I'm thinking a pistol grip like on the old muscle car hurst shifters would rule!!

 

Here is a little eye candy for everyone who has been so patient. I still have work to do on this one and it will be many weeks before I have it refined enough for the first prototype testers. I just wanted to make sure everyone knows that work is still progressing. Let me re-emphasize how much work this is. This is definitely a long term project.

 

Hell yeah! Looks awesome!

 

WOW!!!!

That looks great.

 

SWEET!! Keep us informed.

 

broken,

That looks absolutely amazing!!! My hats go off to everyone in this collaboration of ideas and brain storming!!

I can't wait to put one in my truck!



Mike

 

WOW!

That's amazing, my hat goes of to you for all the work you've done!

I am definately interested in one of those!

Keep the updates comming.

Someone should put this thread as a sticky at the top of the forum.

 

well, I have come to learn that the format of this thread is pretty much unacceptable according to the f150online.com rules so the discusssion from here on out will just be updates. The direct selling of items that you will profit from is prohibited.

See this thread for reference.

Emblem thread

So IF (and at this point I'm still not totally sure how far this thing will go) this shifter ever gets far enough along I will just use this thread to contact prototype testers. They will get a chance to test it out and then they can post their comments.

I also had another idea on how to let people get a feel for this product. I would donate one billet shifter to the F150 message board family and it would be strictly for people to try out because getting it in your hand speaks volumes about how much better it feels. We would need some way to keep track of the shifter and move it from one member to another among those interested. We would need to track it because if it were to disappear that would be the end of the free test shifter. Not that I dont trust everyone on here but "things happen"

I'm also considering a mailing list for those who are interested as a way to keep people up to date. If there is an interest in an email list I can also go that route.

 

First and foremost, I didn't halt the production of these shifters, only the sale.

If you all wish to put together a grand ole' group buy of sorts, that's fine and dandy but, you MUST get it pre-approved with Steve (webmaster@f150online.com). It's that simple.

Further, I have no intention of closing this thread of the emblem thread pending that the focus stays upon the design and *POTENTIAL* for a group buy.

One would be crossing the line to come out and say, "Email me as I've found someone to make it/these/them! I'll be selling the first 15 to the first 15 folks who email first!!..."

Selling versus design. Discussion of a group purchase versus organization of a group purchase.

These are very different in my eyes.

Don't make me out to be the bad guy here as I've been more than lenient on this situation. If you all want a group buy, email Steve. At that point, and only at that point, will we at f150online.com allow somone to profit from the product. End of story.

RP

 

Back to the technical side--have you considered casting the internals instead of machining them? At work we can get short run stainless steel investment castings from China pretty cheap!

Grim

 

Rockpick
I wasn't trying to make you out as the bad guy by any means. I just wanted to make sure all those involved in this thread were up to speed on what's appropriate. I totally understand and realize that some of what's already been posted really shouldn't have been allowed and I want to keep this post alive and not pushing the rules of what's allowed. We can deal with the group buy issue when and "if" that even becomes and option.


The "if" I get to making them wasn't in reference to you, it was more of "if its worthwhile to even pursue"...sorry I didn't make that clear. Let me do it now. These shifters take a large amount of work to produce and have taken all the free time I have been able to spare in the past couple months plus many hours of work to even make one. Some people would look at this design and say its not worth making (time Vs. Profit) since I have seen other products that are much less complex and sell for quite a bit of money. I guess that is evident in the lack of other products out there already. This design isnt just a ****....it's an assembly and every part has been redesigned and reproduced and I feel isn't something that you can find anywhere else but these message boards for the people who have the best truck out there.


So I hope that clears the air Rockpick, I totally in agreement with everything you said and did and would like to contribute to this forum and the members in such a way that it's a better place when we can all work together.

 

At this point I am going back through the design in order to simplify the design as much as possible. I will post more info about this as I work through the issues.

 

I also wanted to ask those that removed their shifter. How would it look without the bottom beauty cover. At this point I havent considered replicating that piece or even making the billet handle work with the current chrome looking plastic part. I was most concerned with getting the function correct and then work out the asthetics.

Does anybody think it would look good without that piece?

 

yeah that does look really nice, excellent job

 

We're fine bud. No problem. I just want to keep a very open relationship over here in the 2004 forum because, as I mentioned in the sticker thread, I certainly don't want this forum to become an 'us versus them' (users versus moderators) type of scenario.

RP