Rear engine rockwell questions.

scoutdogfab · Feb 11, 2015

So as the title says, I'm really interested in machining the chunks and flipping the pinions so that the axles spin reverse rotation and I can run a rear engine setup without a reverse rotation box. My question lies in that having basically a drivetrain facing forward , your rear output would become your front output and vise versa. To anyone running this setup what do you do about switching from 2wd to 4wd? Do you just run 4wd all the time? Or basically have the case running in fwd (np205) to be in "regular" 2wd. Is it strong enough to use a "front wheel drive" as your now standard 2wd option? If I'm getting something completely wrong or am unclear please correct me. Thanks in advance

patooyee · Feb 11, 2015

Twin stick t-case gives you all the same options as a front engine t-case would. Upgrade the front output to 32 spline and it will be the same strength. There will be no functional difference.

al1tonyota · Feb 11, 2015

High range would be your only problem as it would have to be in 4 high or front wheel drive only!

patooyee · Feb 11, 2015

al1tonyota said:
High range would be your only problem as it would have to be in 4 high or front wheel drive only!

Any of the common t-cases that can be twin-sticked can do that. I can do it with my 205. I've done it with an Atlas and D300 in the past.

al1tonyota · Feb 12, 2015

patooyee said:
Any of the common t-cases that can be twin-sticked can do that. I can do it with my 205. I've done it with an Atlas and D300 in the past.

New to me! I've had both 205&300 and neither would just do front high an atlas also won't !

Edit explain why you think the front output(rear) would pull with the rear(front) in neutral?

lowbudgetjunk · Feb 12, 2015

Is this the right 205 set up for twin sticks?

TURNEROFFROAD · Feb 12, 2015

Re: Rear engine rockwell questions.

This is what we're doing on my build

greenlion · Feb 12, 2015

If you take the interlock pills out of the atlas shifter housing it will shift any way you want. Mine is done this way and you can run front drive high range if you want.

patooyee · Feb 12, 2015

al1tonyota said:
New to me! I've had both 205&300 and neither would just do front high an atlas also won't !

Edit explain why you think the front output(rear) would pull with the rear(front) in neutral?

Maybe I'm wrong. Its been too long since I did it to my d300 and Atlas to be able to go back and say for sure what I did, but I want to say you just pull the detents and you can get any combination you want.

I'll test it out on my 205 next week when I go back to the shop.

patooyee · Feb 12, 2015

greenlion said:
If you take the interlock pills out of the atlas shifter housing it will shift any way you want. Mine is done this way and you can run front drive high range if you want.

Yes, interlock pills, not detents. On the 205 I want to say that you have to partially disassemble the case to get them out, I think they come out the side and have to come past the shift rails or something. Its been too long since I've done it.

zjtrey · Feb 12, 2015

this is how the t case is functioning in my transaxle build… twin stick it and rock out in 2wd either front or rear.. it aint that complicated..

RustyC · Feb 12, 2015

Everybody seems to be correct on this. A twin sticked t-case needs to have the innerlock pill removed for what is normally front wheel high range. I have a Dana 300 capable of this.
More closely to the original question, I run a rear engine setup, TH350/205 innerlock pill removed and twin sticked. It will operate properly in every combonation except with one output in high and the other in low obviously.

Get the Rockwell pinions worked out and hammer down.

02Jimmy · Feb 12, 2015

Am I missing something on this build question? I'm not understanding the Rockwell pinion part, I'm running steer's in both ends and they should be able to run turned around? Why all the machining?

RustyC · Feb 12, 2015

If the pinion was not changed on the axles, with a rear engine you would have 3 reverse gears and 1 forward. This is why non Rockwell axles are flipped in rear engine builds.

paradisepwoffrd · Feb 12, 2015

lowbudgetjunk said:
Is this the right 205 set up for twin sticks?

That is how the toyota/zuk/chain drive cases would work twinsticked.

This is the d300, np205, atlas:

paradisepwoffrd · Feb 12, 2015

RustyC said:
If the pinion was not changed on the axles, with a rear engine you would have 3 reverse gears and 1 forward. This is why non Rockwell axles are flipped in rear engine builds.

Yup. You can spin your rockwell chunk 180 deg and it will still work the same. you have to flip the pinion inside the 3rd to reverse it.

zjtrey · Feb 12, 2015

everybody keeps saying remove the interlock pill… IMO thats a bad idea… just modify the detents so you have the safety of not being able to shift into a hi/lo situation..

al1tonyota · Feb 12, 2015

zjtrey said:
everybody keeps saying remove the interlock pill… IMO thats a bad idea… just modify the detents so you have the safety of not being able to shift into a hi/lo situation..

My dads old jeep with a 205 would do that and was a pia to getout! I guess i never tried to run front high? Same with my dana 300 pill removed for twin stick but didn't remember it being able to go into front high?