Custom shift dial

[Biggsy]

Man I love that alcantera center console. Did you do that yourself? Did you also do the heated seats yourself? I'm ready to buy the dial, looks great. Thanks for the awesome pictures.

only because I saw him mention it in another thread. I'm pretty sure he got it from Auto Fanatic

https://www.auto-fanatic.com/product/2020-shelby-gt-500-alcantara-upper-center-console-coming-soon/

By the way @marklboris i love the interior.

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[Tomster]

Signed up. Waiting for production.

 

[marklboris]

Man I love that alcantera center console. Did you do that yourself? Did you also do the heated seats yourself? I'm ready to buy the dial, looks great. Thanks for the awesome pictures.

No, I did not cover the upper console myself but it was my idea to have it covered in Alcantara. I purchased an Alcantara covered dash from Phil at Auto-Fanatics before my car even went into production. After I kept seeing photos of the upper console in plastic, I knew I wanted that covered also so I bought one from Ford and sent it to Phil to have him cover that too. He had never done one before since the car is so new. They are not cheap but he uses real Alcantara (fake suede) from Italy which is much nicer than the Miko (fake) suede Ford uses on the seats. It actually feels like suede. Here is a link to the covered dash and he now has a link to the covered upper console that says "coming soon". https://www.auto-fanatic.com/product/shelby-gt350-alcantara-dash-panels/

About the seat heaters, I pulled the Recaro's out as soon as I got the car and brought them to an upholstery shop to have heaters installed then put them back in the car installed the switches and did all the wiring myself.

 

[5.Oh Crush]

I want something to cover the area around the shifter. Smooth plastic seems dated.

 

[kilobravo]

Sorry, Mark, didn't mean to imply that you had Super Powers, (but you kinda do.) <grin>

 

[5 SPURS]

I am so excited about this Ford GT replica DCT dial Kevin has designed. Here are a few photos I took just now. A couple in lower light inside the garage and then outside in natural light. Even though this is a glossy black plastic prototype dial, it looks so much better than the OEM dial and I cannot wait to see the final product in satin black aluminum, at least that is the color I will be ordering.

I've been driving around a bit this morning and yes while you don't use it all that often when driving, I went to several stores and had to park several times and it feels so much better. It is slightly larger and taller and the grip is very reassuring. I taped it down with two little pieces of foam tape just so I could use it. When I took it off, the OEM dial felt bare to use. I cannot say enough about it except can't wait to get the real thing.

Thanks Kevin

You're welcome Mark and it looks spectacular in the car.

The black dial coupled with the Power button instantly reminded me of the Ford GT which has a red anodized button and was the inspiration behind why I created one for the Mustang.

Working without the console had me a little worried so it's great news to hear the fit is perfect and there is no chance of contact with the console during operation.

We're very close to a final design even though this is the very first prototype. You many not appreciate this as much as Ford since they more than likely made hundreds of prototypes of their stock chrome shifter before settling on the final one you see finished and installed on the GT500.


Anodized black is somewhere between satin and semi-gloss. Not sure if you can tell from these BULLITT specific wheelcaps vs the full gloss wheel:

 

[marklboris]

Kevin, the anodized black will look perfect and exactly what I want. Are you going to offer other colors as I know a couple of members were thinking of something other than black?

I had a couple of friends from out of town in the car yesterday and both are very familiar with the GT500 and immediately noticed the dial. At first they thought I had painted mine black but when I popped off your dial (I don't have much two-way tape under it) they could not believe how cheap the OEM dial looked. I know you could have and still can design any type of dial but this one that is copied from the Ford GT looks right at home in the GT500. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with the OEM dial, it blows me away that Ford would use one that looks similar to all of the others in their Fusion's, Expeditions and many of their other cars. This is a GT500. To me it is a special car, one that is not as mass produced as any of their other vehicles and needs and should have unique features. The Ford GT is also one of those special cars and they gave it a special DCT dial, start button and even covered many parts of the dash with Alcantara and that is the reason I did the same in the 500.

There are many members here constantly modding their 500's. To some it is all about the engine and power, some it is the suspension, wheel, tires and some it is the little details on the inside and out they want to improve/customize to make their cars look and feel unique. I am more of the latter although I have done quite a bit of modding to the suspension, wheels, tires and a little to the engine. When I get in to drive my car I want it to look and feel like a special Mustang same as the owner's of the Bullet's that you have made several interior and exterior upgrades for and this car should be no different. In my opinion, Ford did a great job with this car overall with every aspect except the interior. They really dropped the ball there and I am trying to change that.

One thing I find funny about some of these mods that I am doing and others too, is the cost of doing them. I get quite a few PM's, emails, etc asking how much this or that cost for me to do. Like how much was the Alcantara covered dash (it is 4 pieces) and I would tell them about $750. I would get replies like "WTF? I would never pay that much to have my dash covered". I find this funny because we just paid close to $100K for a car and then some people have an issue with spending $50 for button or $750 for a dash or console covered in a special material, etc. Sorry for the rant but it just makes me laugh.

 

[gfcobra04]

Kevin, the anodized black will look perfect and exactly what I want. Are you going to offer other colors as I know a couple of members were thinking of something other than black?

I had a couple of friends from out of town in the car yesterday and both are very familiar with the GT500 and immediately noticed the dial. At first they thought I had painted mine black but when I popped off your dial (I don't have much two-way tape under it) they could not believe how cheap the OEM dial looked. I know you could have and still can design any type of dial but this one that is copied from the Ford GT looks right at home in the GT500. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with the OEM dial, it blows me away that Ford would use one that looks similar to all of the others in their Fusion's, Expeditions and many of their other cars. This is a GT500. To me it is a special car, one that is not as mass produced as any of their other vehicles and needs and should have unique features. The Ford GT is also one of those special cars and they gave it a special DCT dial, start button and even covered many parts of the dash with Alcantara and that is the reason I did the same in the 500.

There are many members here constantly modding their 500's. To some it is all about the engine and power, some it is the suspension, wheel, tires and some it is the little details on the inside and out they want to improve/customize to make their cars look and feel unique. I am more of the latter although I have done quite a bit of modding to the suspension, wheels, tires and a little to the engine. When I get in to drive my car I want it to look and feel like a special Mustang same as the owner's of the Bullet's that you have made several interior and exterior upgrades for and this car should be no different. In my opinion, Ford did a great job with this car overall with every aspect except the interior. They really dropped the ball there and I am trying to change that.

One thing I find funny about some of these mods that I am doing and others too, is the cost of doing them. I get quite a few PM's, emails, etc asking how much this or that cost for me to do. Like how much was the Alcantara covered dash (it is 4 pieces) and I would tell them about $750. I would get replies like "WTF? I would never pay that much to have my dash covered". I find this funny because we just paid close to $100K for a car and then some people have an issue with spending $50 for button or $750 for a dash or console covered in a special material, etc. Sorry for the rant but it just makes me laugh.

I agree you spent all this money and complain about a few hundred more dollars for a few creature comforts.

It’s like ask about gas mileage in GT500. That’s not what this car is about.

 

[Snoopy49]

One thing I find funny about some of these mods that I am doing and others too, is the cost of doing them. I get quite a few PM's, emails, etc asking how much this or that cost for me to do. Like how much was the Alcantara covered dash (it is 4 pieces) and I would tell them about $750. I would get replies like "WTF? I would never pay that much to have my dash covered". I find this funny because we just paid close to $100K for a car and then some people have an issue with spending $50 for button or $750 for a dash or console covered in a special material, etc. Sorry for the rant but it just makes me laugh.

Just think of all the people that didn't think twice about paying a $1000 for a CF instrument panel. In the end, they are our cars to do with as we choose.

I appreciate people like Mark and all the other people in the forum that show us what can be done and that don't hesitate jumping into the deep end and getting the job done.

Thanks to Mark and everyone who shares their dreams with us and show that dreams can come true with a little and usually a lot of effort.

 

[kilobravo]

Mark, Gary, Earl...you all make excellent points. If one pays in the neighborhood of $100k for a vehicle, and maybe $10k just for painted stripes, or worse, $18k for the Snack Pack, you'd think that spending another $10k on her would be NBD.

For me the difference is, that $100k expenditure is being covered by my investment outfit and I never see it.

OTOH, if I want a start button or a shifter dial cover, that's something I often have to square with CINC House. :-) It's immediate outlay unlike the out of sight mortgage payment on the car. :-)

If you run a business, your prime directive is usually to maximize profit and sometimes, that can be difficult data to estimate. The result can often be overpricing and low sales. A happy medium needs to be found.

 

[Snoopy49]

KB,
When you are retired like a lot of us are, you have pick and choose what you can and cannot spend your money on because the money comes from pensions, Social Security and investments. There are a lot of things that I would like to do to the cars, but very few I can justify spending the money on.

 

[kilobravo]

Earl: I thought you knew that I too am retired. We make a good living in retirement but, like you, I'm picky about price for aftermarket things. Is it just nice to have or is it a gotta have situation. I hear ya.

I just hope the price is reasonable as I'd like to have one but I don't need to have one, ifyouknowwhatImeanEarl. :-) I skipped the start button for that reason.

 

[Snoopy49]

Earl: I thought you knew that I too am retired.

I was thinking of you and the other retired guys, when I said us.

 

[kilobravo]

That will teach me to read posts more closely, Earl...my apologies. :-)

 

[5 SPURS]

Kevin, the anodized black will look perfect and exactly what I want. Are you going to offer other colors as I know a couple of members were thinking of something other than black?

I had a couple of friends from out of town in the car yesterday and both are very familiar with the GT500 and immediately noticed the dial. At first they thought I had painted mine black but when I popped off your dial (I don't have much two-way tape under it) they could not believe how cheap the OEM dial looked. I know you could have and still can design any type of dial but this one that is copied from the Ford GT looks right at home in the GT500. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with the OEM dial, it blows me away that Ford would use one that looks similar to all of the others in their Fusion's, Expeditions and many of their other cars. This is a GT500. To me it is a special car, one that is not as mass produced as any of their other vehicles and needs and should have unique features. The Ford GT is also one of those special cars and they gave it a special DCT dial, start button and even covered many parts of the dash with Alcantara and that is the reason I did the same in the 500.

There are many members here constantly modding their 500's. To some it is all about the engine and power, some it is the suspension, wheel, tires and some it is the little details on the inside and out they want to improve/customize to make their cars look and feel unique. I am more of the latter although I have done quite a bit of modding to the suspension, wheels, tires and a little to the engine. When I get in to drive my car I want it to look and feel like a special Mustang same as the owner's of the Bullet's that you have made several interior and exterior upgrades for and this car should be no different. In my opinion, Ford did a great job with this car overall with every aspect except the interior. They really dropped the ball there and I am trying to change that.

One thing I find funny about some of these mods that I am doing and others too, is the cost of doing them. I get quite a few PM's, emails, etc asking how much this or that cost for me to do. Like how much was the Alcantara covered dash (it is 4 pieces) and I would tell them about $750. I would get replies like "WTF? I would never pay that much to have my dash covered". I find this funny because we just paid close to $100K for a car and then some people have an issue with spending $50 for button or $750 for a dash or console covered in a special material, etc. Sorry for the rant but it just makes me laugh.

These are the additional colors that will be offered:

I'm very surprised your friends noticed it because a dark plastic part should have blended in well with the surrounding interior parts.
The colored options will really stand out in that case.

The vast majority are looking at the OEM Dial and rush to assume you paid $100k for a GT500 made from parts off a $25k car. The Ford GT style dial and button will quash all that nonsense so I'm not averse to it.

Back in 2018 when the GT500 was still in development I contacted the Chairman of Ford UK to see if I could partner with Ford to re-create these products from the Ford GT for the GT500. He did reply and said the products were interesting but that's about it.


Go back a few years and Mustang GT/V6/EB owners with $25-$35k cars were lapping up the plastic GT350 button for $60 just to resemble a $60k GT350. $50 for a quality constructed metal Button similar to the one in a $500k+ Ford GT plus the added ability to customize it is a pretty swell deal in comparison.

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