Need Help!- One off fabrication.

[hdvato]

Hello,

First off, let me apologize if my first post is in the wrong sub-forum. Mod’s, please move and/or delete as you see fit.

If my thread still exists, then here is my situation. I’m in the process of fabricating a quick release steering wheel. For my particular application, most of the parts (i.e. Steering wheel, Quick Release, and hub adaptor) are all readily available and plug’n play.

The wrinkle is that I have a sequential manual transmission; basically what you see in Formula 1 and rally cars where the shift paddles/levers are part of the steering wheel. There are two vendors that supply a setup to support the paddle shifters for a quick release steering wheel. One is here in the United States, but they appear to no longer be in business. The other is in Great Britain, but with the exchange rate and the fact they only accept international money transfers, it’s just a pain to deal with them.

Attached are some pictures of what I’m talking about.

My request is that I’m looking for a machinist (hobbyist) that would be interested in fabricating a set of housings to hold the micro-switches and paddles. The criterion is as follows:

• They need to support both the switch and the shifting lever.
  
• The housing needs to encapsulate the switch and protect it from the elements and me knocking it around when I disconnect the steering wheel.
  
• The housing needs to be light weight and as low profile as possible.
  
• The housing needs to be able to be mounted to the support frame that I’m fabricating out of carbon fiber.

This is a paying gig! If this is a project that someone would be interested in taking on, please send me a PM and we can discuss further details.

If you have made it this far, then I thank you for your time.

[metalworkz]

Hello,
You mention fabricating a set of housings, and I was wondering if it could be done with a single housing for both? Also it would be good to know what material you would like the housing made from if that is critical. Do you have drawings of the housing or does that need to be figured out also?

[hdvato]

Here are some additional pics of the micro switch and the OEM housing. You'll notice the irregular design of the OEM housing to work with the factory steering wheel - I need a flush mount for my application.

[hdvato]

Originally Posted by metalworkz Hello, You mention fabricating a set of housings, and I was wondering if it could be done with a single housing for both? Also it would be good to know what material you would like the housing made from if that is critical. Do you have drawings of the housing or does that need to be figured out also?

You're right, I failed to mention the material. I would think aluminum, T4? I'm not a metallurgist and would defer to any of your expert opinions.

I suppose it could be fabricated as one single piece, but need to consider weight as a factor.

Thoughts/comments/concerns?

Thanx to all who have expressed an interest so far!

p.s. If anyone has a better idea on how to 'skin this cat' (metaphorically speaking - I would never harm any animal), then I'm open to suggestions!

[dustin1706]

I am assuming you are talking about geartronics as the UK manufacturer of this product.

Have you checked out the Works Bell kits? I don't want to discourage you from having a custom set made, custom parts are always awesome, but This could get expensive, and it might be unnecessary if the Works Bell kit will work for you.

I'm not sure what vehicle you have, or what style of column you are using (assuming this is a custom build?)

aspec is the american distributor for Works Bell and tunersgroup is the Australian distributor. Call aspec for prices, but expect to spend about $1000 for the paddleshift / quick release combo.

A SPEC PRODUCTS * Motorsport Minded

Nissan Skyline R35 GT-R GTR Works Bell Paddle Shifter NEO And GTC / GTC Hybrid Quick Release Bundle - The Tuners Group

[hdvato]

Thanx for the suggestion - I'll check it out.

My application is for BMW E46 M3.