later on. I didn't take pictures of this step, but it should be fairly self explanatory.

If you are happy with the height, unscrew the adapter from the ball. Mix up some 5-minute epoxy and coat the inside of the hole in the ball. Before the epoxy dries, screw the adapter back in. Allow the epoxy to set per the requirements of your chosen epoxy.

The first time I did this, I let the epoxy dry before I put the adapter back in, but I wasn't able to get the adapter back in without re-drilling. If you don't want to epoxy the adapter in the ball, you could probably use a tap on the dried epoxy to facilitate getting the adapter in.

Step 7: Finish!

Your brand new shift knob is now ready to be installed. Attach your stock shift boot to the adapter. Then, slide the adapter onto the shift lever and tighten up the setscrews.

Now go for a drive!

Comments

[KevKon]

I can't find any baseballs that are just solid colors without any markings or brand names written on them. Where did you find this baseball or did you somehow remove the markings?

[puaerotch]

This is what I bought for the project: https://amzn.com/B0019GEY2Y

I used the yellow ball to test to make sure the solvent wasn't going to negatively affect the leather. If I remember correctly, I used Goof Off to remove the logo, but it's pretty much paint thinner, so that should work just the same.

[KevKon]

Nevermind, I should have red further. Thanks.

[Trev01]

Alright, hopefully you keep up with this post still because I have a few questions. First off I'm 17 and know little to nothing about cars. I have an '07 Jetta and I have no clue if my shifter is threaded or not. If this helps at all my stick looks almost identical to yours. Could you explain to me how I could find this out? Sorry for being so clueless.

[puaerotch]

I would guess that the Jetta wouldn't be different than the GTI, in which case, it isn't threaded. You can verify by carefully prying up on the black plastic around the shift boot and pulling the boot up so you can see the bottom of the shift knob. Check out this link: http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?2613986

[craftclarity]

That's pretty cool! Audi was making the TT with a 'baseball stitch' interior for awhile there, this could be a sweet match for that.

[rustyknives]

What kinda car is that? Looks like the same as mine, a jetta. If so, how did you make a phone input? Sorry to be off topic ha

[puaerotch]

As TehSasquatch said, it is an '07 GTI, which came with an aux audio input in the glove box. The phone mount would probably have made a good instructable but I made it awhile ago. If I ever upgrade my phone and make a new one, I'll be sure to document it. It's essentially half of a phone case attached to a tomtom GPS ball-and-socket mount.

[TehSasquatch]

I'm pretty sure it is a MKV gti

[Penolopy Bulnick]

That looks great! Love the baseball you used!

[seamster]

Cool! I've seen this done with pool balls, but never a baseball. Nice work.

[puaerotch]

Thanks. I was a bit nervous that it wouldn't turn out well since baseballs don't have much of a solid core to them, but it worked out great.