915 WEVO advice wanted

[bushle]

So, today was a wonderful day weather-wise and I got busy and installed my WEVO shifter. Some background first. I recently bought this 86 Cab from a local. It's pretty nice, but a bit tired. It has 139K miles on it. Runs nice, shifts pretty good, looks nice, interior is a bit run down, but not terrible. I put in a new bluetooth Alpine to replace the 20 year old Alpine system with cassette. In the course of this enterprise I tore out a 5 gallon bucket full of extraneous wiring from stereo, amps, UNGO box remains, radar detector stuff, and old phone wiring. I have it pretty much down to stock wiring and hopefully functional when done.

The WEVO shifter went well without too much angst, had to drill out a couple recalcitrant bolts, but even that went smoothly. So, it is in and shifts so nice and solid, no slop. Next step will be replace coupler for super tight action (I hope). I have a spare with coupler whisperer bushings all ready to go. Hope he is doing well, heard he was having some difficulties a while back.

So, referring to my picture, how does one sorta cover up the tower, but still show off the shifter? The reason for the WEVO is partly for it's beauty. To me it's a super-looking piece of kit and I would like to be able to appreciate it's anodized glory. I don't want to cover it with a boot, rubber or leather, but the die-cast tower is not so lovely. I was wondering what others had done with their WEVOs? I suppose I could give it a coat of paint, which would entail taking it apart, not that tough. Since there are so many mechanical wonders out there was hoping to see what others have done.

Thanks, Brad

[Ian Comerford]

Hi Brad,
When I fitted mine I use some fine emery paper and metal polishing paste to polish the casing and it came up really nice. It works well on mine because my shifter is silver, not sure how it will work with yours.

Ian

[rtu0894]

[bushle]

That looks nice, sorta what I had in mind. I wanted to leave the nice part exposed and hide the die-cast. Alternatively, to beautify the die-cast. A new boot and some surgery may be in order. Anyone else with a unique solution? thx, Brad

[bushle]

Does anyone know if the die cast can be anodized? That might be a kool solution.

[Ayles]

I recently started a thread on the housing. I thought the pics on their site showed awesome looking housings. Turns out they powder coat them.

WEVO & Shifter Housing

[bushle]

So you did, missed it. Thanks for the heads-up. Obviously I'm not the only one obsessing about the subject. Nice to know.

[911pcars]

Originally Posted by bushle

That looks nice, sorta what I had in mind. I wanted to leave the nice part exposed and hide the die-cast. Alternatively, to beautify the die-cast. A new boot and some surgery may be in order. Anyone else with a unique solution? thx, Brad

Not unique, but the factory housing is cast aluminum and can be polished. However, the surface condition must be in decent condition. Scratches and corrosion damage must be removed since polishing can only remove so much. Some prep is usually required prior to polishing. Since a polished surface is on bare metal, it must be maintained (wax, etc.). Anodizing can follow polishing for a long lasting protective finish. It will be similar to a factory Fuchs finish. Here's an example of a polished housing with another product:


Paint (rattle can, powder) is good for hiding surface defects and requires less effort. If masking skills are good, go for it. Best practice is to take it apart to degrease and prep before refinishing.

Sherwood
(shameless plug)

[bushle]

Wow, that is shiny. I see now what is possible. I'm thinking black crackle paint may be more in my future. Thanks for sharing.