spediegunz

hey guys I purchased a dct shifter from motivemods.com and I want to install it in my old steptronic there are not many pictures on the web of how they look when install in a 5er but I presume with the new shifter on it will be kinda high up ( like in the first pic) I want to know If I can install it in a way to give it a more lower and flush look (like in the second pic. I called up motive mods and they told me the only way i can accomplish that look is if i cut my shift lever stick... I wanted to know has there been anyone here who has done something like this? is it safe to do, will I damage anything? is there a proper way to cut the shift lever?? by my estimations in order for the shifter to have that low flush look I probably have to take off about 1 1/2 inches. If you look at the third pic there is a cylindrical part in the middle of the stick probably to stop the leather from sliping down below that part. I want to cut right below that cylindrical part. Can anyone tell me if what I'm trying to do is crazy or even possible ? lastly will there be any issues if i cut it that short?

please note this pic with the dct shifter I showed isn't a e60 i think its a e39 so the shifter stick might be slightly different but notice how high it is



how Id like it to look nice and short



this is my actual car notice I want to cut right under that cylindrical notch





here is how the dct shifter looks on someones e39 without the covering

spediegunz

hmm is this that far fetched??

nelson29

I did it Motivemods is right, you have to do a lot of cutting.

spediegunz

nelson show me some pics please is my estimation of about 1.5 inches correct?

tonyb635

Cutting plus bringing the slot back in on the top, unless you can cut from the bottom. Surely there must be a way to get this piece out from the bottom...

spediegunz

can you elaborate a bit further what do you mean by bring the slot back in on the top???

nelson29

I forgot how much I cut but it was a lot.





I'll try to find more pics tonight.

spediegunz

i really love it and i actually still want mines to be even shorter than yours.. .... how ever you just gave me an idea i notice you got the dct base plate as well but kinda installed it into what looks like some custom fit plastic cut for the hole of the e60... excellent idea I think I'm going to do this same exact thing can you give me the details of how you achieved that custom look....The only difference I will do is since I'm going to be wrapping my center console in cf anyway I will even wrap over that custom plastic piece just leaving the dct baseplate exposed... thanks so much nelson for posting this for me it will be a lot of help I'm especially interested in the cutting process I want to cut the stock lever below that notch, i was reading someone else's thread on e90 forums about how they used a dremel tool to cut and then drilled a hole through the lever with the new shifter installed and inserted a screw and nut to keep the dct shifter from popping out. I don't know if all that is necessary in the case of an e60 did you have any issues securing it after you cut so that it doesn't spin or pop out.

heres where I want to cut at

tonyb635

quote name='spediegunz' timestamp='1339082667' post='1448443']
can you elaborate a bit further what do you mean by bring the slot back in on the top???
[/quote]
I circled the slot. This is what holds the shifter to the post. Without this, you need to find another method to secure it or it will simply just lift up on you. My brother inlaw has an old E36 and the male tab inside the shift handle was broken so the shifter lifts off very easily. Once he put a new shifter on, you could feel it click and secure in place Maybe Nelson can share how he did this.

spediegunz

oohhhh I see I didn't realize that piece on top is what secured the shift knob in place. I thought it was a piece at the bottom of the stick coming out of the shifter thanks for the help I'm interested to hear what nelson will have to tell me on how he did everything...