np205 or D18??

I just acuired a np465 on a trade. It was working when removed, but they wanted an auto. It came with an adapter for an np205 on it. I was all set to buy a adapter till I looked at the price. The Jeep is a 68 and will be used for offroad only. The 205 will fit but I will have to trim the floor and build a new crossmember. Neither concerns me and I have found a way to clock it to keep it from hanging down.

I like the traditional d18, but I like the Idea of being able to do front digs is apealing and I have a centered 44 laying in the shop. I would have to swap over the new gears, but I needed to do that anyway so no big deal. The 205 is pretty much a beast, but there are modifications required to make it twin stick. All that cost money as well.

Seems to keep the 18 would cost 400 pluss, to put in the 205 would be in the 300.00 range.... So what do you guys think?

I know most are traditionalists, but this 5 was not worth saving and is being turned into a play toy. So I am not just killing a vintage jeep I promise....

 

I think you need to weigh all options, I don't know how you came up with $300 to fit the NP205 if you're gonna have to re-clock it, re-gear it and twin stick it. The gear kit will cost far more than that. You're gonna have driveshaft mods both ways but how long will your rear driveshaft be when you're done if the 205 is used compared to the 18. There is a huge weight difference in the transfercase's. I am not saying not to do it but I would look very seriously at it, re-clocking the 205 will put it into the frame rail I would think as they virtually touch in stock form, the 18 only has about 3-4" to start with.

 

I say Dana 18. I am not a fan of the 205 since it weighs so much.

 

that sm465 to np205 is REALLY long. How much rear drive shaft are you expecting??

JB

 

Ya, one issue I forgot to metion was drive shaft length, I will loose almost 6 inches of length. I was concidering lenghtinging the wheelbase as well but had not comitted to it. The regaer is already paid for. I have the axles sitting in the floor I just have not installed the kit yet.

If I am not mistaken dosen't the drive shaft have to be shortened for the 465/18 swap? If not that is a plus.

I agree it will be tight, but measured on centerline the 205 should fit even clocked, but that is a big SHOULD.... with the way things go i am not real optimistic about the 205 swap, just hate to spend 400 bucks on a spacer and shaft,,, kinda an oversion for me... but that is what the market requires for that swap...

I guess I could go dana 20 with the centered rear and then the 20 twinsticked will give me front dig,,,,,,, My head hurts!!

 

sorry to jump in here and sort of hi-jack your thread, but if you end up wanting to sell the 205 & 465 adapter give me a shout at: wvining@comcast.net

I'm currently searching for one (well, have been for almost a year now) for my fullsize chevy that has a 465 & one of the aluminum NP chain drive t-cases. The t-case i have is in great working condition as it is, but i'm wanting the extra strength as she will be primarily a mud truck more than anything.

Again, sorry for hi-jacking your thread

 

my bad, sorry Sparky

 

the 205 is a beast of a xfer case in both strength and weight. alot tougher than the 18, but then again, what are you running in front of the 465? v-6? then itll be plenty tough enough. another thing to think about is the d18/OD setup. that will allow you plenty of gearing options for your front and rear and with the granny tranny, you will have a HUGE range of speeds in a particular power band. i know its an extra grand or so, but having 16 forward gears? thats alot of option to think about for a later mod. cant do that with the 205.
just my thoughts..i run the 420 and with my bonus in a few months, am thinking about installing 5.38's or so with my 33's and a warn OD (or whatever). i had a chevy truck with the 465 and 205 setup..worked well, but limited. only geared down so far even in granny (31's and hyway gears). =\
it WAS alot quieter than the d18 at hyway speeds tho...

 

I'm thinking the 205 has a wimpy low range, like 1.98:1... there are lots of transfer cases with the 6 bolt circular pattern, like the D300, NP208, NP231, which might be a better match to the 465. I know that the 208 is an aluminum case / chain drive with a 2.6:1 low range. It came as the standard transfer case on '80 and later FS Jeeps and is considered the most desirable of the stock FSJ transfer cases from that era. It holds up very well in these vehicles, is cheap, and comes in a 32 or 27 spline PSD version from GM. Not saying that this is your best option, but that there are several options to explore that could turn out better and/or cheaper than either the NP205 or D18.

 

case closed..=)

 

Well as usual, things are much clearer after mock up. The 205 will fit between the rails, even clocked although without a good mount it would likely rattle. Drive shaf length even with a streach will be incredibly short, I am not going to move the engine forward. In short it is just not worth it to me to take the steps required to make it fit,,, So does ayone have a spare adapter kit laying around for cheap???

I am looking at the rube adapter. Bout 100 bucks cheaper...

 

A couple of things here.
1. Your centered rear axle isn’t going to work with the Dana 18 ‘cause of the offset rear output of that transfer case.
2. You won’t be able to do a “front dig”, if I understand what your talk’n ‘bout, because you need to be able to uncouple the rear drive while leaving the front engaged for that and the Dana 18 doesn’t work that way. Most of the rock crawlers you see doing that are using some sort of custom rear coupler set up or using an Atlas transfer case.
You may be able to twin stick your NP205 and get the same result as an Atlas, but I don’t know for sure. I’ve seen twin stick shifter kits but I think they just replace the single shifter with no internal modifications and as I said you’d need a way to uncouple the rear drive.
But really, how important to you is the ability to do a “front dig”? Unless you’re professionally competing, it’s just a gadget. Granted, a pretty cool gadget, but for the $$$ spent, not really worth it IMO.

 

Good luck get’n ahold of’im. I tried calling and e-mailing several times without answer before going to Parts Mike.
He sells Advanced Adapter parts much cheaper than even Advanced Adapter does.

 

AFAIK there are lots of places that you can buy AA products cheaper than from AA, ie Herm, Parts Mike or Bob Supplee(?). It's a typical business practice for suppliers to only sell their product direct at full retail, to avoid undercutting their retailers. The retailers (like Herm) buy at a discount, and then can set their own profit levels, often competitive and below retail.

 

Isn't a D300 like a D20, in that a twin stick controls each axle L-N-H separately? If the D300 clocking can be made to work with the SM465-NP205 adapter, there are a couple of options for spline count on the D300 bull gear...

 

Got me. I have zero experience with a Dana 300.

 

Just FYI, but there’s a guy over at Jeeps Unlimited CJ Tech Forum try’n to sell a Dana 300 for $150.