A Camaro parts distributor is selling what he calls "GM NOS 69 Camaro shift balls." They look like originals but they are made of solid brass and chromed. Did GM make these at some point?

I'm trying to find a real chrome shift ball to buy and I can't find one...

I'm pretty sure originals are steel which is chrome plated. I bought a repro and it looks perfect. As long as you do not pay NOS inflated prices and you cannot see any brass under the chrome, what is the difference?

my 3 speed saginaw 307 car had a chrome ball, unsure if it was brass or steel though.

Rich

remember, one of the steps in chrome plating is the copper plate.

Yes, they made chrome balls for all 3 years, 69 had them in all 69 Z/28's I believe? And probably others. I think it depended on the interior. Someone smarter than me will tell us maybe.

Actually Chrome balls were used on shifters with consoles for 68 and 69. Since the shift pattern was on the console plate, the pattern on the ball was redundent. without a console the ball changed to have a pattern in them. 67s did not recieve the chrome ball.

from CRG

On shifter knobs:


1967
All shifter knobs were a 2-piece ball: the top 2/3 was black, with the shift pattern printed in white; the bottom 1/3 was chromed and included a threaded locking ring.
1968 and 1969
With a console, the shifter knob was a chrome ball without a pattern. Without the console, the shifter knob was a 2-piece ball: the top 2/3 was black, with the shift pattern printed in white; the bottom 1/3 was chromed and included a threaded locking ring. In 1969 the size of the attach thread was changed from 5/16-inch diameter to 3/8-inch diameter.

The original 1969 chrome knob was a zinc die casting, much lighter than the incorrect repos out there.

Mine (Z28) is chrome, non-magnetic. I thought they were chromed aluminum.

Wheres the source on this subject? I always wondered about it. Kevin's info makes good since. Thanks for the help.

Wheres the source on this subject? I always wondered about it. Kevin's info makes good since. Thanks for the help.

CRG Camaro Research Group http://www.camaros.org/index.shtml

I have some old chrome shifter balls that I believe are originals.

They are some type of alloy - looks like aluminum
One is 67-68 5/16-18 thread the other is 69 3/8-16 thread

years ago the repops I have seen were steel and they feel heavy but maybe someone makes a correct one now?

I had a steel one on a 69 and felt weird to shift it hard.
Kinda like a pendulum effect with the steel ball at the end.

also feels like a ball of ice on a cold winter morning

back in the day some people changed the chrome ball to the white plastic Hurst ball or a wood ball with Camaro logo that was a popular acc back in the day
I still see that wood ball on some Camaros

pic of 2 that I think are originals

I am a proponent of correct parts. But once the shifter ball is screwed on there is no way to tell how heavy it is. The jam nut somepeople sell as original is more incorrect than the metal used in my book.

I am a proponent of correct parts. But once the shifter ball is screwed on there is no way to tell how heavy it is.

not true, the linkage knows how heavy it is

some cars use a certain WEIGHT to countebalance vibrations, the SVO Mustang had a special weighted shift knob, it looked JUST like all the other Mustang knobs, but was special because of the weight.

by the way, copper, nickel and chrome are the steps in the chrome plating processes, brass is not one of them ...

......
by the way, copper, nickel and chrome are the steps in the chrome plating processes, brass is not one of them ...

In double nickel chrome there is no copper at all.

Although brass is not one of the plating steps, it can be chromed!! One of the major alloying elements in brass is copper, but I don't know if you still have to copper plate as the base plating material.

Although brass is not one of the plating steps, it can be chromed!! One of the major alloying elements in brass is copper, but I don't know if you still have to copper plate as the base plating material.

Copper can be done or not. It depends on who is doing it and what is expected.

Brass plumbing fixtures are chromed all the time.

here is what appears to be a non GM "NOS" "non-magnetic" chrome shift knob

note the wording ...

guessing this is a brass knob not a die cast original

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/66-67-68-69-70-Corvette-Chevelle-Camaro-NOS-Shift-Ball_W0QQitemZ270171900519QQihZ017QQcategoryZ46104 QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem