All NP-205 gurus please chime in

[diggy]

While installing my NWF cable shifters on my doubler yesterday, I came across 2 problems.

1) the pass. shift rail on the 205 is too short and does not allow the cable to reach it

2) the bracket that connect into the driver side shift rail runs across and under pass shift rail and prevents anything from bolting to it.

it seems that I have the only 205 with this problem (equal length shift rails) since EVERY pic I look at has a longer pass side then driver side.


My questions are this.

1] when my205 was rebuilt, could they have put 2 driver side length shift rails in by accident?

2] could the 205 be opened up and adjustments be done to allow the pass side to extend further out?

3] should I just go buy a longer shift rail or just fab an extension piece some how to the existing rail?

4] when it comes to the ball bearing and spring above the shift rail. I see 2 notches not 3. Is that correct? I thought from the pics I look at that there is 3 notches "positions" the ball bearing can sit in?

the pics below are of my 205 and the last pic is of a stock 205 I pulled from the internet. As you can see its shift rail is like 1" - 1 1/2" longer than what is in my case.

My case came out of a 72 Blazer

thanks in advance

 

[diggy]

here are other 205's with the shifters installed. as you can see their rail is quite a bit different

 

[4X4HIGH]

There are two different lengths of shift rails (most are uneven length between the two) you got unlucky and got a t-case with the uncommon rail lengths.

 

[Fordum]

I run 205s in everything I run, but they are all stock. And the wrong brand truck, so I'm not familiar with the shift rails.
But, I ran across this once while looking for something else.

http://offroaddesign.com/catalog/transfercaseshifters.htm

Scroll down to about the middle. They discuss the two different rails and how one model is equal and one has one short one.

J.

 

[diggy]

Well, if it's not a rebuild mistake then I will just have to replace it, since I need the longer one. My only question now is fab an extension or replace the whole piece.

thanks

 

[4X4HIGH]

Well, if it's not a rebuild mistake then I will just have to replace it, since I need the longer one. My only question now is fab an extension or replace the whole piece.

thanks

Would be easier to fab an extension piece since swapping the shaft would require a portion of the t-case to be disassembled.

 

[ryoken]

yup, here's the right length one.. tho i didn't even know there was a shorter one.. luckily mine is right....

i'd get the right rail, the 205's are simple to tear down/build...

 

[GreenieK30]

The older 1969-73 205s have the shorter rails, usually with a hook piece welded on one and a rectangular tie bar. Around 1974 they went with a slightly different shift rail setup.

 

[dirtygoat]

The older 1969-73 205s have the shorter rails, usually with a hook piece welded on one and a rectangular tie bar. Around 1974 they went with a slightly different shift rail setup.

That's funny, when I was reading the original post the first two people that came to mind was you and Kenny...

 

[bp71k5]

Do the cable shifters just require the longer rails? I set up non-cable doubler shifters on my old style 205 like that. It kinda looks like you might be able to modify the bracket to allow more room for adding something to the shirt shift rail.

Is there enough room to get the shifter pins that fit in the end of those rails up from the bottom and have the end with the cotter pin pointing up? You would have to remove the bracket that's underneath it first.

 

[Hogback Fabrication]

Replacing the rails is relatively easy but making an extension is much easier, definitely the way I'd go