Anyone interested in a handmade shift boot?

[N3v]

I made a couple of these for roadsterdrift people, and I'm getting pretty good at it:
the first one I made for my own car:
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn49/n3v1789/DSC03421.jpg
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn49/n3v1789/DSC03420.jpg
Another one with black top stitching. The pictures don't do them justice, its really nice quality leather.
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn49/n3v1789/DSC03457.jpg
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn49/n3v1789/DSC03458.jpg
I still have a bunch of leather left, so I could make a few more if people want them! I can do pretty much any color of top stitching, and if I got enough requests for other colors of leather (namely tan) I could do that too.

I did them on rd.com for $30 shipped, but its just too much work because the stitching has to be done by hand, and I also reinforce the seams on the inside. I'll do the first one for $40 shipped, then $45, then $50 shipped for any others.

$40 shipped X
$45 shipped
$50 shipped

Edit: Price is now $45 shipped for one more order, then it moves to $50 shipped.

I also made one out of fake burberry fabric for someone, it looked pretty sweet, I don't have a pic of it though. I could do a lot cheaper for one of those, like $20 shipped. They're kinda thin though, but it totally works. I have a **** ton of that fabric left.

[RotorNutFD3S]

Photobucket is blocked here where I work, so I can't see the pictures, but I am interested in replacing my boot with a nice black leather boot with red top stitching. You don't do e-brake boots as well do you? I'd like to replace them as a pair and get rid of the hard plastic shell.

[Jack-MX5ATLanta.com]

Damn these look nice. My problem is my shift boot sits too low with my new nob. I'll take a picture and show you.

[N3v]

I could do an ebrake boot too, but I've never made one before, so you'd need to allow more time for me to actually design it and test fit it. if photobucket doesn't work, what about waffleimages? let's give that a shot:
http://img.waffleimages.com/71cea9cbe5e4c4635f4156a8e3f9201cc6a961cb/t/DSC03420.jpg
Click here for the full 960x1280 image. (http://img.waffleimages.com/71cea9cbe5e4c4635f4156a8e3f9201cc6a961cb/DSC03420.jpg)

Edit: waffleimages wasn't working even for me, for some reason, so I attached a small pic so you can get a glimpse for now

Edit2: oh, nevermind! not needed. thanks admin!

[Jack-MX5ATLanta.com]

Added them as attachments for you.

[RotorNutFD3S]

Damn these look nice. My problem is my shift boot sits too low with my new nob.

I have this same problem, and on a shortened shifter too (when I say shortened I mean one of the previous owners hacked off about 1/4" of the top). The boot never quite makes it to the bottom of the Voodoo knob I have, and now I have a new knob and I have no idea how well anything is going to fit. :lol:

I could do an ebrake boot too, but I've never made one before, so you'd need to allow more time for me to actually design it and test fit it.

That's cool. What would you do for pricing on both? :D

Added them as attachments for you.

Thanks! They do look GOOD!

[N3v]

thanks! I'm gonna go ahead and put my paypal up so if someone wants to nab the first boot deal they can, but I just went back to knoxville for school, and I need to get back and get my sewing machine. Normally, it took about a week to make one after I got the order, but as of right now, it would be 2-3 weeks, especially if you wanted an ebrake boot too. Btw, for an ebrake boot, just add $15.

paypal: n3v@comcast.net

Edit: $15 is the tentative price on the ebrake boot on any orders made right now. It may go up later once I figure out that they're a pain in the *** to make :P So get it while you can!

Edit2: if you need one thats shorter or longer than stock, I can see what I can do, its really easy to make them shorter, but longer would require a redesign of the pieces of leather I use, so it would take longer to figure out. my shifter is a short throw shifter that's a tiny bit taller than stock (1/2" at most) and it still has plenty of room. Leather is pretty stretchy too, and I've had a lot of success with the boot not falling off or moving around by putting a rubber washer from home depot on the shift lever before I put the center console/boot back on. They cost $0.60, but I'll include one for free :P

[RotorNutFD3S]

Sounds like a deal to me. I'm not in any rush as I'm still waiting to reassemble my car. I'm going to send you payment now and take advantage of the deal. Do you make the shift boots to fit with a stock lever? My new 6-speed shifter is OEM and I probably will not be going with a short shifter for some time.

[N3v]

yes, the design of the boot is identical to the oem one, at least for an NA. I cut my stock shift boot apart and traced the pieces and used that to make the new pieces. I've only sold them to NA's, but I'm pretty sure it will fit just fine on an NB too. If you're worried about it, there are two things we can do:
1. you send me an old stock NB boot and I'll cut it up and trace it and make you one from that design
2. I send you my design, if you don't like the fitment, just send it back with an old NB shift boot and I'll do #1

I think #2 should be fine, since I'm 99% sure it'll be fine :)

[wildfire0310]

yes, the design of the boot is identical to the oem one, at least for an NA. I cut my stock shift boot apart and traced the pieces and use that to make the new pieces. I've only sold them to NA's, but I'm pretty sure it will fit just fine on an NB too. If you're worried about it, there are two things we can do:
1. you send me an old stock NB boot and I'll cut it up and trace it and make you one from that design
2. I send you my design, if you don't like the fitment, just send it back with an old NB shift boot and I'll do #1

I think #2 should be fine, since I'm 99% sure it'll be fine :)

He has a NA with a 6-spd not an NB with a 6-spd.

[RotorNutFD3S]

Well, I don't have an NB boot to send you, 6-speed going into an NA for clarification. However, I think that they are the same size overall. I'm not worried about it though, I was just making sure that's what your aim was.

No problems with the stitching fading? Had a boot with red top stitching that turned pink after a few months in the sun in my RX7. Don't want that again. :)

Anyway, money sent.

[N3v]

an NA with a six speed? :confused: So it's an NB tranny? in that case, I'm 99.9% it won't be a problem. I've driven an NB, and I think their shifter throw isn't any longer than an NA, so it shouldn't be too short.

Edit: oh, right, gotcha. As far as fading goes, I'm using nice, thick cotton embroidery floss for the top stitching, so I really doubt it. Fading hasn't really been tested yet, as I just made mine a couple months ago. Its real leather though, and although I already applied a weather seal and polish to it, doing so yourself every now and then probably wouldn't be a bad idea.

[MeFryRice]

Could you make one using a mesh like material?

[RotorNutFD3S]

an NA with a six speed? :confused: So it's an NB tranny? in that case, I'm 99.9% it won't be a problem. I've driven an NB, and I think their shifter throw isn't any longer than an NA, so it shouldn't be too short.

Edit: oh, right, gotcha. As far as fading goes, I'm using nice, thick cotton embroidery floss for the top stitching, so I really doubt it. Fading hasn't really been tested yet, as I just made mine a couple months ago. Its real leather though, and although I already applied a weather seal and polish to it, doing so yourself every now and then probably wouldn't be a bad idea.

Yeah, NB 6-speed swapped into an NA. :D
Like I said, I think that they're the same dimensionally, the only difference being an extra pin in the lower part of the shifter that makes no difference to what we're dealing with here.

Cool, just wondering. Trust me, the OEM one looks practically brand new still because of the care routine. :D

[N3v]

Could you make one using a mesh like material?

like what?

[MeFryRice]

Forget the mesh, how about Alcantara?

I'm always interested in helping fellow members...

[Jack-MX5ATLanta.com]

Or ultrasuede, whichever works out easier/cheaper

[N3v]

well, the leather i use is so nice, the other side is a very nice looking suede. However, even though it was really soft, I decided not to make one like that because dirt is magnetically attracted to it and contrasts to the black and is tough to clean without scuffing up. I'm thinking if you want a suede detail for your shift boot, some sort of synthetic is the way to go. is that what ultrasuede is? I've never messed with it.

edit: here's a random shot of the back of the leather:
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn49/n3v1789/DSC03400.jpg
I mean, I could make one, but much like suede clothing, you have to be careful with it.

Edit2: oh, alcantara seems like a good candidate since its used a lot for cars. I have no idea where to get any of that stuff or how much it costs, so let me look into it and I'll get back to you on whether or not I'd be able to make that.

[metalman]

Well, I don't have an NB boot to send you, 6-speed going into an NA for clarification.

FWIW, NB boots are different dimension then NA, even thought they look the same.
But, that only matters if using an NB console.

[N3v]

update: alcantara (or ultrasuede, its the same thing) is a good bit more expensive than leather, so I would need
-maybe slightly increased price (I'm thinking $60)
-at least two buyers


Edit:
FWIW, NB boots are different dimension then NA, even thought they look the same.
But, that only matters if using an NB console.
Thanks! I haven't run into this issue yet, but hopefully the first NB that wants one will be willing to send me their stock old boot for a negotiable discount :)

Edit2:
I might be able to find alcantara for cheaper than I thought, so if two people show interest, I'll look into it seriously and get back with a solid price, which might still be the regular price

[Jack-MX5ATLanta.com]

Have you got any shots of the fake Burberry? :D

[MeFryRice]

That's fine. I don't mind the extra expense.

How about this, make two and I'll just buy one for LB for her MSM.

So one one for an NA and one for an NB. :)

I can send payment whenever...

[N3v]

That's fine. I don't mind the extra expense.

How about this, make two and I'll just buy one for LB for her MSM.

So one one for an NA and one for an NB. :)

I can send payment whenever...

Just called a couple places, gathering some pricing info, I should know within the hour

Have you got any shots of the fake Burberry? :D
haha no sorry I left the fabric at home, I can grab it when I get my sewing machine if people want it, but its the classic burberry tan with the black and red plaid thing going on, its identical to the real burberry design. I just shipped one off to someone that bought one, I'm hoping they'll post install pics.

[N3v]

can you get me a stock NB boot? it sounds like you're buying it as a gift so I might have to go junkyard diving.

Edit: not a big deal if you can't get one, I just called flyin miata and they've got one for a couple bucks

[MeFryRice]

It's not a gift, just something for her car.

Since her car is currently down, I'll steal her boot for the time being.

[N3v]

awesome! They never got back to me today with the different materials and pricing, but they Did have what I was looking for. I'm gonna call them again tommorrow :E. So when its all confirmed I'll let you know but its looking like $110 shipped for the pair if you send me the boot

The stock boot will be destroyed though, fyi, so if its still in really good shape and you want to keep it or something, I'll do 120 for the pair with no boot.

[MeFryRice]

Haha yeah, the boot is mint. I'll just pay the $120 if your ok with that?!

[N3v]

well, don't send it yet. That's what the price is looking like, but I don't have a final word from the vendor yet. I'd feel better asking for it once they get back to me that yes, they can definitely ship, and its the price i think it is, etc.

[deerock]

this is a great idea! i would order one but, i made my own about a month ago, out of crushed velvet, i mean it looks baller, but i wish i could get some in black.

but goodluck with your sells! i see everyone has taken a high interest in them!

[N3v]

Ok, they've got alcantara and they can drop ship it to me. its tad bit more expensive than i thought, but since they're the first batch of alcantara ones I'm making, I'll still do them for 120 total. paypal me and I'll get things going!

[N3v]

Someone was heading to knoxville and was nice enough to get some of my supplies for me. Here's a shot of the burberry fabric:
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn49/n3v1789/DSC03472.jpg
the flash makes the tan parts look sort of weird.
Oh, and I don't have a sewing machine yet, but I'm not the kind of person that likes to sit around idly when I could do things somehow. So, I'm already working on rotornuts boot, now featuring 100% hand sewing:
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn49/n3v1789/DSC03467.jpg

mefryrice, are you still interested in the alcantara?

At this rate, rotornut, I could probably have the boot ready to ship by friday, monday at the latest. However, the ebrake boot will take some time as I don't have my car right now, and it'll be a few weeks before I'll be able to have it, and test fit an ebrake boot design.

[RotorNutFD3S]

That's cool! I can't see the picture here, but I will take a look later. :) Like I said, I don't have a running car to put it in yet, so when the e-brake boot is done, cool.

[N3v]

rotornut's boot shipping out tommorrow:
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn49/n3v1789/DSC03480.jpg

[RotorNutFD3S]

WOW! That looks awesome!!! Can't wait to have it in person! Thanks so much!

[N3v]

hey no problem! one more thing though, you're gonna have to poke holes in the botom part of it so it will fit on the plastic hooks in your center console. it will make a lot more sense once you take it off and take the old boot off. if you need help though feel free to contact me about it. Edit: And yeah, the pics don't do it justice, it looks great in person :)

edit: one more is still available at $45 shipped, get it while you can!

[N3v]

also, real alcantara is no longer an option. the place where i was gonna buy it ran out, and the new market price is 81 dollars a yard, with a 5 yard minimum! I would need a lot of orders before the price would become anywhere near reasonable for each boot. They have some other stuff called ultrasuede which feels and looks pretty similar, they sent me some samples of it, and its pretty nice, and I could charge something like $45 a boot for it.

But man, I'm really tempted to save up and get 5 yards of it, that would be more than enough to do my whole interior, and it would be baller as hell, haha.

[RotorNutFD3S]

Yeah I noticed the lack of holes. It's all good, I've done it before.

[N3v]

I'd do the holes myself, but I don't have my car/console to test fit it on. but yeah, I did it on the other two leather ones i've made with my pocket knife, no big deal.

[RotorNutFD3S]

Mine arrived today. My dad said it looks great! (I get everything shipped to his house because that's where my car is.) I'll get over there at some point to check it out. Thanks!

[N3v]

yes! glad to hear it arrived quickly. hope you're happy with it :)

[RotorNutFD3S]

Meant to post that I went and picked the boot up. It looks great! Very pleased!

Any word on the brake boot?

[N3v]

yeah just got my car a couple days ago, i'm finishing up a couple burberry boots at the moment, in a couple days i'll have them out the door then I'll get to the ebrake boot. I'll shoot to bring it to the tech day.

[RotorNutFD3S]

Sweet! Thanks!