Can anyone point me to a chrome or aluminum finish shift knob for the 2005 mustang?

Or...a better question....is the thread on it 12mm?

No, I believe its 1/2" x 20. I've been looking for the same thing. Some people have re-tapped the threads and made that work.

besides the boot tricks (which I've read about here) have you found any info on what will fit it stock?

I hear that universals don't fit very well. . .

Ok...I have seen several places that mention that the new 05 has a different thread than the old shifters...however on ebay I see a couple of shifters that say they will fit all models from '94-05 (http://stores.ebay.com/DIVERSIFIED-MARKETING).

Is it really different?

Does anyone really care? (besides me)

steeda has a polished version that I have on my car and they sent me an extra one by mistake I guess so if you are interested in it let me know =)

the '05 thread pattern is not the same as '83 to '04. the '05 pattern is 1/2 x 20. The old pattern was metric.

But the ones on ebay may be universal knobs, i.e. they may have interchangeable thread bushings. Beware of universal knobs, however! I tried one once, and it felt cheap because there was a slight bit of play between the bushing threads, making the knob kind of rattle. Definitely not solid feeling.

The only thing that's remotely difficult in resizing an older shift knob is securing the knob for drilling without damaging the chrome on it. I used an old mouse pad to wrap the ball and then used pine (soft wood) between the steel vise jaws and the pad. That worked OK, but you could prolly come up with a better idea. The drill size is 29/64". Measure the existing hole and put a piece of tape on the drill bit so you don't go too deep into the ball. After you drill the hole out, just insert a 1/2" x 20 tap.

Thanks. This is the exact kind of information I was looking for.

You're welcome, good luck. BTW I am having a Triax shifter installed and they use the old 12 mm? shaft size. For the new installation I ordered a '04 Mach I shifter ball which comes with the boot sleeve, (ordered from 05StangKC), they are aluminum and have the shift pattern ingraved on the head.
Either the chrome or the aluminum look good in the '05 interior.


Paul

That is the EXACT shift knob I was looking at getting. I emailed an online shop about whether the threads were the same and they said no. After that I guessed that I couldn't use it.

But I showed your instructions to my father-in-law (he's a farmer with alot of shop equipment for working on tractors) he said we could do your retrofit in his shop so I think that will be the one I get now.

Thanks again.

Here's a quick pic of the Mach knob.

When you say "just insert a 1/2" x 20 tap" are you saying to tap the knob itself or put an insert into the knob that has those dimensions?

If you mean the later where would I get something like that?

I just tapped the knob itself. You will have to make a decision based on the knob you buy. You will prolly be OK tapping the knob out as long as you drill it out straight.


Paul

i like it