[Wylee]

Hey all new here, so let me know if i should be posting else where. I picked up a 1975 w300 recently on the cheap. It has a bad 203 but came with a 205 in the bed. It has a np445 (4350?) And i read it will not mate to the 205. However i have an 85 3/4 ton dodge that has a np435 and a 208. Is there a way i could mate the 435 and 205 together...or make any of this work and be part time. Also it is a dually and ill be looking for information on hubs as well. Thanks

 

[Wylee]

Also how do i identify what this 205 came out of?

 

[Elwenil]

A Dodge 23 spline input NP205 will mate to any Dodge transmission that originally had a NP208 or NP241.  The NP205, 208 and 241 all have the same bolt pattern and 23 spline.  You will naturally have to swap out the shift linkage and possibly change or modify the driveshafts.  Make sure you have the male to male spline coupler for the input shaft of the NP205 to mate it to the output of the transmission.  Unfortunately you are correct in the NP205 not mating to the NP445, or any Dodge 4WD transmission in the '75-'79 "full time 4WD era" as the NP203 is a bit unique and uses a different length transmission output shaft and mounting bolt pattern.

You are going to need to be more specific in what dually hubs you are wanting info on and what info you require.

The Dodge NP205 only has three versions, the '69-'74 divorced version which is obvious with the yoke input, the '80-'93 "gas" versions which is a mated transfer case with 23 spline input used in all gas engines as well as Cummins automatic transmission models through '93 and the last is the 29 spline mated NP205 that was only used on '89-'93 Cummins 5 speed manual transmission models.  In '69-'74 the divorced NP205 was used in all 4WD models with the exception of the first year of the Ramcharger in '74 which got the full time mated NP203 a year earlier than the pickups.  In the '80-'93 era, the NP205 was only used with the D60 front axle so a D44 equipped W250 or W350 (yes, the D44 was available in a SRW 1 ton), would not have a NP205 but a NP208 or NP241, depending on the year.  Other than that, there isn't much more you need to know about what the NP205 you have came from unless it's out of a GM truck or something similar.

 

[Wylee]

Thanks elwinil, very informative. More specifically the truck is a dually and has a dana 60 front. Are there locking hubs that will work with the big "spacers" ?

 

[Elwenil]

Yes, if you have the stock dually hubs for a full time 4WD truck, you can unbolt the stock drive flanges and bolt on a set of Milemarker Selectro external hubs similar to my Dana Dualmatic hubs:

https://milemarker.com/product/11034-01-selectro-hubs/

You may be able to find them a little cheaper than the link at Milemarker.

 

[Wylee]

Sweet. Thanks again man, im glad i joined the club. I live in interior Alaska and sometimes figuring things out aint easy.

 

[Wylee]

Can we talk crossmembers and tcase mounts for a minute? I dont have much domestic brand experience yet so please bare with me. When i swap this np435 and np205 as a married unit into the 300, do i need another crossmember? Does that 205 just hang off the "adapter"? Seems a bit heavy.. Ive scoured the interweb and all i come up with is pictures of divorced units with the "over the top" crossmember.

 

[Elwenil]

The NP205 does indeed just hang off the back.  It's fine that way and shouldn't cause you any problems.  You stock crossmember should be ok or just need a bit of adjustment as the transmission is what it supports and the 727 and NP435 are very similar dimensions.  Don't use extra mounts or anything on the NP205 as it destroys the factory "tripod" mounting arrangement and will cause problems breaking parts with the engine torquing and frame flex.

 

[DODGEBOYS]

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/dodgetrucks/fsm-factory-service-manuals-1972-to-1992-t612.html#p765

 

[Wylee]

Thanks again guys. I couldnt help it and went outside to lay under both trucks last night. It was about 10 degrees but i just had to.
Dodgeboys id love to have a couple service manuals...not sure how to pay for them? Im new to the internet and have only used amazon.

 

[Wylee]

Another set of questions. First, i realized the shifter that came with the 205 looks the same as the one for the 208 in my '85. It bolts to the adapter section with 3 bolts. If i find a factory dodge 205 shifter will this 3 bolt pattern work? If not what are my options for a twin stick? Offroad design?
Second. The section with the 8 holes and 6 studs, one of the studs is bent. Can i replace these or do i dare putting a nut on it and tapping it straight? Thanks again and please educate me on terminology.

 

[Elwenil]

The NP208 and NP241 shifters are gated, the NP205 shifter is not.  They both bolt up the same, but work very differently.  Any Dodge mated NP205 shifter should work with a little adjustment.  There are a lot of twin stick options out there but ORD would be one of the more popular choices.  Remember, a twin stick conversion is a lot more than just the shifters, you have to install modified shift rails in the NP205 and eliminate some of the shift interlock mechanisms.

Replace the stud.

 

[Wylee]

Ill be on the lookout for a dodge 205 shifter then..might be hard to come by up here. Folks want top dollar for anything and parts can be like finding a unicorn. Kind of why i may end up with a twin stick. I have read extensively about the shift rails..i will not be grinding mine..would likely pick up a set from ord.
As far as the stud is there a go to company or am i at the mercy of the hardware store?

 

[deathrowdave]

I ran into the shifter issue when switching from 435-205 to 4500-205 . The 4500 had a 241 attached with a gated shifter . The 4500 bolts to trans and 435 bolted to the adapter . I sold the 435 adapter shifter and 241 . So that left me with 4500 - 205 with a gated shifter . If you look at the gated shifter it is very easy to remove the “ gate” from the shifter . Once that is removed I used a solid rod threaded and a heim joint on each end to make it work . I also took the shifter lever apart as discussed on here and turned some solid bushing to stop the dreaded shifter rattle . In the end what I tryin to say it’s very easy to modify a gated shifter from a 435 to 208 or 241 to finish your swap and get you rollin again with the 205  .

 

[Wylee]

DRDave I'll have to check that out. At the very least it'd get me by. I dont need 4wd very often but when i do its with a full load of wood. I heat with wood and will be micro logging with this beast.
Also, unfortunately this is not all it will take to get back off road.. I have another problem. Whiteish smoke blowing from dipstick tube and valve covers. Im done working on it for the winter and havnt yet done a compression check. The engine supposedly has about 10k on it. Rebuilt and said he just didnt drive it much..sold it to me. Im not an engine guy yet but im working on it.

 

[Wylee]

I know this is probably a post for another thread but what the heck would cause it to do that? Outside of chainsaws briggs and a couple air cooled vws my engine skills are slim. Im no dunce though lol.

 

[Elwenil]

If it's white smoke, it's oil burning.  It could also be steam, which would be coolant.  You can usually easily smell the antifreeze in the exhaust though.  Could be stuck rings if the engine sat around long enough without being run.

 

[Wylee]

It sat almost 10 yrs he said. Theres only a bit of blueish smoke from the right tail pipe. The rest is white and blows out from valve covers and dipstick tube. I was thinking head gasket? I replaced the intake gaskets when i got because there was oil pooling up on drivers side top of intake. Someone else mentioned stuck rings and said to squirt some marvel mystery oil in the cylinders over winter..

 

[deathrowdave]

What does the bottom of the oil fill cap look like ? Cottage Cheese ? If so you have cracked heads , block or popped head gasket . At any rate coolant entering combustion chamber .

 

[Wylee]

Its clean. Dip stick is clean. But the coolant does have a little bit of oil residue.