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I did a search here for an e-brake drift button (drift spin knob) and only found like 3 good threads. None of them had pics, and it was confusing to read. There was talk of wire, springs, sleeves, and dremeling. I'm really shocked there's no DIY on this...hasn't the Z33 been around for 6 years? After getting it all apart, I understood what the others were talking about. Just wanna thank the other posters for this mod . Here's my method.
I only had my camera phone, sorry.
This is what it looks like all taken apart.
With the e-brake button is pushed, it moves the catch lever away from the teeth, thus releasing the rear drums. The spring keeps tension on the button, always keeping the catch lever on the teeth, hence the reason it "clicks" when you pull the handle.
This is the spring that some have removed. Ok, it's the same pic as above, but look at the spring this time!
When the stock spring is removed, the button arm and catch lever just hang free. The idea to wire the catch lever to the button arm is to keep the connection without spring tension, rendering the clicker disabled. I'm sure this works well enough, but basically the catch lever is now just kinda floating there. My rule of thumb has always been to avoid any potential problem, even if it is "just in case". The way I saw it was that a sudden jar or mishap could cause the catch lever to grab a tooth when you don't want it to. That would be a sucky surprise. So I stared at it for about 10 min, then a light bulb went off.
I flipped the stock spring around.
This allows the spring tension to keep the catch lever far away from the locking teeth. I thought I was so smart! Now, I still needed a way to attach the catch lever to the button arm. I tried wire, but then the catch lever would only move about 1-2mm away from the teeth. The angle was goofy and the wire didn't have enough allowance. So now I'm back to square one. I almost gave up here, then another light bulb went off.
What if i had another spring to hold the catch lever to the button arm? This way the flipped spring would still keep the catch lever away from the teeth, and the tension from another spring in the opposite direction would keep the catch lever attached to the button arm. The space we're talking about here is only 10-12mm though. Where can I possibly get a freaking spring that small...third light bulb! A push button pen! So I run in the house and find a sacrificial pen, harvest the spring, and it's still too long. Damn it! Wait a minute you dorkus malorkus, just snip it down. So after snipping it down, I bent over one side to make a "hook" and the other side I coiled the other side tightly to fashion a "eye hole". The hook side goes into the hole on the button arm (look closely at the pic, it's hooked through that little hole. It's not attached the stock spring) and the eye hole side gets attached to the catch lever via some all purpose wire.
Modified pen spring
So I was so psyched that this sh!t really worked, I wanted to share.
This is probably the reason no one makes a Z33 specific drift e-brake button. I got an Ebay special $15 S13 button. It fits a little tight, but works with some persuasion. Once you remove the button arm from the handle assembly, the silver button part pulls off with some force. Now take the silver button and force it into the drift button. At first it will seems that it won't fit, but it's made of plastic and has "forgiveness". I used a rubber ended dead blow hammer and it worked like a charm. The two magically become one...that sh!t will never come out.
Stock button inside of my $15 drift button.
Next we attack the problem of the S13 drift button not "exactly" fitting the Z33. Below is a pic of the exposed e-brake handle and button arm (without the silver button). That hole/channel that the button arm goes thorough is way too narrow for the S13 drift button to fit. Go to Home Depo or OSH and get a 5/8 drill bit. With the button arm removed, ream that little ***** out. Go slow on the drill speed, if that sh!t catches you're gonna smack up everything around the drill. If you don't have or can't borrow a 1/2" chuck drill, you can use a dremel, but it will take much longer and make way more of a mess.
Reamed handle...biatch!
The S13 drift button is too big for the leather handle cover too. You could prolly get away without it, but I took a broke out the dremel with a barrel sander bit and reamed out leather too. Why stop there, ya know.
The last piece to go back on is the drift button. Don't make the mistake of snapping it back on the button arm before you put the leather cover back on, cause that sh!t snaps on tight son! You may break something (like your hand on the radio or the shifter) when you're trying to take the button back off. I used the dead blow hammer again.
So there you have it. The flipped spring keeps the catch lever off the teeth and the pen spring keeps the catch lever attached to the button arm. It's dope!
__________________
"It's so fast even a dead man will scream." Keiichi Tsuchiya. THE CLUB 005
People often complain that their cars setup is not up to task, when in fact it may very well be the driver's skill that lacks. The purpose of road course racing is to ring up the lowest possible times by sustaining the highest speeds though the twisys and the key is smoothness/consistency, purpose of this smoothness is to maximize traction.
but did you have any issues removing the actual e-brake boot. Mine seems to be on there really good 0_o ?
Ive had a drift button for lik 3 years now, collecting dust, wanted to use it
Nissan did a good job keeping them on there for keeps. You need to be strong and deliberate, slow and forceful. It will come off. When it starts to give, make sure your not putting too much force on it, or you will surely bang your hands into the dashboard.
Good luck!
__________________
"It's so fast even a dead man will scream." Keiichi Tsuchiya. THE CLUB 005
Nissan did a good job keeping them on there for keeps. You need to be strong and deliberate, slow and forceful. It will come off. When it starts to give, make sure your not putting too much force on it, or you will surely bang your hands into the dashboard.
Good luck!
Yeah Ive already banged my knuckes against the dash a couple times from pulling on it, If it is loctite normally the only way to soften it is with heat
+ melting my ebrake handle...
did you have to widen the hole at the end to fit both the button and the stock black button inside?
Thanks a lot for the install. Seems like many of the people on other forums are ignorant of drifting let alone a drift knob. Which brings me to my question. I'm looking to find a knob. any idea where I might find one? possibly one that is designed to actually fit the z33 model. I mean with all the zs I see on the track someone had to make one by now, right?
Drift spin e-brake button DIY
. Here's my method.
