6 Foot Over: 350Z Auto Shift Knob Assembly Instructions

Remove the OE shift knob.

Remove the extender.

Screw the Retainer onto the bottom of the knob and set it on the shifter shaft. With it sitting as far down as it will go without pushing down on it, mark the bottom of the assembly on the shaft.

Take the knob off of the shaft. Unscrew the retainer from the bottom of the knob and slip it back over shaft. Slip the collar over the shaft with the tapered end down. Then pull the retainer up until the bottom is even with the mark you made on the shaft. With the collar sitting in the tapered seat in the retainer, tighten the set screws. Make sure that all 4 of the set screws are tight. Don't tighten them to the point that they crush the shaft but make sure that they are tight.

Set the spring on top of the collar.

Put the knob on and screw the retainer onto it.

Check to make sure that the knob pushed down far enough to shift. Also check to make sure that it retracts far enough to allow the key to be when you put it in park.

You can change the spring out with other springs from the hardware store if you want a softer or firmer push.

Installing in the 370Z has been described to me as being the same except that you need to leave the shaft extender in. I do not personally have experience installing this in a 370Z but I have a made a number of them for people with 370Zs.

Here are some pics from one of the people who has one of my shift knobs in their 370Z

Here are the instructions for the Infiniti's with the factory shift boot:

I did this a little out of order so my pics may look just a bit out of order but here are the steps:

1) Pull the plug for the shift release and use a screwdriver or key to release the shifter so that you can put it in neutral. This gets the shifter in a spot that allows you to take the bezel off.

2) Pull the trim ring down from the bottom of the shift knob.

3) Remove the clip.

4) Pull the shift knob off.

5) Gentle pry up the edge of the finisher. Be careful not to scratch the pieces.

6) Lift the trim piece up and back to remove it. Again, be gentle and don't force things too much.

7) Disconnect the electrical connectors.

8) Remove the plastic extender.

9) With the new shift knob assembled, set it on the shifter shaft so that it is seated all the way down. Don't push it down, it should be loose on the shaft.

10) Mark the bottom of the shift knob on the shaft.

11) Take the shift knob apart and seat the tapered end of the inner collar in the tapered seat in the retainer. Then line the bottom of the retainer up with the mark you made in the last step and mark the top of the collar on the shaft.

12) With the console finisher out, turn the shift boot inside out. You do not have to take anything apart on the finisher to do this.

13) Remove the wire that holds the boot to the factory shift knob trim and remove the trim piece.

14) Insert the new shift knob retainer in the boot with the flange side toward the inside of the finisher.

15) with the boot positioned the way you want it, zip tie the boot to the retainer so that the tie is in the groove form by the flange at the bottom of the retainer.

16) Reinstall the finisher. Use the reverse of the way you took it out being careful not to break or scratch anything.

17) Set the collar over the shifter shaft with the taper seated in the taper in the retainer. Line up the top of the collar with the mark that you made on the shifter shaft and tighten all four set screws. Make sure that the set screws are tight.

18) Set the spring on top of the collar.

19) Screw the shift knob onto the retainer. It should be finger tight. It doesn't need to be super tight as you can easily re tighten it if it loosens up.

20) Push the knob down to shift. Move it between gears a few times. You will need to start the car to do this. If the knob feels too loose or doesn't seem to be releasing all the way, you will need to adjust the position of the collar a bit up or down to get the fit just right.