Lighted ZHP Installed! DIY

[py0413]

how much force do you need to apply when you take things apart? I am afraid that I will break something. @

[TLud]

Originally Posted by py0413

how much force do you need to apply when you take things apart? I am afraid that I will break something. @

The trim piece that clips the boot into the center console pulls up very easily. You shouldn't need to use too much force. Getting my OEM knob off the shifter was a PIA. I used a lot of force and still couldn't get it off until I pried apart the plastic piece that clamps the knob on. That may have just been because I have a UUC shifter and may be much easier with the stock shifter.

[TLud]

Originally Posted by bunnn

not to take away from OP's DIY, but I believe Tlud recently made a DIY using leatherZ modified(for illumination) ZHP knob ... if you havent read it, you should..could save you potential headache/problems

Not to take away from Metak's install because he did a fantastic job, but now that the illuminated ZHP knob is available pre-made for only $90 more than the OEM ZHP knob, I'm not sure why you wouldn't go that route unless you have tons of time and enjoy car projects. Personally, I just don't have the time.

[Mr.Metak2you]

I have seen several people do these ZHP lighted mods. All either have glue showing or light leaking around the edges. The way I did it, with the trimmed down black ring (A) that fits snuggly inside the modified ZHP, it seals the light from escaping around the edges and also gives the lighted shift pattern a place to rest without any glue necessary. The biggest benefit I see with doing this yourself is, if you wanted to go back to stock, all you have to do is order a new one-peice OEM shift/boot and just pulg it back in. Another big benefit that was important to me was to use the stock LED board. The stock LED has 6 tiny LED's which provides an EVEN distribution of light over the entire pattern. Some of the aftermaket LEDs are bulky and maybe only use 2 LED's.

[Nawaaz]

Thanks for the update Metak.

I'll watch out for those areas during my install process.

[Robwe46m3]

I still don't understand how you remove the Plastic M shift pattern from the top of the ZHP? can you explain?

[elp_jc]

Originally Posted by Robwe46m3

I still don't understand how you remove the Plastic M shift pattern from the top of the ZHP? can you explain?

I just did that . Punched the middle, drilled a hole, and threaded a screw to yank it out, but it cracked first. I suggest that method, as it causes zero damage to the sides of your knob.

I have another suggestion: when drilling the hole at the bottom for the wires, rather than drilling at the 6 o'clock position as shown on Metak's pic (post #29), I'm going to drill between tabs, which is about the 5 o'clock position. I'll save about 1/2" of drilling, plus should be easier to start. And most importantly, the tabs will retain their full strength to avoid any rattling.

I'm also going to remove as little material as possible from the ZHP so will work on thinning the 'ring' first, and go from there. Need to finish removing the stock lighting, which is not being easy . Good day.

EDIT: I'm done. Looks OEM, as no wires were spliced/cut. I also didn't have to remove any metal; only metal encountered was when drilling the wire hole. Most of the middle protrusion needs to be removed, so you know. And I cut early the 2 glue 'extensions' at 12 and 6 o'clock positions to avoid any possible damage to the leather, which I further protected with masking tape. And no, absolutely no need for a drill press or vice, even with less than stellar pulse when doing the above . Oh, and the final size for the wire hole was 9/64". I just had to cut the transparent 'sleeve' to feed one wire at a time (once removed from the connector, that is). And finally built up the area where the boot attaches right below the knob with electrical tape rolled backwards (cut a long piece and rolled it on its sticky side to make a sticky 'pipe') just a little smaller than the knob's ring, and with the leather thickness ended up being perfect. And I also cut 2 opposite 'squares' to hide the small ziptie heads (needed 2 to reach all around) installed backwards so the boot looks perfectly round around the ring (no ziptie heads sticking out the leather). Leather didn't wrinkle at all below the ring since the new base was the same diameter as the opening. Looks 100% OEM, just like I wanted: lighting is identical to stock knob (I sank the LED board a bit lower than flush, since flush lighting looked 'localized', but 2mm were enough), no light 'leaks' at all, leather looks to be coming out of the ring, and I left the boot the smallest size possible without causing stress when in 6th. It was my toughest knob job, but am glad I went for it. Now it's time for a test drive. Hope this helps.

[elp_jc]

Below is a pic of my finished project. Lighting is identical to stock. Leather on the ZHP knob DOES NOT match stock one; not a big deal even for a perfectionist like myself, but just FYI. The ring makes the leather mismatch less obvious, and it matches all other aluminum accents on the car perfectly . Even with the 'blacker' leather, I like the ZHP much better, even before the benefits of how much better it feels and looks . And the boot job I did (same diameter as ring) looks perfect . Oh, and the shift pattern on the stock knob looks a million times better than the ZHP one, even in daylight; another reason to do the transplant.

Anyway, the lower pics are after removing the 'posts' at 12 and 6 o'clock positions, and where the hole ends up if drilled at my chosen location, which is the best one IMO. Hope this helps gang.

[Mr.Metak2you]

Great Job JC! Looks 1000x better!

[Robwe46m3]

how do you extract the shift pattern and lighting assembly from the stock shifter so as not to damage them at all for the transplant? can someone elaborate in detail. Aslo I dremeled away all the white plastic under the ZHP shift pattern until i got to bare metal. Was I not supposed to do that?

[elp_jc]

Originally Posted by Robwe46m3

how do you extract the shift pattern and lighting assembly from the stock shifter so as not to damage them at all for the transplant?

That was the hardest part of the job. I must have spent an hour with the dremel getting that b*tch in one piece undamaged (including the wires). The only advice I have for you is PATIENCE .

Originally Posted by Robwe46m3

Aslo I dremeled away all the white plastic under the ZHP shift pattern until i got to bare metal. Was I not supposed to do that?

Not really. All you need to dremel away is the middle protrusion, and not all of it. I left about 2mm. I left more, but the lighting was localized, so went a bit deeper; lighting is just like stock. Having said that, all you did was take away a bit more weight off the knob (and spend more time with the dremel), but no harm at all. That's the way Metak did it as well.

[Robwe46m3]

So basically you dremel the SHIT out of the stock knob to extract the shift pattern???

[Nawaaz]

No offense to the OP, but I had mine recently done by my friend at his shop. It was an absolute nightmare for us!

We got it done, but it didn't turn out looking 100%.

I should've taken TLud's advice on ordering the ready-made from leatherZ.com.

Just my honest experience, and I learned the hard way.

[elp_jc]

Originally Posted by Robwe46m3

So basically you dremel the SHIT out of the stock knob to extract the shift pattern???

Yep. Let me add something that could help you, but it'd be risky: If you remove the 'cap' (where the shift pattern is), there's a torx screw at the bottom, and you could theoretically lift the whole lighting assembly, but you'd still have to widen the holes for the wires to extract them without cutting them (terminals are wider than the wires). Problem is you risk damaging the 'cap', and it'd be visible, so I preferred to dremel the shit (to mimic your words ) out of the stock knob myself. Just peel off the rubbery 'skin' off the knob so you can clearly see the inside of it and make the job easier. Oh, and wear a face mask .

Originally Posted by Nawaaz

I had mine recently done by my friend at his shop. It was an absolute nightmare for us!

What happened? The main thing is to protect the leather on the edges. I had a minuscule booboo when my daughter barged in my garage and startled me, and went thru the masking tape barely removing the black part of the leather at one spot. A black sharpie made it invisible, even from an inch away. So yes, to can cover minor blemishes with a black sharpie folks.

I thought about the LeatherZ too, but 2 things bothered me. The first was the crappy lighting (IMO,of course) compared to stock. Oh, and they don't seem to be using the OEM top (with the shift pattern), which is MUCH better looking than the ZHP one. And the second one was the connector was wrong, and needs to be spliced. I wanted an OEM look (talking about the lighting), and also preferred OEM-looking wiring, even though a splice would not be visible from the outside. Glad I tried it myself, but I would not do it again for somebody else even if paid $200 .

[Nawaaz]

Originally Posted by elp_jc

Yep. Let me add something that could help you, but it'd be risky: If you remove the 'cap' (where the shift pattern is), there's a torx screw at the bottom, and you could theoretically lift the whole lighting assembly, but you'd still have to widen the holes for the wires to extract them without cutting them (terminals are wider than the wires). Problem is you risk damaging the 'cap', and it'd be visible, so I preferred to dremel the shit (to mimic your words ) out of the stock knob myself. Just peel off the rubbery 'skin' off the knob so you can clearly see the inside of it and make the job easier. Oh, and wear a face mask .


What happened? The main thing is to protect the leather on the edges. I had a minuscule booboo when my daughter barged in my garage and startled me, and went thru the masking tape barely removing the black part of the leather at one spot. A black sharpie made it invisible, even from an inch away. So yes, to can cover minor blemishes with a black sharpie folks.

I thought about the LeatherZ too, but 2 things bothered me. The first was the crappy lighting (IMO,of course) compared to stock. Oh, and they don't seem to be using the OEM top (with the shift pattern), which is MUCH better looking than the ZHP one. And the second one was the connector was wrong, and needs to be spliced. I wanted an OEM look (talking about the lighting), and also preferred OEM-looking wiring, even though a splice would not be visible from the outside. Glad I tried it myself, but I would not do it again for somebody else even if paid $200 .

It was just a HUGE amount of work that went into this entire process. My installer and I reviewed the step by step directions provided in this thread, but it just wasn't working out accordingly for us. The entire time, I was so nervous, and now I know why I was feeling that way.

The drilling, the cutting, the gluing all added up to headache afterwards. It was near impossible to cut through the stock shift knob since it seemed like it was made out of IRON. And it was the same way with drilling through the zhp knob. My installer even said that it was like cutting a golf ball open, and I even concured.

[kabalm18]

Originally Posted by elp_jc

Below is a pic of my finished project. Lighting is identical to stock. Leather on the ZHP knob DOES NOT match stock one; not a big deal even for a perfectionist like myself, but just FYI. The ring makes the leather mismatch less obvious, and it matches all other aluminum accents on the car perfectly . Even with the 'blacker' leather, I like the ZHP much better, even before the benefits of how much better it feels and looks . And the boot job I did (same diameter as ring) looks perfect . Oh, and the shift pattern on the stock knob looks a million times better than the ZHP one, even in daylight; another reason to do the transplant.

Anyway, the lower pics are after removing the 'posts' at 12 and 6 o'clock positions, and where the hole ends up if drilled at my chosen location, which is the best one IMO. Hope this helps gang.

What did you do to get the boot to match the diameter of the ring? It looks great!

[elp_jc]

Originally Posted by Nawaaz

It was just a HUGE amount of work that went into this entire process.

Yeah, definitely not for the faint of heart . Even after having countersunk several knobs (lots of work too), I didn't really want to tackle this one, but the LeatherZ one wasn't good enough for me, so had to take the plunge .

Originally Posted by kabalm18

What did you do to get the boot to match the diameter of the ring? It looks great!

Ended up using electrical tape rolled backwards and adhered to itself (yes, sticky side out), folded in half, and PAINSTAKINGLY filled that narrow area just short of the ring's diameter (leather thickness filled the rest). Then made 2 square cuts at the top (12 and 6 o'clock positions) where the heads of 2 small zipties attached backwards (with the 'head' on the inside) had space to hide, leaving the leather smooth all around. If you put the zipties the 'right' way, you end up with their 'heads' (even after you cut the excess) sticking out, and looks like crap IMO. Yes, I'm a little anal . By the way, after that 'filling' job, you install the boot outside in (backwards) and push it as low on the shaft as possible, then install the knob, then pull the boot up until boot is snug around the made-up -ring', which is at the very end, then secure the boot with the 2 zipties tied together, tighten little by little to keep the 'heads' at their appropriate 12 and 6 o'clock positions, then cut the excess, route and connect the wires, and finally pull the boot down and reinstall the base. Hope this helps.

[gixxer_kidd]

Originally Posted by elp_jc

Yep. Let me add something that could help you, but it'd be risky: If you remove the 'cap' (where the shift pattern is), there's a torx screw at the bottom, and you could theoretically lift the whole lighting assembly, but you'd still have to widen the holes for the wires to extract them without cutting them (terminals are wider than the wires).

That's what I did. I lifted the cap then I lifted the led board. It took me a while but I managed to wiggle it out. Next I unscrewed the torx screw and lifted the entire lighting assembly out. After removing the wires from the connector I was able to pass them through the existing holes without enlarging it. So for me no cutting of the stock knob was required.

I just received the zhp knob yesterday so now I'm going to do the swap. A little unsure on where to drill and how much material to take off the top of the knob. Guess I'll take it slow and follow the directions here.

[gixxer_kidd]

Completed my install yesterday. Grinding down the top of the zhp knob wasn't as bad as I thought. I used my drummel with a die grinder. I flattened the entire center part. Drilling was the scariest part. I ended up breaking the first drill bit. Second attempt was better. I drilled at the 1 o'clock position when looking down at the knob.

After that it was easy. I took all the blue tape off (used to protect the leather) and wiped down the knob. Next I placed in the led board, then the black ring to hold the board in place and finally the cap. Everything fit perfectly I didn't have to use any glue.

Thanks so much for this DIY. I love the feel of the new knob!

[Mr.Metak2you]

Originally Posted by gixxer_kidd

.....After that it was easy. I took all the blue tape off (used to protect the leather) and wiped down the knob. Next I placed in the led board, then the black ring to hold the board in place and finally the cap. Everything fit perfectly I didn't have to use any glue.

Thanks so much for this DIY. I love the feel of the new knob!

Glad it worked out for you! I don't understand why some had such disasterous results? I did'nt think it was that bad either. It is such an improvement over the stock that you really can't explain until you've driven the two back to back!

[gixxer_kidd]

Originally Posted by ///Metak

Glad it worked out for you! I don't understand why some had such disasterous results? I did'nt think it was that bad either. It is such an improvement over the stock that you really can't explain until you've driven the two back to back!

Thanks! After driving around this weekend, I think this is the best $60 I've ever spent on this car. The shifts feel much smoother and takes less force. It almost feels like I had an SSK installed. It's perfect for me now.

[bavarian06]

yes! i found the DIY. great write up.

im going to see how darning i want to be and how badly i want the lighted ZHP knob. i dont even noticed the shifter is lighted at night; probably cause i'm too busy looking at the road haha.