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Identify a np203?

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Old Jul 9, 2005 | 01:41 PM
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thesprocket26's Avatar
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From: South Central Boise
Identify a np203?

I think I found a np203 today but am still having doubts about it. It is in a 74 f100 4x4. The tailshaft housing seems to be aluminum. There is some sort of wire coming out of the transfercase housing near the speedometer cable. the shift pattern is low-loc, low, neutral, hi, and hi-loc. Could this be a 208? It is behind an automatic transmission. I couldn't see any numbers because there was limited space under the truck. Any help would be great! Thanks!

Matt
 
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Old Jul 9, 2005 | 03:32 PM
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welll im not sure how to identifiy it besided the tag on it. there will be a circle tage that will say new process gears 208 if its a 208.
 
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Old Jul 9, 2005 | 03:49 PM
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Not an expert, but the hi-loc/lo-loc should give it away as a NP203. Plus it should look huge compared to a np205 or np208.
 
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Old Jul 9, 2005 | 03:51 PM
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oh yea, isnt it the 203 on the full time four wheel drives? then that'd have to be it.
 
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Old Jul 9, 2005 | 04:45 PM
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If the case itself is not aluminum it's not a 208. Bremen is correct also in that the 203 is HUGE compared to a 208 and has the added gearbox to make it easy to distinguish from a 205.
 
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Old Jul 10, 2005 | 12:10 AM
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Everything they said, it's a NP203, It's a full time t-case, with a range box (with a type of differintial to get the full time affect) next to the transmission. The truck would have auto hubs, if it wasn't converted to a part time kit.
The alluminum peice you saw is one of the things that shows the difference between the 205 and 203. That and the rainge box, it's 10" longer than a 205, chain driven(not gear driven), and it weighs about 100 lbs more. Both 203s and 205s cases are cast iron.
I belive the NP208s case is cast alluminum, not just a tailshaft.

It's a 203.
 
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Old Jul 10, 2005 | 12:26 AM
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yea the 208 is all aluminum
 
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Old Jul 10, 2005 | 12:30 AM
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here's the best way to determine if its a 203:
http://www.4wheeloffroad.com/techarticles/38624/
http://www.offroaddesign.com/Transfe...ID%20Guide.htm
http://www.klunev.com/images/np203_c..._view_copy.jpg

and here's some more helpful info... http://www.high-impact.net/transmiss...case_NP203.htm

-cutts-
 
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Old Jul 10, 2005 | 12:33 AM
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Thanks ya'll. That thing was pretty big looking. It looked like Ford just threw some parts together and called it np203. The case was cast iron. I think it was converted to part time because there was a manual lockout on one side. Where should I look for numbers or ID tags? Do they say np203 or np208? So another question if anyone reads this, when making a 435/np203/np205 doubler, does it matter what transmission WAS in front of the np203 doner? I think you have to have a different input shaft or have the one in the case machined down and resplined. Can anyone confirm this?
 
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Old Jul 10, 2005 | 12:56 AM
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From: Senoia, GA
not really b/c you can get the adapter housing pretty easily. you don't need a different/modified tailshaft (that i know of) so it should be a pretty easy, straight forward project. go to the site i sent you (ORU's) and read there about it. there some real good info in there

-cutts-
 
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Old Jul 10, 2005 | 12:58 AM
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The 203 should have a white and blue tag on it, on the range box side of the actual case, just clean it up and it would say 203 on it.
I don't think it matters what the 203 was connected to(tranny wise). I was thinking of doing this, but I can't to much money. I think you need a adapter to get the 205 to mate to the range box form the 203, but the range box should just bolt to your manual transmition.
They had a article in Patersen's 4wheel & off-road's April 06 issue, which I have right infront of me.

Just to say I hate this 300 lb transfer case. I pulled mine out of my 79 Bronco, because it wasn't engaging into 4wd(I have a part time kit in it), took it apart to see what was wrong to find nothing, then reinsalled it to find it was just my linkage. I just didn't get along with it, I found a few new choice words for it.
 
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Old Jul 10, 2005 | 05:34 PM
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Just a little FYI on the NP203 (which is a good t-case BTW as long as some schmoe didn't put 80/90 in it at some point). Make sure if you buy a chain, you get it at a Dodge dealership. Dodge's packaging department doesn't put them in a box that kinks them or bends them sharply. Dodge packs them in a natural oval shape that doesn't kink them.

Cody
 
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Old Jul 11, 2005 | 12:07 AM
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cleatus, what does kinking them do to it?
 
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Old Jul 11, 2005 | 07:45 AM
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From: Reed Point, MT
Originally Posted by chrono4
cleatus, what does kinking them do to it?
The bars in the flat link chain get tiny nicks in them and shorten the life of the chain assembly. A respected technician in this town has had his share of replacement chains up until he bought a Dodge one, which he was told to do by someone else. So, evidently, it's not a secret. He has a sand dune running Blazer that he uses a 203 in.
Maybe a fluke, but in a way it makes sense.

Cody
 
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Old Jul 11, 2005 | 12:17 PM
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somebody said that the truck would have auto lock hubs if it came factory with a 203, my 78 F-250 Sno-Fighter is a full time 4x4, i thought it had auto hubs for a long time, turned out it doesnt..it actually has just straight hubs that arent unlockable....which is great for me, since this truck is gonna be strictly offroad only, that means i have a few less parts to break!! keep us posted on the doubler project, im gonna do the same thing as soon as the money fairy stops by!! then im gonna triple stick it, put it in 4 lo-lo, and let the truck idle through someones house!!!

BTW: not to hijack the thread, but when you double up tcases, arent you eliminating the chain drive part of the 203?? or maybe im just stupid...who knows......
 
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