John Cappa
Former Editor, Four Wheeler
We all know that the NP205 is the king of brute transfer cases. Huge gears and a cast-iron case give it legendary strength. The NP205 was used by almost every fullsize truck manufacturer at one time or another and is frequently swapped into vehicles that chew up and spit out lesser transfer cases. Yet modifications and cool aftermarket parts for the 205 are limited to say the least; nonexistent is more like it. Why are there no low-range gears for it, or even a twin-stick shifter?
We got tired of waiting so we built our own twin-stick, in addition to modifying the shift rails for front-wheel-drive high and low, and rear-wheel-drive low. These added functions will decrease the turning circle of your vehicle in tight-quarters wheeling. Shifting to front-drive-only with the emergency brake locked will allow the vehicle to practically pivot in a circle. Those with Dana 44s and lockers will need to go easy on the throttle to keep steering joints and axleshafts from shattering. Dana 60 owners should be able to let it all hang out. Up until now the Atlas II was the only transfer case widely available with this capability. An Atlas transfer case isn't cheap and it is not recommended for fullsize trucks for strength reasons.
You can convert your NP205 to a twin-stick without completely disassembling the transfer case. We modified a Currie twin-stick shifter for a Dana 300 to fit our divorced NP205. This shifter assembly can be modified to fit married 205s with a little ingenuity, or you can build your own.
We have seen a few NP205s that have been modified to perform the same functions by removing the interlock pills. Without the pills in place the transfer case can be shifted into front-wheel low and rear-wheel high or vice versa. Needless to say, this is bad. Spinning the front and rear driveshafts at different rates will cause something to break. By modifying the range shift rail as shown, the interlocks will prevent you from being able to shift the transfer case into these breakage-prone positions. The new shift pattern for NP205s with passenger-side front outputs (Dodge and GM) is shown above. Ford 205s will have the rear-wheel shifter on the right but all other functions are the same.
