My thoughts on d300's

[malodin]

with last few d300's vs the world posts it got me to thinking why would jeep put the d300's and not into the 1/2-1 ton trucks

1. AMC's bought everything from everyone else.
2. by the time d300s came out amc/jeep was already fasing the fsj out(yes it lasted until 1990, and the d300 didnt)
3. the d300 didnt last because they switched to drivers side drop and wanted a "more car like ride"
4. by the time the d300 came out amc/jeep had switched the full size rig to a drivers side drop and the 300 is passenger side(that is imho the main reason they didnt put the 300 in the fsj

NOT BECAUSE IT IS A LIGHT DUTY RIG BUT BECAUSE THEY HAD ALREADY "RE-DESIGNED" THE FSJ FOR DRIVERS DROP AXLE.(not yelling imphasizing)

on this same note lots of people say it only came in a light duty non 3/4 1 ton rig but it did come in the 1980 scouts and they are HEAVY big beasts
and i know of at least one person wheeling the piss out of it.

[jeeping1974]

i wish that the FSJs came with dana 300s in them. it would make the swap easier.

[Desert Beast]

http://www.subway-sg.com/COOKIE.gif

:D

[jeeping1974]

mmmmmmmmm chocolate chip cookies mmmmmmmm

[-Bluegill-]

Scouts weren't the only Binders that had D300's......my old Travelall did too, and that tank was the same size as a Suburban.

[blt2krl]

This thread could have some good info come out of it. So I will sticky to the top. Dana 300's rule. I'm putting one in my next rig.:thumbsup:

[FSJeeper]

This thread could have some good info come out of it. So I will sticky to the top. Dana 300's rule. I'm putting one in my next rig.:thumbsup:

Me too! With such a big aftermarket for upgrade parts for the Dana 300, one might think it has flaws that need to be upgraded, but it is really because they are so popular and cool.

And hey, everyone lets throw some 4 to 1 gears in the D300 to make it more reliable. Wheeeeeee!

[malodin]

This thread could have some good info come out of it. So I will sticky to the top. Dana 300's rule. I'm putting one in my next rig.:thumbsup:

your absolutely correct this could have some good info come out of it.

[jeeping1974]

for bolting one up to a TH400 you will need a TH400/208 adaptor housing and the output shaft out of the same TH400. get the 32 spline input gear and the clocking ring from JB Conversions. their input shafts fit perfectly onto my TH400. plus the clocking ring will help you to lay the dana 300 almost perfectly flat between the fram rails.

you can run a 2.5" exhaust on the passenger side but the inner side of the exhuast pipe should be flatened a little to give a little more space between the dana 300 and the pipe.

i have mine installed in a 74 j10 with dana 44s front and rear. the driveshafts will bolt right up. the rear shaft will work fine if your running a 4" lift. the front will work fine if you are stock height. a little difference in height, the drive shafts will probably still work but you could run into something breaking if the suspension is fully compressed (rear) or fully extended (front) take the time to do some measuring.

i'll be installing a set of j20 axles in my j10 in the next week or two so i'll post up about the driveshafts then. i have yet to run mine so i have no feed back on that, yet.

[AdamG]

I have been kicking myself in the butt over selling my drivetrain from my xj that was going into my CJ that got scrapped. I-6 4.0 HO, to AX-15, to Novak adapter, to Dana 300 clocked flat. Even just the tranny and TC would have been nice in Caspar.
Oh well live and learn, sometimes you have to sell the parts to buy the rig to put the parts in...
Adam G

[jeeping1974]

i'll be posting up a small thing about the dana 300 with a set of 79 j20 axles after it with driveshafts later on this week.

[JERSEY JOE]

The D300 absolutely needs the 32 spline output shaft update in a heavy truck. Heck most of the serious CJ guys run them.

[SCscoutguy]

Scouts weren't the only Binders that had D300's......my old Travelall did too, and that tank was the same size as a Suburban.
No they didnt. The last year for Travelalls and pickups was 1975 and the Dana 300 wasnt even invented yet. Travelalls and pickups came with NP-205's in the 70's.

[malodin]

No they didnt. The last year for Travelalls and pickups was 1975 and the Dana 300 wasnt even invented yet. Travelalls and pickups came with NP-205's in the 70's.

is it possible that maybe someone swapped in a 80's scout drive train into the travel all?

[-Bluegill-]

They may have, the 345 didn't quite look as old as the truck

[SCscoutguy]

is it possible that maybe someone swapped in a 80's scout drive train into the travel all?
Highly unlikely. None of the driveshafts would of worked. There would be no provision for the tcase shifter in the transmission tunnel. It would be a ton of work to put a Dana 300 or any married tcase into a Travelall. Are you sure you were not looking at a Scout II Traveler which was a 118" wb version of a Scout II?

[jeeping1974]

well i got a set of j20 axles from a 79 installed into my j10. i tried all the driveshafts and none of them work. the j10's rear shaft is too long and the j20's is too short. the j10's front is too short and i wasn't able to remove the j20's front shaft yet. looks like i'll be making a trip to the drive shaft shop to get a couple of new shafts made up.

[malodin]

probably the best way to go.

[wickedwagon767]

The 300 is such a sweet little hercules.

32-spline front and rear output upgrades are out there from JB Conversions

JB also has the 4:1 kit with the thicker,stronger gears

Stak makes its stout aftermarket case

If the 4:1 is to low all-the-time for some, you can swap the lomax gears into the Stak case, then slide a Klune (2.72) Underdrive in front of it and have two diverse low range options to choose from

It'll only set you back a few grand:cool:

[lasinvegas]

with last few d300's vs the world posts it got me to thinking why would jeep put the d300's and not into the 1/2-1 ton trucks

1. AMC's bought everything from everyone else.
2. by the time d300s came out amc/jeep was already fasing the fsj out(yes it lasted until 1990, and the d300 didnt)
3. the d300 didnt last because they switched to drivers side drop and wanted a "more car like ride"
4. by the time the d300 came out amc/jeep had switched the full size rig to a drivers side drop and the 300 is passenger side(that is imho the main reason they didnt put the 300 in the fsj

NOT BECAUSE IT IS A LIGHT DUTY RIG BUT BECAUSE THEY HAD ALREADY "RE-DESIGNED" THE FSJ FOR DRIVERS DROP AXLE.(not yelling imphasizing)

on this same note lots of people say it only came in a light duty non 3/4 1 ton rig but it did come in the 1980 scouts and they are HEAVY big beasts
and i know of at least one person wheeling the piss out of it.



I think that jeep was starting to view the fsj as more of a family luxury rig back then. The reason they were phasing out the 2 door fsj in favor of four door rigs. If you look at the rigs at that time they were mainly push button or levers to get in 4x4 except for a few leftovers.
My thoughts

[Long&Low]

You can always flip the D300 to match the front axle output.

Stak's new case will run around $600, and as far as I know they are marketing them yet. The new case is nice, cuz they are making 3 versions, a flipped case, a standard case, and a narrow case for use in early Broncos that have a narrow frame.

[krek]

The J10 I just bought has a twin sticked Dana 300 in it. This may be the dumbest question ever, but even with the twin sticks the transmission (727) needs to be in Neutral before shifting the transfer case, right?

[fullsizejohn]

Been talking about this for a while but getting close to getting it done now.

Question: Those of you with the TH400/D300 combo. I know you say the case will sit almost flat. If i go with the NOVAK kit ,is that all i need or will i need a seperate clocking ring also?

Tired of tripping over this D300 in my shop:banghead: :D

[quikclimber]

ive been working feeverishly for the last 6 moths swapping a new drivetrain under my fsj...i kinda planned it all around the d 300. i went with a doubler and 203, 700r4 in front of that, and finally said goodbye to the 401 for a 350. the case is nice and small and tucks up into the jeep body far better than the quadratrac. ill post a buildup thread someday.

[malodin]

I dont know about the novak adapter(though my thoughts on the adapter is it should come with at least 3 different sets of holes drilled for different angles) i used a factory np style adapter and it went up in there nice and flat

[misfittom138]

I'm seriusly considering swapping my 208 for a flipped, twin sticked, low geared, heavy output shafted 300. It sounds like exactly what I need. :D

[Coachgreen]

300 or doubler...choices choices...

[jaber]

Ok, my question is what swaps.

I can get a Chevy 3.8 V-6 with a T-4 and it had a 300 behind it. Can I put an NP208 in place and put it into a drivers drop rig?
Will I have to change anything to make this work?
I have the 208, and no funds for a 300. This would be run in a Willys and not see but light wheeling.

[jeeping1974]

You can run a D300 flat behind a TH400 but it comes close the tranny (too close for my taste). You can clock it down some and still have it be above the frame rails. I have mine mounted just about flat and I have something like 2"+ from the bottom of the D300 to the bottom of the frame. I have to pull it out and clock it down some.

[jeeping1974]

Ok, my question is what swaps.

I can get a Chevy 3.8 V-6 with a T-4 and it had a 300 behind it. Can I put an NP208 in place and put it into a drivers drop rig?
Will I have to change anything to make this work?
I have the 208, and no funds for a 300. This would be run in a Willys and not see but light wheeling.

You will have to either swap the output shaft on the T-4 or the input on the 208 if they are not the same spline count. The mounting holes will be close enough where you can get 5 out of the 6 and still be safe.

[jeeping1974]

I'm seriusly considering swapping my 208 for a flipped, twin sticked, low geared, heavy output shafted 300. It sounds like exactly what I need. :D

I wouldn't install 4:1 gears into the D300 with it going in a FSJ unless you plan on cutting out some weight. In a wrangler, I would do it because of the weight. Once you install a lower gearing in the t-case, the t-case will take more of the stress from the axles. In a light weight rig, the chances of you breaking something is unlikely, but not impossible. In a FSJ, you could strip out a get set or worse. I would stick to just the twin stick, HD outputs and clocking ring. Thats what I did in my rig and went with 1350 non-CV yokes all around.

[jeeping1974]

ive been working feeverishly for the last 6 moths swapping a new drivetrain under my fsj...i kinda planned it all around the d 300. i went with a doubler and 203, 700r4 in front of that, and finally said goodbye to the 401 for a 350. the case is nice and small and tucks up into the jeep body far better than the quadratrac. ill post a buildup thread someday.

The D300 is also 30 pounds lighter that a QT case.

[jeeping1974]

The J10 I just bought has a twin sticked Dana 300 in it. This may be the dumbest question ever, but even with the twin sticks the transmission (727) needs to be in Neutral before shifting the transfer case, right?

Yes.

[dusty]

I wouldn't install 4:1 gears into the D300 with it going in a FSJ unless you plan on cutting out some weight. In a wrangler, I would do it because of the weight. Once you install a lower gearing in the t-case, the t-case will take more of the stress from the axles. In a light weight rig, the chances of you breaking something is unlikely, but not impossible. In a FSJ, you could strip out a get set or worse. I would stick to just the twin stick, HD outputs and clocking ring. Thats what I did in my rig and went with 1350 non-CV yokes all around.





FYI I am running 4:1 in my cherokee chief with the 4bt after stripping out the stock small gear in low range pulling a trailer up to the ranch. I would put the jb conversions lomax 4:1 gears up against the stock dana 300 gears. I have had several stock dana gears crack on customers and then mine cracked with absolutely no abuse just let loose while pulling a trailer. and when you disassemble the 300 you can see why the cast gears are recessed the jb gears are imho a lot stronger so far so good 3 years a healthy 401, Now a 4bta, and a fair amount of dirt road, steep grade trailer tugging and lots o miles and so far so good. :thumbsup:

My buddy is running a TPI 350hp cheby 350, a NV4500, Klune and a D300 with 4:1 and 32 spline outputs in a Toyota 4 runner sporting 4 links, full exocage, Corp 14 and Dana 60 on 46's tipping the scales a 5300 lbs Id suspect that if ever a D300 were going to break that'd probably be the one especially since it's been through little sluice just about every third weekend through the last three summers.:eek:

[jeeping1974]

You guys have had some luck then. (edit ->) That is impressive actually. (<- edit) I have seen local guys wheeling with 4:1 kits in their D300s and have the gears let go. It could be the kit they got was not up to par. I do know that JB's kit is really beefy, maybe none of them were running it though.

[dusty]

You guys have had some luck then. (edit ->) That is impressive actually. (<- edit) I have seen local guys wheeling with 4:1 kits in their D300s and have the gears let go. It could be the kit they got was not up to par. I do know that JB's kit is really beefy, maybe none of them were running it though.


I won't EVER RUN NOR RECOMMEND to anyone that they run Teralow gears EVER AGAIN.

I know i stripped out my teralows doing nothing strainuous 33's T-18. Absolutely stripped out and blew apart. no warning Garbage and after looking at them i can definatley call their 4:1 gears IMHO absolute CRAP....................I was running stock dana 300 outputs i figured they would twist and break before the gears and i was running 1310 u joints both of which should have popped LONG before the gears stripped... when the gears strip they usually break, lodge pieces of themselves between the case and the gear and then crack the case.

I know of 8 other guys locally who also had their tera's either in Dana 20's or in dana 300's strip out like mine did. Cheap crap. The Lomax gears were side by side a defiante improvement in the design.

I shocked when my stock dana gear cracked. the Tera gears though thicker than stock were not a huge improvement the mettalugy does not look as high a quality as the jb stuff obviously they proved to me their inferiority.

I honestly think Mike should have stepped up to an Atlas by now

[2006rubicon]

for bolting one up to a TH400 you will need a TH400/208 adaptor housing and the output shaft out of the same TH400. get the 32 spline input gear and the clocking ring from JB Conversions. their input shafts fit perfectly onto my TH400.

Hey guys! New poster here just got my first FSJ toy project started! I have a question, I have a TH400/454 out of an RV that I'm swapping into my 88 waggie. The thing is, this thing came with a drum brake E-brake on the tailshaft instead of the standard 32 spline slip yoke, does anyone know if it the same length output shaft as the more typical setup? How are these shafts measured? see pic to see what I mean, it's a wierd setup! (apologies if it does not upload, dumb FNG here!)
Also, Has anyone else done a big block swap? What would you recommend for engine mounts, solid or rubber? Have been advised solid mounts shake too much and can cause fatigue cracks in frame welds. Any other insights would also be GREATLY appreciated!

[Heimeken]

First of all, welcome to the forum, I don't know the answer but you should probably start a new thread for your question.

[cajun_lad]

First of all, welcome to the forum, I don't know the answer but you should probably start a new thread for your question.

:rolleyes:
Talk about waking the dead. Did you see when that last post was made? August...2009

:p

[jaber]

Back on topic here, looking at the outside, the 300 case looks just like a D20 case, with a different input pattern. Are the internals the same? I know most of the D18 and D20s are interchangeable as for gears and such, is the 300 any different?

[Sambo]

the internals in the 300 are alot diffrent than that of a d18/20.size and thickness.
i wouldnt run tera low gears either.jb low max would be the way to go:thumbsup: