What's new
CK5
Register an account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members.

The 205 Epic Saga Continues

T

talldogg

1/2 ton status
Joined
Jul 26, 2000
Posts
754
Reaction score
0
Location
San Diego, CA
Update! I stopped by the wrecking yard yesterday and the 205 was still there. I'm sure it's a 205, but for some reason it seemed weird to me, and I figured it out. It's not all there, it's missing the housing piece that bolts to the cross member and the rear of the tranny. This is why I wasn't sure if it was a 205 or not. I kept looking at it, and looking at it and it just didn't make sense. It didn't have any mounting holes nor any provisions for the shifter linkage. So what I did is I hide it somewhere else in the yard (the treasure hunt is on!), and I plan on buying it IF it's worth buying ($89+$10 core). So now I have a couple of questions. How easy to get and expensive would the front housing cost? What does it consist of? I imagine it's not just the housing, it has to have something inside. Would the one off my 203 work (I doubt it will)? What do ya'all think? Thanks,
wink.gif


It's not what you buy, it's what you build!
 
Exactly my point in a previous post. It's not all there, you need the adapter to go to your tranny. These should not be too costly ($100 or so), but make sure thats ALL you need, in other words, make sure that the input of the 205 matches the output of the tranny you're gonna use, otherwise you'll have to change the input of the 205...more $$$. Buying something that is not all there is OK, IF you can find the rest of the parts for cheap, and not be in everything more than you could have just buying it complete from someone. $89 is cheap enough though that I would buy it anyway. If for some reason you don't want it, let me know, as I'm in So Cal also, and could use a spare 205. Last year, I passed up a TH350/205 combo out of a '72 Blazer in a bone yard for $115...wish I wouldda scored it.

ken
 
Ken,

What combo are you running now?? I'm running a th350/np205 and I'm thinking about converting to manual. lemme know
 
Talldog,
I just gave someone an address for the np203 to np205 conversion kit. They might beable to help you out with the parts you need. the post was not to far back. I think orig post was NP203 Transfer Case by 77K5. I'll check back and post
James
 
Thanks James, I appreciate it.
Ken, I hear ya, I think it's still worth the dough, I just get hesitant to buy something if I think I'm not going to end up being able to use it. What I think I might try is telling the cashier that it's not complete and see if they drop the price. They're real jerks when it comes to prices (the big joke is that they even charge you for the dirt on the piece), if it has an extra screw or bracket they want to charge you for it, so I'm going to try their logic in reverse. The input is a 27 spline, which should work with the Th350 or 700r4, so I should be okay in that aspect, as I think I'll try a 700r4 (rebuilt and beefed, I need the OD). I'd still have to find a shifter and everything else that goes inside the adaptor. BTW What does go in there? I don't think the shifter just bolts onto the adaptor for decoration.
smile.gif
Thanks.

It's not what you buy, it's what you build!
 
Tell ya what, buy the thing and if you decide not to use it, I'll buy it from ya. I'm in Orange County.

ken
 
Ken, I'll definitely keep it in mind. It looks like I'll buy it this weekend, and if it turns out to be too much of a pain I'll sell it.
Is there a change in crossmember? I know the driveshafts are different, but I'd be replacing those any ways.
Last question..does anybody know the weight savings in a 208 as opposed to a 205/203? Just curious.
blush.gif


It's not what you buy, it's what you build!
 
How heavy is a 205, anyway? The one I have sitting in my garage awaiting some sort of plan feels like 1000lbs or so
smile.gif
.

crazy.gif
Semper Maintenance!
 
hey ken and talldog, I live in El Cajon. Could you guys tell me where some junkyards in the san diego area are? Thanks.

Brian
84k5, 4"Skyjacker lift,33x12.5 Goodyear MT/R, 15x10 Bajas
 
Brian, Are you interested in self serve yards or the more anal ones (my opinion, I like to go and pull what I need, not deal with people I don't need to deal with) where they don't even let you into the yard?
Here's the scope on self serve yards. In San Diego there's 3 Ecology yards (I'm not including their foreign car yard, because frankly I wouldn't get caught dead in there) and one Pick-Your-Part yard, which is right across the street from one of the Ecology yards. Pick-Your-Part is A LOT cheaper, so always try them first. Those two are in Chula Vista on Energy Way off of Otay Valley Road which I think they now call Auto Park Way. The other Ecology (their biggest yard) is not far from there, it's in Brownfield off of the 905. There's also the largest concentration of wrecking yards in the immediate area. And the other Ecology yard is in Oceanside, but I recommend going there only if you're in the area since it's pretty small, and it's kind of a drive, that and the cars there were pretty much junk.
If you're interested in the wreckers there's pockets of them through out town. Most of them are members of the auto wreckers association and if they are they should have a directory of all the member's yards. Stop by and pick one up. Then when you need something in particular do your search over the phone, and ask them to "radio" the part you need. They all have radios on the same frequency and whoever has the part will reply. I know the auto wrecking scene here pretty well, so that pretty much covers it. Any other questions, just let me know.
wink.gif

PS If you're interested in finding the 205, I'll give you a hint, you'll want to take a metal detector and a shovel.
smile.gif
I'm just messing with ya!

It's not what you buy, it's what you build!
 
The only thing that goes inside the adapter is the sleeve that connects the tranny output shaft, and the t-case input shaft.

Tim

1970 Blazer CST 4X4 350 SM465 NP205
1987 Suburban 4X4 350
1988 Chevy Pickup 4X4 350
 
Tim,
Luckily the sleeve is still on the input shaft. Where does the shifter bolt up to? Maybe I'm looking at it wrong, but I can't figure out where the shifter would mount to. There are two "pegs" that come out of it and are connected by a narrow plate, it looks like the shifter would bolt to it to control the gears but I tried giggling it and it wouldn't budge. What about the crossmember, is it different than the 203 one? In which case I'll pull it as well, thanks.

It's not what you buy, it's what you build!
 
The shifter itself bolts to a hole in the side of the adaptor. At least it does on the SM 465 version I have.

Rene

igloo.gif
 
You probally will have trouble finding the adapter for this.I shattered mine into a few pieces a while back and had trouble finding one.All the yards didn't want to seperate them form the t-case luckily after a bunch of calls a friend had one I got it for $50.So i would say try and find a complete unit with adapter and shifter.Brady

'73Beautiful Disaster
 
You can get all that seperate at 4X heaven in New york. They are great people. Had the adapter and the sleeve. It can still be bought new or they sometimes have used ones. they rebuild 205's and sell them plus other 4x4 stuff. They were very good and knowledgable.
 
Oh yea. The 205 can replace the 203 with no problems if you have the adapter. The crossmember does not matter. It bolts right up. If you get a 205 with the 10 spline you can get a new out put and change it. I did this swap in my blazer and love the 205. those 2 things sticking out are the rails that work the front and rear out put. since that shaft connects them together you can only go with 4lo or 2hi or 4hi. if you seperate the rails and get a twin stick you can put it in 2lo.
 
With some simple modification you can also get Front low, Front Neutral,Front high on one stick and Rear Low, rear neutral, and rear high on the other.

Rene

igloo.gif
 
First of all, thanks for ALL of your input. I stopped by this weekend and it was still where I hid it. Next weekend they're going to have a 50% of sale, I'll be buying a ton of other stuff so I'll be paying $50 for it. So it doesn't matter if I have to spend some money on it, I think we'll all agree that it's worth $50 bucks. once again thanks for the input.
Kieth, do you know the number for 4xHeaven, or what part of NY they're in? Thanks,
smile.gif



It's not what you buy, it's what you build!
 
Here's something to consider: the adapter, shifter, and drivesleeve you'll need to hook this thing up to a 700 or 350 will cost about $350 to $400, depending on source. We're working on a Doubler version that would not require the factory adapter housing and would fit in the same space as your NP203. No new rear driveshaft. The 27 spl. version won't be around till about Feb, but it's coming. So you might just save the adapter money and put it toward the Doubler, if that's what you plan to do later. The only part that you need right now is the crosslink between the shift rails. And if we can get the triple stick done for the Doubler, you won't even need that.
As for weight, the 203 generally runs about $175 lb, the 205 about 135, and the 208 about 75#. The Doubler will come in about 235.
No matter what, buy the 205. It's a steal at $50 if even only for parts.
There's my thoughts.
SW
Offroad Design
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest Posts

Top Bottom