DIY Gear Knob Recover for G50

[COLB]

The gear knob on my '88 was incredibly tatty -- I assume the first owner liked to rest his hand on the knob while driving, and the leather was worn through more than you would expect on an 87k car.

My car has a burgundy interior, and unless your interior is black, you are out of luck. Our host sells only black, and as near as I can tell, other colors are NLA.

I have zero experience with upholstery, other than restitching my steering wheel, but thought I would give it a try before shelling out for an upholsterer to try it.

I had quality upholstery needles and thread left over from that job. The needles I got at Michaels, and the thread from an online source for about 5 bucks (I use Amazon Prime, so shipping costs are no issue.)

I did an internet search for burgundy scrap leather, including ebay and amazon, and found a 8" x 12" piece of burgundy leather on Amazon from "Reed Leather Hides." They have a number of color choices, and different sizes. The 8x12 piece was 3.99 + 6.99 shipping. The color looked close enough, so I took a risk. It has a slightly more visible grain than the original, but the color match was excellent. And after 25 years, I'm not sure what the original grain looked like anyway!

The first step is removing the knob. On a G50, you pry out the plastic cap with as thin a flat tip screwdriver you can find. There are tabs at the 12, 4, and 8 o'clock positions. I went with 12, and slid in a screwdriver and pried carefully -- it is very difficult to keep from bunging up the cap, so take your time.



When the cap is out, the knob comes off with a 6mm hex -- then just pull it off. Put the screw & washer back on the shaft to keep from losing them.



I hoped to use the old leather as a template for the new one, but it was just too thrashed.



Instead, I used dampened paper to help conform to the shape, allowing a little overlap past the seam gaps on the knob. I traced the wet template onto a dry piece of paper, trimmed it for symmetry, then used black ink to trace the outline on the rough side of the leather.

[COLB]

Fold the paper template in half and trim it like a paper doll to make sure it is symmetrical. This takes some experimentation. Don't worry about getting the dimensions exactly right -- you are going to shrink it to fit the knob later.

Make sure your template has a little taper at the top like a wineglass. Trace the pattern onto the leather, then cut out your two halves. Place them together with the rough side out, and trim them to ensure they match exactly.

After some trial & error, I used scotch tape to hope the two pieces together. Then use a black pen to mark your stitch holes. The tape keeps the pieces from slipping, and also lets you locate your holes after you have punched them with an awl or needle. I used a thick upholstery needle and a light hammer. I placed a magazine on a cutting board to allow the needle to punch cleanly through both sides:



Fold over little tabs on both ends of the tape to make it easier to remove -- it really sticks to the rough leather. I stitched through top and bottom with a single length, and then back over again so there was a stitch on both sides of the leather in each hole. The whole punching and stitching process took about an hour.



This picture was my first attempt, before I figured out to fold tabs into the tape. Make sure your stitches are pretty even, and leave enough space between the stitch and the edge so they don't pull through -- maybe a millimeter or two. You can always trim the edge after if you leave too much.

[COLB]

Next, strip the tape off, and trim the edges -- but don't trim too much! (more on that later.)

Next, turn the leather inside out so the smooth side is on the outside, and slip the knob into the sleeve.



There should be overlapping leather on both the top & bottom that will be folded into the knob. Trim a little if there is too much, but remember -- it is going to shrink. Align the sown seams with the grooves in the knob. Trim them a little if they don't fit flush, but don't cut too close to the stitches, or they will pull through when you shrink it.

Next, trim a dowel or find a something similar -- I used a little screwdriver -- and jam it into the small end, with the leather folded in. Boil some water, and let it cool a little. Then dip the knob into the hot water for 5-10 seconds. The leather will shrink quickly, so don't drop it in. if you drop the leather in without it being around the knob, it will curl up like a shrinky dink and be ruined. Then you will have to start over. Ask me how I know.



Work the leather as you continue to dip it in and out, folding the end into the top of the knob, and keeping the seams aligned with the grooves. Take your time.





After getting it close, I pushed the cap partway on to hold the leather in place at the top, and keep it from shrinking too much at the top.



The toughest part was getting the middle portion snug -- I probably made my template a little too wide. Once it is close, use a hair drier or heat gun on the areas that need to shrink more. Let it dry overnight -- it will shrink up a bit as it dries, and see if you need to use the hot water again (I did).

[COLB]

After some work, I got it pretty tight on the knob. I expect it to continue to tighten & harden as it dries. I think this leather is a little thicker than original, but mine was so worn, it is hard to know.

I got one seam almost perfect.



The other separated a little as it shrunk:



I think I trimmed it a little too close to the stitches. Luckily, this is on the bottom of the knob, so it is not visible. I expect it will come apart eventually, but I have enough leather to redo it when that time comes. I ruined the first attempt by trying to shrink it before I wrapped it around the knob. I didn't have it in me to do a third try! But having done it twice, I expect I will get it perfect when I decide to redo it.

Once it is dry, it is easy to remount. You may have to trim the ends if they extend too far into the shaft of the knob.



With the cap back in place, the refinished knob really lifts the interior.



It may not be concours, but it is WAY better than the tatty original, or a black/aftermarket replacement.

I already had the thread & needles, and paid $10 for the leather. Total investment to buy everything would be about $20.

It is about a three hour job, start to finish, minus the overnight dry time -- and minus the trial and error mistakes that (hopefully) I have helped avert for anyone giving this a shot.

[ganun]

Nice work! And I learned that leather will shrink fit. Thanks for sharing.

[Derek911]

Nice clear pictures. I like when people take on different tasks like this.

[COLB]

Originally Posted by Derek911

Nice clear pictures. I like when people take on different tasks like this.

Thanks. It is small potatoes, but pretty much every G50 that doesn't have a black interior has this problem.

Hope it helps some folks out.

[John W.]

Great tutorial! Looks really nice. You did good.