Pistol Grip Shifter line lock switch

[Dmod1974]

My build will have a line lock installed this time around, and I struggled with where to mount a trigger switch for it without it looking gaudy.  I ended up modifying my pistol grip shifter to use the shift gate emblem bezel as a switch.  I'm pretty happy with how it turned out; the microswitch is rated for 5A (even though I'm using a relay so it'll see maybe .2A) and has a really nice, positive click to it.

My starting point:





Drilled and tapped 2 #6 screw holes


Drilled out 2 existing indents in the bezel for the screws to pass through


Getting the correct screw length and spring coil length takes some trial and error to ensure you have just enough movement to trigger a switch and not have too big of a gap when the grips are installed.  Once finalized, I loctited the screws in place before gluing the emblem on.



I dremeled the grips as needed to clear the switch and wire. 



I also cut a groove into the shifter and lower bezel to allow the wire to fit.  The switch is mounted sideways and required a hole to be cut in the lever between the upper bezel and uppermost screw hole.  I didn't take pics of everything but you can see where I started cutting/grinding.  The switch is bolted to the shifter through the "common" switch tab so it is mounted solidly and also grounded - eliminating the need for another wire.



These are the microswitches I used.  They have a lever that you'll bend up and trim as needed to make sure the switch trips every time the bezel is depressed.





I used the "wood" grips that came with my shifter as a prototype, then I finalized it on these CF grips that match the interior better.



And, the final product with the wiring complete and heat shrunk:



Video below:

Like I mentioned, I have a relay that will power the line lock solenoid.  In order to prevent accidentally bumping the switch and locking my brakes on or off, I wired up the factory rear defog switch to "arm" the system by sending 12v to one side of the relay coil when flipped to H, the shifter switch will ground the other side and activate the line lock.  The L setting will be used for manual fan override.  I also wired it up to send a signal to the Dakota Digital RTX gauges to display a custom warning message popup any time the system is armed.

[Dakota]

  Really cool touch.  Nice work!