Well, I think I am finally sure that I will be keeping the 512 and the 355 is truly gone. Over the winter, while my car was being serviced, I got bored and made myself a custom Hill Engineering slick shift gate. I had already replaced the shift knob with the anodized one from Hill, and it has more of a matte finish than the stock chrome knob. So, I decided to get the slick shifter to match. But the Hill gate has the shift pattern instead of the horsey. I thought it was stupid to have the gate pattern on the knob and on the gate too, so I decided to make my own. I started with the 355 Hill slick shift gate. I machined out a rectangular area that erased the shift gate pattern, about 1 mm deep. I then taped it off and painted the indented area satin black. I then trimmed an FCA sticker to fit and positioned it in the recessed area. I then filled the area with about 1.5 mm of a clear epoxy. The final product is below. I have no use for it, so if anyone wants a one-off, I'll ship it to you for $175 (about the cost of the slick shift and shipping). And if you get it and think it looks like crap, I'll take it back (it actually came out really well, if I do say so myself ). Not looking to make a buck, it just seems stupid to have it sitting around. PM or email me if interested. -J. Image Unavailable, Please Login
That is just dynamite! Want to make one for a 360? Paul Hill told me that with the declining # of 6 speeds in the 360's that it was not financially feasible for him to make a new shiftgate. What you did is super. Boy, if you could do a 360 that would be fantastic! Wishful thinking I know!
Thanks! It would be fun for this to find a happy home. Link to the ad: http://www.ferrarichat.com/ferrariads/showproduct.php?product=2289
How hard is it to get a 360 gate as a blank? By using the Hill gate, the worst thing I could do was completely F it up, and I was out $170. Not sure how much a 360 gate is, but I bet it is more. I also found out that the aluminum use in these gates is HARD. I broke 2 bits (at about $25 a pop) before I figured it out. The I pretty much used up 2 others getting it done. I made a jig and used a good plunge router. It took a while, but it came out nicely. If you can get a spare gate, it would be worth a try.
Sometimes, I just smile when I read this stuff! Maybe you should go back to grocery store and pick up some milk and bread. 360 6-speed gate, retail $1850. No, I've never had a customer crazy enough to buy one.
