Gator

Please PM me if you ever come up with something. This would be great to add to an AT Z. Thanks

turbocad6

iTrader: (1)

been real busy, but were doing another test fit tomorrow, man, this would be much easier if I actually owned a Z

basically I'm using the stock paddles, but for nothing more than the magnesium paddle levers really, everything else is cut away. I'm building a steel sheet mounting plate & the whole pivot/spring/switch assy is completely custom fabricated. this way I am able to control the tension & stroke & pivot point, I want these to feel 100% factory & this is the only way I can do that. there are more braces that come off the steel plate pictured & there are tabs that attach to the bolts that hold the cover onto the column. bottom line these will feel nice & they won't be flimsy, everything is being built beefier than necessary so they last a lot of years without issue. I'm building them as a direct bolt in with no other modifications to the column

I'm still not sure if I'll use a double switch design or a single switch with a relay, tomorrow I'll see how much room I have left for the electrical switch

turbocad6

iTrader: (1)

you know what sucks, originally, when I started this thread, I had no idea how tight these Z's are in the column, I thought the write up I did for the DIY would be aplicable here, now, this is obviously not the case, but this thread & the tittle are really no longer correct as this is def not a DIY...

when I do finish this setup I'll have templates & enough measurements to be able to duplicate this... I may make these available to others, but probably a bit limited as these are all hand built...

james840a

iTrader: (7)

Turbocad,
Your doing a good job so far. That looks like alot of work LOL. Im getting close to having mine machine soon, i have the drawings all done and getting a quote for machining. I had to do a redesign so as to make the machining process easier. It is a tight fit in there. Ill keep you posted on mine once i get the first one made.

z-u-later

iTrader: (43)

turbocad6 - When and how much are you going to sell your kits?

REDchirp

Bump... Starting a list for people interested in putting down $$ for a finalized turbocad6 paddle shifter kit with instructions. If you can have all the pieces already fabricated with step by step instruction.. Including perhaps us mailing out the necessary OEM hub to you in order for you to modify it and ship it back with the rest of the parts/instructions.

Turbocad6 paddle shifting kit:
REDchirp

turbocad6

iTrader: (1)

guys, I'm working on finishing up a set of paddles for oleg, been very busy at work & very busy with other mods so I haven't made anything final public with these paddles yet.

my paddles will be as close to oem paddles on a Z as possible & will look like they came installed straight from nissan. at this stage they are all hand built & fabricated... I really don't want to discuss much in the way of setting up any kind of group buy or anything until I completely finish & have a set installed & working 100%... then, depending on interest, I may decide to gear up for a small production of these... I do know that there are other kits out there & that you guys do have other options, but I think mine are the only ones that are this close to oem in fit finish & function

I will not consider taking anyones money until I know that 1) I have a plan in place to fullfill any obligation I make & 2) I know that I can provide a product in a timely manner that will be as close to perfect as I would like & 3) have a product that I know will last the lifetime of the car & be trouble free

if I sell any of these to anyone I will also stand behind it & I am not & will not just be in this for the $$$ alone. this is not my bussiness this is more of a hobby for me. anyone that has delt with me or gotten any products or services from me knows how I do things... one problem is time, which I don't have a ton of extra... before I commit to anything I need to make sure I can fulfill this commitment. building one of these is one thing, but building 10-20 is a whole other ballgame... at the rate I build these all by hand it'd take me 6 months to fulfill an order of 20 of these, which is not satisfactory by any stretch of the imagination...

trust me, I have not forgotten you guys & I know there is a lot of interest here... I am considering taking on a group purchase of these, but not until I have a solid gameplan in place to fulfill orders... I have my original plates & templates & I will look into working with a machine shop to help me fulfill something in a timely manner.... I know right now I could get a bunch of guys to send me money on a promise, but I don't roll like that... to this day I still haven't even taken one penny from oleg even, & won't until he is 100% satisfied... that's just the way I do things... my word & my reputation is worth more to me than just having guys send me money...

turbocad6

iTrader: (1)

also, I just realized, I have no latest pictures of the work with olegs z...

the hole in the side of the cover is for mockup & building, the final version will look perfect there too

z-u-later

iTrader: (43)

Count me in if you start a small group buy. I really like the design of your paddle shifters.

turbocad6

iTrader: (1)

alright, it took me 8 months & I winded up changing my design like 5 or 6 times, winded up ruining one set of paddles & having buy another pair to start over again even, but I finally did it, I rebuilt the whole paddle into a small enough package to fit the 350z's. one of the biggest problems I had was to get the right feel, to just hang a paddle & have it pivot was easy enough, but it just felt like a wet noodle, where the factory paddle shifters have a very distinctive & solid CLICK to them, I spent a lot of time working on getting the right click & the right feel. the OE paddle base is so large because theres a spring & a cam inside of it to give it a good click feel. without a good feel to them these would suck, I had them mounted & pivoting long ago but to get them to feel good was the real challenge

I went through a few different spring scenarios & tried several things but just couldn't get it to feel nice, then, I came up with an idea to use magnets. winded up going through several different magnet types, sizes & setups till I hit just the right ones. final design uses 4 magnets to each paddle. with the magnets there is a solid hold until a bit of pressure is applied to pull the paddle, then it breaks away with a snap, travels a slight distance till it hits the limit stop.the magnet gap is still small so the magnetic pull is strong, that is the return spring action, there are no springs in my final design it's all just magnetic pull but the overall feel is perfect, very similar to the OE feel. in a way they almost even feel better with a very distinctive click feel, don't think I could be any more happy with the way they feel & work.

these are very close to being ready to install, hopefully have them in oleg's z in a week or 2. now that I have the complete templates down & all the details figured out & a successful design, I should be able to duplicate this & produce a number of these after there installed & tested. I know several guys have PMed me about these paddles, sorry I may not have answered some but didn't have much more to add other than whats already here in this thread so far. final production paddle setups will be laser cut or waterjet cut rather than by hand but then hand assembled & welded togeather, this design is very durable & should be trouble free

another good thing about this very compact design is, these should wind up fitting just about all Nissan's with tiptronic, from maxima's to g's to even fx's, which means I wouldn't mind setting up to build a lot of these as this design should be able to cover a wide selection instead of me having to build each car differently. no promisses yet as to exactly when you'll be able to buy these, but from what it looks like, you will be able to eventually buy these from me I think

Entaille

iTrader: (16)

I don't mean to steal any of your thunder, but works bell has a paddle shift kit for 400-700$ that you can use with your stock steering wheel, no? you dont lose your airbag or your cruise control buttons etc..

you do some pretty cool work and I look forward to seeing the results - just hope its more affordable, thats a lot just for paddle shifting in my opinion

turbocad6

iTrader: (1)

the works kit doesn't fit like these, sits much lower & doesn't look any thing like they belong there or came that way, these will fit & look like they came there from nissan, just like the new g's . some guys might like the carbon fiber aftermarket look, but some will like the way these match the rest of the interior & the nissan design. I haven't had the oportunity to really check out a bell kit so I can't say much to really compare mine to theres really

z-u-later

iTrader: (43)

BRILLIANT!

I was wondering why you've been quiet for awhile and had not responded to my PMs. Now, I know! Looking forward to your reviews. I don't mind waiting longer and getting a high quality product. Once you've perfected these paddle shifters, just make sure you apply for patent pending.

z-u-later

iTrader: (43)

Newb, do your homework . . . the Works Bell paddle shifter, IMO, is fugly. They're huge and does not quite look like they belong in the steering column.

SIMPLE - don't buy it if you're not interested.

Entaille

iTrader: (16)

Someone else commented that you had to use an aftermarket stearing wheel and that you lost your CC controls etc, I was simply throwing out that they had a model that didn't force you to do that.

That makes me a newb? Sounds like someone pissed in your corn flakes this morning. I think it looks fine, and while I wouldn't mind having that functionality, I'm not going to spend 400-700 for it. This guy seems to be coming up with a killer product and if it's cheaper then the works bell when he's finalized his work, I may be interested.

Entaille

iTrader: (16)

being that I *am* interested, under certain criteria.. I thought I would chime in. since I think the works kit looks fine, but wouldn't spend the money, the finished product would have to cost less for me to buy it.

that being said, I am not doing the R&D, I am not putting the product together, I don't know what his final costs will be, but throwing my 2 cents out there might help him, and it might not.

z-u-later

iTrader: (43)

Entaille
Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2008 <- This makes you a newb
Location: Everett, WA
Posts: 466
iTrader: (3)

Newbs make statements like these since they did not properly do their homework and read the entire thread. Do you see an aftermarket steering wheel on his pictures!?

Entaille

iTrader: (16)

.. that is in reference to the works bell kit - someone commented about the older style where it came with a replacement steering wheel. you're still a dick. oh wow, you've been posting on a forum for a couple years longer then I have. I obviously have no right to comment on this thread!

*edit* sorry for the derailment OP - I legitamately wanted to put my 2 cents in, said what I wanted to say and had to counter this grumpy bastard. exiting thread now.

z-u-later

iTrader: (43)

Again, you're being a newb is obvious. How is the Works Bell kit relevant to this thread? Don't ruin a good DIY thread by being stupid.

Entaille

iTrader: (16)

he is making a product that nearly mirrors another - cept his looks more flush and is going to click better etc.

it is valid input to inform him I am interested in his product - with price being a factor. I like the works bell looks as well, the price turns me off of it.

maybe turbocad won't care, maybe his product costs will run higher then works bell - at least he knows a potential buyers opinion

you're just looking for an argument or entertainment.