X-Metal GenX Shifter User Reviews:

[Skyydiver]

Yes...cut off some threads...I too have the same problem. I am not sure why the threads go so far down the shifter lever...it looks tacky if you do not cover them up or cut them down.

 

[SilvrSRT10]

Yes...cut off some threads...I too have the same problem. I am not sure why the threads go so far down the shifter lever...it looks tacky if you do not cover them up or cut them down.

You don't have to cut off the extra threads. What I did was run the stock lock nut down first, then installed a 3/8-16 hex nut on top of that, then install the stock shift knob. Once you get the knob where you want it, run the hex nut back up tight under the knob. It's just about hidden. Then run the stock lock nut up against the hex nut. It hides the extra threads. I'll try and get some pics in a few minutes so you can see what I'm talking about.

 

[Carlwalski]

Good advice and input SilvrSRT10.

 

[Gaboon]

How much of the thread is left if not covered up 1/4" 1/2"?

 

[SilvrSRT10]

How much of the thread is left if not covered up 1/4" 1/2"?

I'm guessing 3/8. About the thickness of the nut I used as a spacer.

 

[Carlwalski]

Couldn't you just sand it back with fine grit paper?
I quite like the height look, so, an extra 1/2" (or what ever it is) all counts.

 

[Gaboon]

I think I will go the Lowes and pick up a 3/8-16 hex nut and see. Thank's for the input.

 

[SilvrSRT10]

I think I will go the Lowes and pick up a 3/8-16 hex nut and see. Thank's for the input.

If you really wanted to get fancy, you could order a second stock type lock nut. I'd imagine Dragon or MoparConnection could get them. Then just double them under the shifter knob.

 

[Gaboon]

Mine shifts smooth. BUT my stock knob does not fit on the Genx threads. They seem too big for the stock hardware. Anyone else have this porblem? If so what was your solution?

 

[Wifey]

Mine shifts smooth. BUT my stock knob does not fit on the Genx threads. They seem too big for the stock hardware. Anyone else have this porblem? If so what was your solution?

The stock knob fits on my GenX................ :dontknow:

 

[v8eater]

Mine was tough to put on. It fit, but it was tough.

 

[Gaboon]

Not mine Mine will go on about half a thread and then get's really tight.

 

[Gaboon]

Mine was tough to put on. It fit, but it was tough.

Can you elaborate on how tough it was to get on? I can just get the ball started and than I would have to put serious effort on it to twist it down. On the factory shifter the ball just spins off and on. I dont want to strip anything.

 

[SilvrSRT10]

Can you elaborate on how tough it was to get on? I can just get the ball started and than I would have to put serious effort on it to twist it down. On the factory shifter the ball just spins off and on. I dont want to strip anything.

Mine was a little tight as well. Spray some WD-40 on the threads and in the shifter ball. Did the stock lock nut go on smoothly? It and the shifter are the same thread. You can take a 3/8-16 hex nut and run it on and off a couple times to make sure the threads are right. The threads on the shifter are longer than the knob is deep so don't try to screw it all the way to the bottom or you'll mess up the shifter ball. Use some of the suggestions above to hide the extra threads. It should work. Good luck.

 

[HOT RAM]

Get a die and run it over the shifter threads.That should clean them up to where the knob will go on correctly.If it is as tight as you say,you could strip something if you don't do this.

 

[BOOMER]

Get a die and run it over the shifter threads.That should clean them up to where the knob will go on correctly.If it is as tight as you say,you could strip something if you don't do this.

good point, i did have a few that i found out later the threads were tight on. its a 3/8 x 16 thread, so you can run a thread chaser or die over the threads.

 

[Gaboon]

Mine was a little tight as well. Spray some WD-40 on the threads and in the shifter ball. Did the stock lock nut go on smoothly? It and the shifter are the same thread. You can take a 3/8-16 hex nut and run it on and off a couple times to make sure the threads are right. The threads on the shifter are longer than the knob is deep so don't try to screw it all the way to the bottom or you'll mess up the shifter ball. Use some of the suggestions above to hide the extra threads. It should work. Good luck.

I tried everything but the wd-40. The hex nut does not even go on. I can only get everything: hex nut, stock lock nut and ball to go on maybe half a turn. Maybe I am being a pussy but I just dont want to ruin anything.

 

[BOOMER]

Hey Y'all,

Since Patrick was so gracious to share his skills and time with me by installing my new shifter today, I thought I'd make a little user review thread for those who wanna share their experiences with the new X-Metal GenX Shifter.....

Thanks Patrick, for opening your house and garage for me.... You are one of the very best hosts in the world, and I've met many.... His wife, Jenn is a sweetheart and I loved his dog "Foxy" too.... I won't tell you (to) what lengths Patrick will go to make a person feel welcome (no, he didn't do anything weird for me, ya bloody pervs ) He's just an incredibly generous person who's not only an ace wrench, but knows a thing or three about the right and wrong way to do stuff on a motor vehicle..... Thanks so much, Patrick.... Yer really a great human being.... No horseshit.

Afterwards, Kevin (Voodoo) stopped by and we smoked some Habanos and shot the shit. It was a very nice time. Great to see ya, Kev.

The shifter went in without much of a problem at all. The only thing that kept it from being a day at the park was the 100+ degree heat and the jimmying that it takes to get the old shifter loose from the tranny after you take the bolts out.... Patrick's done this 15-16 times, so it was no biggy.... He just kept jiggling that mutha 'til it came out....

I opted for the highest (longest) notch on the shifter to keep my rather beefy paw from hitting the new 7inch screen for my backup camera.... But some folks would surely wanna drop it down to the lower position.....:dontknow:

Lots has been said about the XMetal shifters being noisy from vibration. Here's my experience. With the AC fan on med-high, you can't even hear it... If you add tunes at a respectable volume for MEN to listen (no offense ladies) you'll never hear the little bit of sound vibration that comes from 6th gear..... Never! ...(this excludes all of you blessed with imaginary hearing and audio hallucinations)

OK, so if you turn off music and A/C there is a tiny bit of gear noise. So fking what? It's not even noticeable. To me, it is a NON issue.

Another complaint I've heard is that the shifter twists in your hand when going into first gear.... I truly didn't even notice it until I'd driven around for about an hour... It's such a slight twist that if you use a ball knob it's barely descernable..... For me, it's so insignificant (that) it isn't even worth mentioning. It's just a quirk.

With respect to what the shifter does.... moving you through the gears.... It's really the way this truck was meant to be.... The original shifter was so sloppy and imprecise that if ya' missed a shift, you must take it back into the neutral position in order to reorient yourself for the next motion...

The detents in this shifter make that game of "3rd gear hide and seek" a thing of the past.... It's still possible to miss (I guess)... But during the next hour and a half of driving, the only miss I made was (one) from 5th to 6th..( I went from 5th to fourth )... and that was my fault for not holding it in the gate properly.... I didn't miss again all day.... I simply had to get used to the linkage.

The shifts are made more deliberately through a well defined, tanglible set of gates. It's tight.. and the shifts are crisp.....as opposed to the stock shifter which is like dragging a fkn Lincoln Log through a bowl'a Malto-Meal.

Personally, I find none of the negatives that I've heard about previous generations of this shifter to be anything more than minor eccentricities which will melt into normality just like the other little changes that we make every day....

I love this shifter............ I think it fkn rocks.... :rock: I wouldn't go back to the original shifter if it returned to me in the late watches of the night nestled in the labia majora of a supermodel.....

Later.

D

WOW, thanks Pops! very cool words, and thank you . also big thanks to Patrick for putting it in. its cool to have friends like that!
enjoy my man, and thank you again! :rock:

 

[Gaboon]

good point, i did have a few that i found out later the threads were tight on. its a 3/8 x 16 thread, so you can run a thread chaser or die over the threads.

I will give that a try, thanks Hot Ram and Boomer. By the way it looks like a nice piece of hardware. Can't wait to get it finished.

 

[BOOMER]

I will give that a try, thanks Hot Ram and Boomer. By the way it looks like a nice piece of hardware. Can't wait to get it finished.

right on, and i am sorry for your troubles, the best way is to put the stainless stick, wrapped in a rag, in a vice and then chase the threads. the cutter bit on our cnc lathe might have been dull and didnt cut your threads clean on the end. i like top chamfer the end to a 45 degree chamfer then run my thread die down and clean it up.