tcase in a 2wd.

[thegoat4]

I'd like to put a transfer case (manual) in my truck for low range when backing trailers and crawling through traffic. My truck is a '98 3.0, 5spd, extcab, 2wd. What all will I need?

the case--what year truck to pull the pieces from?
rear housing of transmission--can I just swap the housing or wil it be major surgery?
linkage, stick, trim
driveshaft--will there be yoke issues?
anything else?

Anyone have a seat-of-the-pants guess how much a yard will charge for these?

 

[AllanD]

What you'll need are:

1)a 4x4 transmission.
Yes, it's "major surgery" t convert a trans from 2wd to 4x4
(the output shaft is different)

2)a T-case, while any ranger T-case will work finding the correct shifter
for the earlier ones and the later transmission can be a problem.

3)rear driveshaft
on the 2wd the "slip" is in the tailshaft of the trans, ALL of the RBV t-cases have the slip yoke in the driveshaft and the shaft will be around a foot shorter.

It's been done before by others (myself included) for EXACTLY the same reason.

I had a transfer case in my truck LONG before I put a front axle
(and 4x4 engine crossmember) into it.

Backing my 16ft dovetail trailer into it's parking spot was a raging PITA before I had low range.

But getting it out of it's parking spot with 2wd after it snowed was even harder.

AD

 

[Will]

It's a damn good idea. I wish I had one in my Chevy. Backing my loaded trailer up my 26% grade driveway I'm always afraid I'm going to blow something to bits--full throttle, turbo whistling then, slowly, it starts to move and I breath a sigh of relief and make sure I don't screw up backing around the curve and slow myself down. That's the only time I wish I had a SM465 or, better, a t-case.