Nobody ever understood what the zig zag line for reverse meant in my 40
years of VW van ownership!  You could always have a plaque made for the dash
if you want that just says "push lever down then to the right and back" if
you want.  Check that though, I've forgotten what it really was.

Stuart

From: Don Hanson [mailto:dhanson928@gmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, February 11, 2014 7:50 PM
To: Stuart MacMillan
Cc: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Calling all wood carvers/craftspeople (Vanagon content)

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)