R50/53 Whalen Shift Knobs w/ checkerboard inlay
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5th Gear
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 853
Likes: 0
From: Fort Lauderdale, FL
Whalen Shift ***** w/ checkerboard inlay
Anyone got a Whalen with vinyl insert? Whats the difference between the Bead blasted, Brushed and Polished? Does it look like the vinyl will eventually fall off or is it secure? Pictures of it installed? How ez is it to install?
http://www.whalenshiftmachine.com/images/AC%202.jpg
http://www.whalenshiftmachine.com/images/AC%202.jpg
4th Gear
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 343
Likes: 0
From: Yakima, Wa
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...9&postcount=45
Might want to talk to TwistySister. Whalens are very easy to install, the hardest part is getting the OEM **** off.
Might want to talk to TwistySister. Whalens are very easy to install, the hardest part is getting the OEM **** off.
6th Gear
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,964
Likes: 0
From: Alexandria, VA
I just ordered mine and Doug has just shipped it out! I can't wait to get it and try it out.
I don't know much about the vinyl inserts.
But, as for finishes, you can check out the gallery link on his website which shows 150 or so examples of his work. A few things to keep in mind when you look through his photos:
1. Some of the finishes are mislabeled. Most of the are correct but there are a few that might say beadblasted and polished together, but they are in fact brushed and polished. The reason being that They cannot make a beadblasted/polished combo. Just brushed/polished or brushed/beadblasted. You can tell if you look carefully at the photos rather than go by the description.
2. The MX-5 ***** in the gallery were a special order for someone who shipped Doug unfinished aluminum ***** for him to engrave. It looks similar to the beadblasted finish, but not exactly. Doug's are made out of stainless steel.
Doug was great to work with. He was patient and accommodated all of my questions and indecision. I also liked that he provides CAD drawings of the **** for you to check before fabrication. Once the design is finalized, the **** was fabricated and mailed on the same day! Very fast work. I couldnt be happier
Here are a couple pics:
I don't know much about the vinyl inserts.
But, as for finishes, you can check out the gallery link on his website which shows 150 or so examples of his work. A few things to keep in mind when you look through his photos:
1. Some of the finishes are mislabeled. Most of the are correct but there are a few that might say beadblasted and polished together, but they are in fact brushed and polished. The reason being that They cannot make a beadblasted/polished combo. Just brushed/polished or brushed/beadblasted. You can tell if you look carefully at the photos rather than go by the description.
2. The MX-5 ***** in the gallery were a special order for someone who shipped Doug unfinished aluminum ***** for him to engrave. It looks similar to the beadblasted finish, but not exactly. Doug's are made out of stainless steel.
Doug was great to work with. He was patient and accommodated all of my questions and indecision. I also liked that he provides CAD drawings of the **** for you to check before fabrication. Once the design is finalized, the **** was fabricated and mailed on the same day! Very fast work. I couldnt be happier
Here are a couple pics:
6th Gear
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,054
Likes: 10
PS: The bead-blasted finish, IMHO, is awful! It's got a funky chalkboard feel to it and it grabs dirt and oil off of your hands in a heartbeat. I don't consider myself to be a dirty person, but I couldn't keep it clean.
I took some Wenol blue (metal polish) to it and in the course of an hour or so, I had a perfect finish... shiny but not as shiny as the polished **** and a bit darker and richer. Smooth to the touch but not slippery with absolutely no fingerprinting. I was a little worried during that first week that I had the bead-blasted, but I love it now.
I took some Wenol blue (metal polish) to it and in the course of an hour or so, I had a perfect finish... shiny but not as shiny as the polished **** and a bit darker and richer. Smooth to the touch but not slippery with absolutely no fingerprinting. I was a little worried during that first week that I had the bead-blasted, but I love it now.
6th Gear
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,964
Likes: 0
From: Alexandria, VA
PS: The bead-blasted finish, IMHO, is awful! It's got a funky chalkboard feel to it and it grabs dirt and oil off of your hands in a heartbeat. I don't consider myself to be a dirty person, but I couldn't keep it clean.
I took some Wenol blue (metal polish) to it and in the course of an hour or so, I had a perfect finish... shiny but not as shiny as the polished **** and a bit darker and richer. Smooth to the touch but not slippery with absolutely no fingerprinting. I was a little worried during that first week that I had the bead-blasted, but I love it now.
I took some Wenol blue (metal polish) to it and in the course of an hour or so, I had a perfect finish... shiny but not as shiny as the polished **** and a bit darker and richer. Smooth to the touch but not slippery with absolutely no fingerprinting. I was a little worried during that first week that I had the bead-blasted, but I love it now.
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6th Gear
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,054
Likes: 10
Sure... here's a copy and paste from another thread where I posted the whole story:
Originally Posted by agranger
I was worried about the full polished being too much smooth chrome for my hand... that I wouldn't like the feel and that, with my detailing OCD, I'd always be polishing fingerprints off of it. I was also worried about the feel of a brushed finish... that I wouldn't like the texture.
I originally ordered a bead-blasted finish, but the texture wasn't right. It seemed to pick up every bit of grime from my hands, so I was always cleaning it (despite my plans). There was something about the feel of the bead blasted too... maybe a slight 'nails on a chalkboard' feeling. It was very grippy for a metal finish, but it just didn't feel right in my hand. Also, it was just too flat silver for my interior w/ the chrome pack.
My Whalen **** with a bead-blasted finish:
I figured that I had already spent the $, so why not experiment a bit... I think Whalen would convert it to a brushed finish as well for shipping and a small fee, so I figured I didn't have anything to lose. I pulled out the Wenol blue (fine metal polish) and a microfiber one night and spent the evening "polishing my ****" (come on... I had to make the joke!). I got the finish below with about an hour of polishing.
The same **** after an hour of polishing w/ Wenol Blue:
The polishing fixed all of my concerns!
1. I got a 'chromier' **** to match the interior better
2. The feel became much smoother and more pleasant to the touch
3. It stopped grabbing all of the dirt and oil from my hands
4. It looked great and doesn't show fingerprints.
I also got the added benefit that the engraving kept the bead-blasted look, so the contrast between the **** and the engraving grew. If you noticed the color change in the ****, that was the most surprising thing about the whole process. It turned a richer, deeper color and it matches the interior of Jango much more than before... even more than bright polished, IMHO.
I originally ordered a bead-blasted finish, but the texture wasn't right. It seemed to pick up every bit of grime from my hands, so I was always cleaning it (despite my plans). There was something about the feel of the bead blasted too... maybe a slight 'nails on a chalkboard' feeling. It was very grippy for a metal finish, but it just didn't feel right in my hand. Also, it was just too flat silver for my interior w/ the chrome pack.
My Whalen **** with a bead-blasted finish:
I figured that I had already spent the $, so why not experiment a bit... I think Whalen would convert it to a brushed finish as well for shipping and a small fee, so I figured I didn't have anything to lose. I pulled out the Wenol blue (fine metal polish) and a microfiber one night and spent the evening "polishing my ****" (come on... I had to make the joke!). I got the finish below with about an hour of polishing.
The same **** after an hour of polishing w/ Wenol Blue:
The polishing fixed all of my concerns!
1. I got a 'chromier' **** to match the interior better
2. The feel became much smoother and more pleasant to the touch
3. It stopped grabbing all of the dirt and oil from my hands
4. It looked great and doesn't show fingerprints.
I also got the added benefit that the engraving kept the bead-blasted look, so the contrast between the **** and the engraving grew. If you noticed the color change in the ****, that was the most surprising thing about the whole process. It turned a richer, deeper color and it matches the interior of Jango much more than before... even more than bright polished, IMHO.
OVERDRIVE
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 8,233
Likes: 128
From: San Francisco
I have an anthracite interior without chrome. Bead blasted is the least shiny, "darkest" looking of the finishes and the best match appearance-wise for my interior.
My Whalen is bead blasted with a brushed ring:
6th Gear
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,964
Likes: 0
From: Alexandria, VA
I love the bead-blasted finish! I prefer a grippier rather than smooth slick feel and I have no issues at all with dirt or oil. I would describe bead blasted as feeling like a very fine grained metal texture, not like chalkboard.
I have an anthracite interior without chrome. Bead blasted is the least shiny, "darkest" looking of the finishes and the best match appearance-wise for my interior.
My Whalen is bead blasted with a brushed ring:
I have an anthracite interior without chrome. Bead blasted is the least shiny, "darkest" looking of the finishes and the best match appearance-wise for my interior.
My Whalen is bead blasted with a brushed ring:
6th Gear
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,054
Likes: 10
I forgot to mention: Whalen offered to have me ship my bead-blasted **** back so he could apply the brushed finish for me (can't go to polished)... I thought I'd take the hand polishing route and see what happened before I did that. I loved the effect, so it was a moot point, but he has great customer service.
Are the Whalen ***** hot in summer?
I'm thinking about a Whalen **** for my '07 MCS. I live in Las Vegas, NV and cars parked in the sun during the summer get 140+ F inside at times. Do any of you guys who have these ***** live in hot climates? If so, are they uncomfortably hot to hold onto in the summer? How about cold in winter? Thanks
6th Gear
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,054
Likes: 10
Yep... it gets hot and cold, but so does the stock ****. It adjusts to the inside temp of the car fairly quickly, so it isnt' a huge pain in the butt.
I live in Dallas and the summers are pretty warm... just get a nice deep tint with good film and you will be OK.
Still worried? Pull up on the collar, lift the **** off and put it in your briefcase/purse. When you go back out to the car, pop the **** back on, lift up on the collar and press down. Voila! Problem solved!
I live in Dallas and the summers are pretty warm... just get a nice deep tint with good film and you will be OK.
Still worried? Pull up on the collar, lift the **** off and put it in your briefcase/purse. When you go back out to the car, pop the **** back on, lift up on the collar and press down. Voila! Problem solved!
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