(Hypothetical) Traditional Shift Knob Question

I'm curious...and I know some of you elder HAMBers were around in the late 50's and early 60's, so I'd like to hear your take on this.

What was commonly used as a shift knob in this era? I'm talking floor shift, but I'd like to hear column shift ideas as well.

I have a feeling that the standard white or black round knob (with pattern?) was probably the most widely used...with the possible exception of cars with early Ford running gear that likely kept the early ford (bakelite) knob. I know the T 'n' A guys like the swirled and marbled knobs, too...but what about the hot rodders preference?

Of course, Norm used a skull knob in the Kookie T (one of the first?), but I can't find many other examples of "crazy" shift knobs in this era. As opposed to what we see in "traditional" cars at shows today.

We're quite an opinionated lot here, so let's hear what you think. Thanks.

 

You left out pool balls. 8-ball seems the most common but I think I'd score something else (yellow #1 maybe?) and use that. Also, don't forget the chrome knob like on the late-fifties T-10 equipped GM cars.

 

Beer Tap handles!!!

Sam.

 

Yeah, but were those actually used in the late 50's/early 60's, or have we just adopted beer taps and pool balls as "traditional" as time has gone by?

This may be subject to regional preferences as well...

 

Well, if you read C9's The Red Roadster on here the one fellow used a pool ball as a shift knob in the later fifties. Fiction, admittedly, but written by someone who lived the era.

 

I used a Packard Clipper shift knob on the collumn in my 49 ford I used to have , it was this cool blueish purple colour teardrop shape , with an inset white 4 pointed " scallop " on the end . It was pretty cool . . . not really wild , but neat regardless .

Weld the tip of a 1/2 inch socket extention to the end of your floor shifter , and then you can interchange different sockets to fit your mood

 

I have seen black old door knobs, a marble like hard material, and I seen diamond-like door knobs used on hot rods and bobbers in old magazines

 

Not a shift knob and a little OT but I always liked those steering knobs with pinups that went naked when they spun upside down. My uncle had one in a 57 Merc he had.

 

Elder HAMB'rs?
As vs. snot nosed, younger HAMB'rs?

Not offended or trying to be offensive, just struck me as a funny choice of words.


Anyhoo, pool balls were a popular choice on floor sticks in the mid-late 50's and on into the early 60's.
The eight ball being the preferred one - to the point the rec hall couldn't keep an eight ball in stock.

There were a couple of beer tap handles around, but not too many. They were hard to get for one thing and other than being cool, they weren't performance oriented like the pool balls were. The balls being about the right size for speed shifting a floor stick.

Other floor stick knobs were the made-in-crafts-class laminated clear plexi knobs with multi-layers of color Some of them all the same color and other times a rainbow.
Most of these were round, about pool ball size.
Some were tapered top and bottom so as to match the crafts class made dash knobs.
A few of the laminated plexi knobs were square with very rounded corners and they made a nice shift knob.
Some guys drilled the square knobs to resemble dice and put a few drops of paint in the shallow holes.
Some of the drilled like dice knobs were laminated with clear glue and looked to be one piece for the most part.
Other crafts class knobs - shift and dash - were one piece and clear, but dyed a color. I believe Rit Dye - still available - in hot, almost boiling water was used. The knob was dipped in and held off the bottom for a while until it picked up the desired shade of color. Looked pretty neat to see clear plexi knobs with blue laminations dyed a soft blue.

Guys in metal shop occasionally turned out a brass or aluminum knob, but they picked up too much heat when the car was sitting and it wasn't too popular.

For column shifts, the pool ball was used by some.
They utilized a high-tech mounting system.
The pool ball was drilled just a little oversize for the column lever, the levers usual machined steps/threads was taped over with a few layers of masking tape and the pool ball spun on. This worked pretty well for the most part and was a good way to re-attach a stock knob.

The pool balls were really too heavy for column shift use because they loaded the trans synchronizers with their weight and every once in a while the trans would drop out of second.
Just had to get into the habit of holding the pool ball weight up. Even so, most of us went back to reasonable weight column knobs with most opting for the stock knob - in Fords anyway - and a few made a laminated plexi knob which was a nice replacement. Most of these were tapered both ends, but there were a lot of round ones.

When the Hurst 3-speed shifter came out, most opted to use the white knob that came with it and later on a few substituted the 4 speed knob that was the same size, but had the cool 4 speed legend on it.

Early 60's had the horizontal cast aluminum form fit to your hand T-handle knob made by Hurst showing up on quite a few cars.
I used one for a while in my 63 Chevy pickup with Corvette 4 speed, but went to the stock white knob.

A few woodshop guys made hardwood knobs which were either turned from a solid block or laminated from different colored woods, but not too many of these showed up.
A few made smaller scale turned copies of beer tap handles, but not too many.

A lot of what went into a shift knob was the 'cool factor' as well as what skills and machinery were available.

Looking from here, I'd say the pool ball was the all-time favorite with the laminated plexi knobs running a close second.

Even so, a few guys who ran Ford floorboxes stayed with the well thought out and designed by Ford floor shift knob.
A choice I agree with.
My present day Gennie Shifter has a virtually identical knob and like the sporty car guys like to say, it falls readily to hand.

Thought I would make something special for the 32 for a shift knob, but the Gennie knob fits and works well so it stays.

Pays your money and takes your choice.
Or sumpin like that....

 

I had a whole box of Necker Knobs when I went in the service that I'd scrounged out of wrecking yards. Necker knobs were so you could one hand that old "armstrong" steering while leaving 1 hand wrapped around your girl. Usually she handled the shifter and you handled the clutch once you got her trained.

Had a batch of shifter knobs from wrecking yards too. Most popular seemed to be the standard Ford style shifter knob only in swirled colors like a bowling ball and the 2 color striped plastic ones that matched the tear drop dash knobs. Several had the yellowed ivory colored Model A looking knobs with a coin the year of the car epoxied into the top of the knob. Probably a local custom or car club thing. Gaudy things like beer taps came later in the 60's around here. I had an "Oly" tap in my 68 Camaro that I cruised with and a HURST T handle for the races. Most of the rods before that had pretty simple/functional knobs. C9 got in ahead of me with a better description while I was typing this. I don't remember skulls or pistons and not many dice as they just didn't feel good in your hand.

What everybody wanted of course was that skull out of Norm's bucket. Took me a while, but I finally caught up with Norm and talked him into one years ago.

 

This is a skull shift knob I have on my 51 Ford, it is super old, from the 40's I think.

 

this is my shifter knob i made out of aluminum...not sure what era it fits into and it will probably get hot...but oh well one of these days when the car is done it'll go on

 

Bass i had to do a double take....i though Roothawg posted this.

 

C9...that was exactly the kind of first-hand experienced answer I was looking for. Thanks so much for taking the time to share your thoughts on the matter.

No offense intended by the "elder" reference...just trying to find a nice way to put it. I guess I would fall in the "snot nosed" bracket.

I think the white knob will be what I'll eventually settle on. I've gone from a chrome skull to an Honest Charley skull (really cool, by the way) to the current 8-ball, which still doesn't seem quite right for the car. I'm shooting for a "1960-62" appearance and I'm running a Hurst floor shifter on an early 'Vette 4spd....so I think the white knob with the 4spd legend will be appropriate.

Smokin' Joe...I'm still kind of wondering if Norm's skull shift knob in the Kookie T is what really started the skull "fad" for lack of a better word. Bobbleed's skull knob kinda blows that theory out of the water, though.

Speaking of that...Bobbleed, that skull is rad. Reminds me of "Day of the Dead" decorations. It's got to be pretty rare, too.

Thanks, guys...keep 'em coming.

 

Being a member of the "elderly set" I remember the beer tap handles like Sam said. The only problem is I don't drink beer. A Pepsi handle just doesn't have the same cache'.

I just had to have this Flathead Lake Monster ale tap for the coupe. I've got a white one for the roadster too.

 

I've got a couple of old timey ones, notice the one on the left is two piece welded together, and the wild eyes in the other.

 

I have a resin cast with a poker chip from my first
trip to Vegas.

As a matter of fact it was YOU Bass who sat me down at my
first blackjack table.

Anyone else have a resin cast with something floating in it?

TZ

 

I was riding around in cars in the late fifties, but the memories are a little thin,

seeing as how I was only two in '59! hahaha

but I like the older stock knobs too, they fit the hand better that a big pool ball or an odd shape like a cube or tap handle.

I'm kinda partial to my bakelight knob here

 

and I still haven't settled on the final choice on the modern job

 

If I recall beer taps were more of a mid '60s to late 60's thing. Of course memory is selective.
Wood knobs were pretty popular, as were just your basic round white or black knob.
My Ol Man had one made out of a piece of Brier 'til a friend of the family gave me the white knob out of his roadster and took the Ol' Man's.
Then of course there is always the American Grafitti little bitty chrome piston. I don't recall ever seeing one, but I never lived on southern cal.

 

I have a knob that is on my A that is really freakin old. It appears to be just quartz crystal with a silver base.

 

I used beer tap handles in 1957, Dad had a grocery store and the beer truck drivers would give them to me. Were some real nice ones, chrome plated brass, round with flat faced logos. Later changed to chrome VODO head. In a 51 Ford with a 37 Packard trans. My brothers 49 Ford had column shift and I think he had a cool Packard or Hudson shifter that curved toward the driver, with a big knob that fit the palm of yer hand. It had a new 56 Olds motor in it.......OLDBEET

 

Brass Knuckels.

 

heres one I just put in

 

I am one of the ELDERS First car 1931 Chevy roadster with 235 splits 3 speed. Shift knob was short piece of camshaft drilled and tapped. Heavy as hell and the dizzy drive gear was a little harsh on the hand. But thought it looked cool when I was 16.That was 1961.Still have the knob.Never throw anything out .

 

i picked up one of these at stacy brown's back about '91-'92. the ad was from '62.

 

Along the same lines, I welded a church key with a beer logo to my dip stick replacing the factory loop.

 

Deuce, McPhail has a shift knob that looks a lot like one of those in his chopped Chevy (a bit larger though). Interesting...

Tommy, that's a pretty cool idea...especially for a hoodless car. Easy beer opening access!

 

<font color="red"> Shit TOMMY most folk on here are scratchu=ing their noggins over what a "CHURCH KEY" is....HAHAH

R E D M E A T </font>

 

flat faced knob old beet was referring to, size about the same as the chrome t-10 style. this was a side pull tap handle, perfect for column shift.

Falstaff. only the best for the olds.