Stick to Rotary Shift Knob Conversion w/ 3D Printed Rotary Shifter Holder

[VAL.ABAPO]

I didn't, well, until now that is.
My first print turned into a birdsnest halfway through, so I had to start over.
I modified the tub slightly so that it accepts the Bronco shifter as well, top one is Escape and bottom is Bronco (same tub) and it also does E-Transit (which is the one I'm using). Escape and E-Transit fits better due to their chamfered top whereas the Bronco shifter is straight, so visually there's a slightly bigger gap around the knob.

I'm using M4 metal inserts from this kit >> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CPVCTXJ7?th=1
Others may work, but this is what I used on mine. I'd use flanged M4x12 screws, but regular M4+washers is OK too.

When mounting it in the truck you need to undo the gray plastic clip in the back left hand side wall holding the cable in place. Because the support bracket end up right behind / underneath the connector you also need to plug the cable into the shifter before you attach the front support.
For the very same reason you can't use the center mounting bolt, it's too tight to get to it (at least for me, but don't worry, it's not going anywhere with the three that's there.

If you feel generous, go here >> https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6978586/files and tip @ENDianDigital, it's only because he started it and was kind enough to publish his step files that I even thought about doing this, so credit goes to him.

This ZIP-File has the Step files and the STL files that I used to print the one below.

I'm by no means a mechanical designer, so this isn't optimized for anything except that it works for me. My print took 60hrs (0.12mm layer height and 20% infill), so be prepared to wait.

My attempt with your design using PETG-GF

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[LazyLightningATX]

Got my swap done today. very happy with the gigantic cupholder. my 40oz, bottle is a perfect fit!

 

[Rice_classic]

For anyone curious about buying a 3D printer - do it. I am blown away by the utility they provide, how easy they are to use (and all the online support) and how unbelievably inexpensive they are. I was fully kitted with a dryer, extra plate, several reels of different types of filament and a new workstation from Amazon for ~$1k. Printer and kit was purchased from Creality during a sale.

I haven't even got into CAD programs or other slicers - just going off of the Creality Print and dropping in an STL, positioning and adding supports was really easy.

Not idiot proof though as you can see when one gets the settings wrong with PETG. But after that, I found that Creality had some good pre-defined profiles for PETG and one of those was the ticket!

I thought the blue would be closer to my truck color (azure) but it isn't.. I will probably leave it for awhile and then down the road do another in either grey or black to match the interior.

Happy Printing.

 

[The Weatherman]

For anyone curious about buying a 3D printer - do it. I am blown away by the utility they provide, how easy they are to use (and all the online support) and how unbelievably inexpensive they are. I was fully kitted with a dryer, extra plate, several reels of different types of filament and a new workstation from Amazon for ~$1k. Printer and kit was purchased from Creality during a sale.

I haven't even got into CAD programs or other slicers - just going off of the Creality Print and dropping in an STL, positioning and adding supports was really easy.

Not idiot proof though as you can see when one gets the settings wrong with PETG. But after that, I found that Creality had some good pre-defined profiles for PETG and one of those was the ticket!

I thought the blue would be closer to my truck color (azure) but it isn't.. I will probably leave it for awhile and then down the road do another in either grey or black to match the interior.

Happy Printing.

Yah no, the blue is little too blue for me. I have seen several posts about painting their tubes and they looked pretty darn good. You might do that for now and make sure you really like this design before reprinting one. Good Luck!

 

[foxfire235]

This might be a really dumb question but do you have to cut the shifter plastic near the top triangle in order for it to fit the 3d printed base? I'm using @masonta 's model.

 

[masonta]

This might be a really dumb question but do you have to cut the shifter plastic near the top triangle in order for it to fit the 3d printed base? I'm using @masonta 's model.

Not a dumb question, but yes; you'll need to trim about 1/4" off the shifter front tab.
When I was working on my model I wanted the shifter as far forward as possible and the cupholder takes up so much space in order to keep the walls thick enough that was the tradeoff I had to make.

Section model below for reference.

 

[foxfire235]

Not a dumb question, but yes; you'll need to trim about 1/4" off the shifter front tab.
When I was working on my model I wanted the shifter as far forward as possible and the cupholder takes up so much space in order to keep the walls thick enough that was the tradeoff I had to make.

Section model below for reference.

Thank you so much for the prompt response! I just got my 3d printer and had an issue with scaling another model for a print (one section was NOT scaled down to 90%) and it had me feeling insane. hah! Your design seems really solid and I can't wait to use it!

 

[LazyLightningATX]

This might be a really dumb question but do you have to cut the shifter plastic near the top triangle in order for it to fit the 3d printed base? I'm using @masonta 's model.

I used a hack saw and then a dremel to finish shaving it down. That, and looking for my nut driver were the most time consuming parts of the install.

 

[foxfire235]

I used a hack saw and then a dremel to finish shaving it down. That, and looking for my nut driver were the most time consuming parts of the install.

Thanks! Can't wait to give it a whirl.

 

[GDN]

There is a lot of good 3D printer advice in this thread. I'll have to re-read to find bits and pieces, but as someone that wants to jump in and buy, I'm wondering if others would offer their advice/opinions of brands and preferences in a dedicated thread to the printers? https://www.f150lightningforum.com/forum/threads/3d-printer-recommendation-advice.30749/post-568089

 

[OtterJohn]

Got my tub from ManionMakes yesterday, gonna do my install next Friday (only day I have time this week). Really looking forward to using our "work surface" again...would have been really handy at lunch today. :\

 

[Pioneer74]

Can somebody with printing experience explain the difference in materials to me, and possibly tell me which looks closest to the factory plastic trim?

 

[PolymerBuilt]

Took some time to build out my own version of the mount. I wanted to fix a few things that bugged me.

1. The angle on the driver side of the mount bugged me. I wanted the lip to be parallel to the trim from back to front. This version has straight sides.
2. Because of this, the cupholder is not Nalgene or 40oz water bottle sized. I sized it to use a readily available 9cm (3.54") liner. Fits standard 20 oz Yeti style tumblers with room to spare.
3. Also added a small spill ring around the shifter knob. It won't do much, but it could block a minor spill from falling down in between the mount and the shifter. I don't expect this to do much, but I wanted the smallest amount of piece of mind.

Printed in PETG-GF for the matte finish and its ability to hide layer lines. I ordered to much filament thinking I was going to need to do more prototyping, so I'd be willing to make more for anyone interested.

 

[PolymerBuilt]

Can somebody with printing experience explain the difference in materials to me, and possibly tell me which looks closest to the factory plastic trim?

I can't offer any assistance on the color, but as far as materials, PETG is a really nice all around material. Good strength and UV resistance. ABS has good strength and a higher temperature resistance than PETG, but worse UV resistance. ASA is basically ABS with excellent UV resistance.

 

[El Duderino]

Now I need to go out and see how out of parallel mine is lol...

Looks great, I might be interested in one.

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