Early Shift Boots

[hls30.com]

Yes, that's the grommet. I'm kind of surprised and a little pissed at myself for not mentioning this earlier. Call Steele Rubber Products - Quality Restoration Rubber Parts and order their catalog. 888-409-4647 steelerubber.com The catalog is about an inch thick and has everything you will ever need. You can't just go to the 240Z page. You have to do some searching homework. Try that before you go to all the trouble of making a mold and such.

Well!

No since recreating something that has already been done(Ok 26thZ, "I'm kind of surprised and a little pissed at" you too....at least I am in good companyROFL...ok, :stupid: I over it...).

LBO730-has anyone sent you a boot for a pattern?

Will

[geezer]

Will - Look at post #64. I am keeping track of how many are wanted. As of now we are at 15.

[Arne]

Surprise! I was cleaning and organizing parts to go with the yellow Series 1 when I sell it (very soon) today. And look what I found in a box of parts in the garage! I didn't know I had it.

Remember that the yellow car was originally an automatic that I converted to a early 4 speed. I bought the shift lever off eBay, and I now recall that this grommet was loose on the lever. I had no clue what it was for, or even if it really was a 240Z part. But I did save it, and so now I have a spare.

[geezer]

Arne - Can you determine what it is made out of. I know that doesn't matter if someone finds a source for them. Just curious

[hls30.com]

Arne-

You just gave the term Pack Rat(you said you had no idea what it was) a great connotation!

You have a "get out of 'Found my car in a Hot Wheels package' Hell free card'! The rest of yu rabblerousers-well...

Now at least one of those Hotwheels/used car site jokesters in Oregon has a clean slate!

Will

PS If anybody gets the catalog 26th mentioned, lets see if it doesn't have most of the gromits, seals, and rubber thing amajigs! My catalog is on order.

Will

[Arne]

Arne - Can you determine what it is made out of. I know that doesn't matter if someone finds a source for them. Just curious

Not rubber. More of a slightly glossy semi-hard vinyl. Seems very similar to the vinyl or hard rubber material used in old-style faucet washers. It is very hard to get good pictures of it, due to the black color and reflectivity. There are no identifying marks or numbers on it. The only mold lines are in the center groove. I'm guessing it was made in a four piece mold. (Top, bottom, and two groove halves.)

[AZ-240z]

Yes, that's the grommet. I'm kind of surprised and a little pissed at myself for not mentioning this earlier. Call Steele Rubber Products - Quality Restoration Rubber Parts and order their catalog. 888-409-4647 steelerubber.com The catalog is about an inch thick and has everything you will ever need. You can't just go to the 240Z page. You have to do some searching homework. Try that before you go to all the trouble of making a mold and such.

Chris, I got the catalog and took a pretty close look at it from end to end. Most of the stuff is specialty for US cars, and the grommet section, though pretty complete I don't think came close enough. The shift boot grommet has a fairly unique shape. I am doing Google and local suppliers to see what I can find.

Dan

[AZ-240z]

Not rubber. More of a slightly glossy semi-hard vinyl. Seems very similar to the vinyl or hard rubber material used in old-style faucet washers. It is very hard to get good pictures of it, due to the black color and reflectivity. There are no identifying marks or numbers on it. The only mold lines are in the center groove. I'm guessing it was made in a four piece mold. (Top, bottom, and two groove halves.)

Arne, I agree, not rubber. My boot is NOS still in the Nissan plastic bag and the grommet is quite soft and pliable, probably to help squeeze it through the hole in the boot. When you say vinyl or hard rubber, I am thinking yours may have aged a little. If it is molded from a soft synthetic material such as neoprene, vinyl, or silicone material, it may be much easier to find someone to make, as opposed to rubber which involves a vulcanizing process, I believe.

Just some opinions to explore.

Dan

[Arne]

Arne-

You just gave the term Pack Rat(you said you had no idea what it was) a great connotation!

You have a "get out of 'Found my car in a Hot Wheels package' Hell free card'! The rest of yu rabblerousers-well...

Now at least one of those Hotwheels/used car site jokesters in Oregon has a clean slate!

Keeping it was an easy decision. While I may be a relative Z newbie, I've been in the car restoration game plenty long enough to know that un-identified parts are NEVER disposed of. It's a bit of a problem, sometimes, explaining this to my wife...

[hls30.com]

... un-identified parts are NEVER disposed of. It's a bit of a problem, sometimes, explaining this to my wife...

Arne- That's two get out of the stuff passes!

My wife just throws up her hands and says "don't you teach our boys to do that!"

Will

[Marty Rogan]

Will,

I took some measurement from mine. The inner diameter of the grommet is 1/2 inch, the outer diameter of the top half is 1 inch, and the outer diameter of the bottom half is 1 1/8 inches. See last picture above to see this variation. Total grommet thichness is 5/16 inch, and groove width is between 1/16 & 3/32 inch. The material, to me, looks more like a synthetic, very pliable, shiny material instead of molded rubber.

Dan

Hey Dan,

Thanks a lot for the dimensions and info on the material.

I shipped LBO730 a shift boot a couple of weeks ago. He said he has sourced some material that is very close to original. He has not worked on the pattern yet due to the cold in his garage. I will keep you posted when we have something.

In the mean time, keep an eye out for a suitable grommet replacement.

Marty

[Marty Rogan]

Surprise! I was cleaning and organizing parts to go with the yellow Series 1 when I sell it (very soon) today. And look what I found in a box of parts in the garage! I didn't know I had it.

Remember that the yellow car was originally an automatic that I converted to a early 4 speed. I bought the shift lever off eBay, and I now recall that this grommet was loose on the lever. I had no clue what it was for, or even if it really was a 240Z part. But I did save it, and so now I have a spare.

Hi Arne,

If it is truly a spare for you, would you consider selling it to me?? I need to source 2 of those puppies. Of course if you wanted to keep it, I understand.

Marty