I love that kinda mod to your personal vehicles.  I had a fine Nardi wood
steering wheel on an old 356  Porsche I drove and every time I put my
grubby hands on that, it (among other things with that really fun car),it
just felt Right!

  If my manual 5 so was a more conventional shift pattern, I'd have a nice
teak shift knob that better fit my large hand, but the factory one has the
shift pattern ingraved nicely.... needed when someone else has to move the
van.
On Feb 11, 2014 6:42 PM, "Stuart MacMillan" <stuartmacm@gmail.com> wrote:

> Winter doldrums prompt all sorts of off the wall requests, and this is one
> of them.
>
>
>
> The shift handle for the Vanagon automatic transmission is a piece of
> plastic junk.  Looks like crap, and 30 years of sun exposure turns it into
> dust.
>
>
>
> I think there may be a market, all be it small, for a nice wood or metal
> version. Making one out of an exotic hardwood would be easy for a good wood
> carver, and I'd pay up to $100 for one, and maybe some will pay more for
> custom designs.
>
>
>
> It's a two piece unit with a sliding button on one end for the reverse lock
> out, and it should be much larger than it is to be ergonomic (you do have
> to
> shift a lot climbing hills!).  I have a photo as well as the real thing to
> send to anyone who wants to take this on.
>
>
>
> Any takers, or do you know someone who crafts wood or metal that might be
> interested?
>
>
>
> Stuart
>
> '85 Westy A/T (too much traffic here, I'm now shiftless)
>