Okay, I've cracked ANOTHER shifter cap... and I can't stand it anymore.

So, here's my idea.

I have a 4 speed with OD, the sliding switch type. It's a very thin piece of plastic that the switch screws into, and it's also a place that gets a lot of pressure from the palm of my hand. I figure that a shift knob from a 4 speed with out OD would be stronger and less likely to crack like the cap on mine does.

So, I plan on replacing my current shift knob from one of the 240's that is a 4 speed with no overdrive... BUT, what do I do with that OD switch? How will I turn the OD on?

Quite simple. Here's my idea, the main idea behind this thread...

I figure I could run a couple of new wires to a new switch on the Center Council shown here:


Now, here comes the part where I have questions...

What type of switch should I grab from the boneyard? (If I could get something that lights up, that would be cool, but it's not that big of a deal.) I'm thinking another Rear Demist switch, (scrape the lettering off and paint an "OD" on it), but not sure. Is the 3rd wire in the Demist switch just to power the light inside of the switch?

Any reasons not to go this way? Is this idea just completely insane? If it's not, I'll be sure to take plenty of pictures and post how it was done here on the board.

Unless there is a very cheep, and plentiful source for good shift caps for a '80 245 DL, this is what I'm (very seriously) thinking of doing.