D300 flipped, regeared and HD output

[MattPascoe]

Finally done with the D300. I have completely rebuilt it with new bearings and seals. Flipped it with the Down East Offroad flip kit for drivers side drop. Re-geared it to 4:1 reduction with the 5 gear Teralow set. And beefed up the output with the Tera HD300.

I had a lot of fun doing this and learned a lot! Bearing endplay, shimming and pressing are skills that I feel pretty good at now.

This write-up was VERY helpful for me:
http://homepage.mac.com/rv6a/d300.html
The one thing that made it difficult was there is no one set of instructions. I was working off of 5 separate instructions and swapping to sections that seemed relevant:
D300 FSM for rebuild
Teralow install instructions
DEO flip instructions
Tera HD300 shaft instructions
And several web write-ups

Here's the D300 as it arrived (ebay purchase)
http://www.solamarconstruction.com/Matt/D300/MP%20Jeep%20D300%20001.jpg

Tearing it apart went quickly (having a good press really helps)
http://www.solamarconstruction.com/Matt/D300/MP%20Jeep%20D300%20002.jpg

After the case was completely stripped I painted it
http://www.solamarconstruction.com/Matt/D300/MP%20Jeep%20D300%20004.jpg

Heres the new gears going in. The gears are so much larger that you have to notch the case to get the intermediate gear in (upper right). I didn’t notch enough and cant get it in:bangnerd:
http://www.solamarconstruction.com/Matt/D300/MP%20Jeep%20D300%20006.jpg

I was pretty stressed about this because I had intentionally done all of the grinding and prep work prior to cleaning and painting the case and installing all of the new bearings and gears. Really didn’t want to stick the grinder in there and fill the case with steel filings:naw:

So, this was my solution... A slightly dampened rag draped over all of the guts and two strategically placed magnets
http://www.solamarconstruction.com/Matt/D300/MP%20Jeep%20D300%20005.jpg

Heres the completed rear output side (notice the sight glass that I made)
http://www.solamarconstruction.com/Matt/D300/P1010008.JPG

And heres the input and front output
http://www.solamarconstruction.com/Matt/D300/P1010009.JPG

I've got my old tranny and t-case pulled and hope to start re-installing the NV3550 and D300 this weekend:clapping:

I'm kinda anxious about all this stuff fitting in my flat belly skid. The NV3550 is actually quite a bit bigger around than the Peugot. The D300 is SUBSTANTIALLY smaller than my NV231 even with the SYE. We'll see! I'll add pics after I get it all installed.

MP

[Road Head]

Hopefully you dont have any leaks. I have sealed mine 3 times now, and it still leaks around the aluminum spacer at the top. I also was having LOTS of fluid coming out around the black box that covers the rear of the shift rods. What I did was to tap a hole in the top and bottom of the black box, and run a second vent tube from the top, and a tube from the bottom down and "T" it into my sight tube, so that the fluid would drain back down into the tcase. What clocking ring/spacer are you using? I used Cory Morgan's (www.kanrok.com)

[MattPascoe]

Hopefully you dont have any leaks. I have sealed mine 3 times now, and it still leaks around the aluminum spacer at the top.

Did you use gaskets or just RTV?
Is it leaking where the cover bolts to the spacer or spacer to block?

I only used RTV and am pretty sure that the block to spacer seal is good. The cover to spacer seal looks suspicious... The cover has a slight arc between bolt holes and I don't think my light film of RTV is sealing all the way. Guess I'll take the cover off and reseal with a gasket AND RTV.

I also was having LOTS of fluid coming out around the black box that covers the rear of the shift rods. What I did was to tap a hole in the top and bottom of the black box, and run a second vent tube from the top, and a tube from the bottom down and "T" it into my sight tube, so that the fluid would drain back down into the tcase.

I was pretty surprised that they have seals on the front side of the shift rails and not on the rear. Also surprised that the black box has no gasket and basically no sealing surface to apply RTV. I can see how it would easily leak if fluid got in there.

How did you vent your main case?

How much oil do you run in yours?

What clocking ring/spacer are you using? I used Cory Morgan's (www.kanrok.com)

Nothing. The flipped clocking appears to be identical to the stock NP231 clocking and that was perfect for me. The NV3550 is a sealed tranny and there is a recessed cavity that the D300 fits perfectly into. I did cut down the D300 input seal retainer and installed a sealed input bearing. I also trimmed ~1/8" from the tranny output shaft.

I'll soon see if this clocking will work:brows:

Thanks for the info on leaks... I'll try to catch mine first:beerchug:

MP

[lilgreenjeepyj]

Looks sweet. :clapping:

Ill keep dreaming at this point though.

[Rock WoRM]

:clapping: NICE!:clapping:

I know your not finished yet, but do U have a ball park guesstimate on all your costs?
I'd also like to snag an 3550. My 15 is almost toast! Where did U find that? Just currious.


WoRM :bsod:

[Road Head]

-=- originally posted by MattPascoe -=-
Did you use gaskets or just RTV?
Is it leaking where the cover bolts to the spacer or spacer to block?

I was pretty surprised that they have seals on the front side of the shift rails and not on the rear. Also surprised that the black box has no gasket and basically no sealing surface to apply RTV. I can see how it would easily leak if fluid got in there.

How did you vent your main case?

How much oil do you run in yours?

MP

I have just used RTV. It seems to leak mainly between the cover and the block. Block to tcase seems to be fine, but you can see the fluid running down the aluminum spacer, straight out from the cover.

As for the black box. I never thought much fluid would get in there, so the first time I just half-assed sealed it, and it basically poured out, not to mention, that the black box would fill up, and once I parked, it would keep draining out and down the side of the tcase, until the black box was empty. Thus, I re-sealed it up the wazoo, and with the new "drain" that I tapped, the fluid drains back down into the sight tube, before being able to leak out. That seems to have fixed the leak there, but I will say that the new vent I made in the black box, fluid definitely comes out. I used a clear tube, and for now, it is coiled up in my floorboard, and it seems like fluid is carried up the tube, not a lot, mostly seems like gear oil/vapor mix, and after it cools, there is some fluid in the tube.

My standard tcase vent, I just got a 90deg fitting, and used the np231 tube. That seems to work fine.

And I run the standard 2qts that the DEO flip kit manual said to run.

Edit: I read a post about putting a cup of auto tranny fluid in the tcase, to lower the surface tension of the fluid. Since it is gear driven, the fluid gets frothy and foamy when it heats up, thus causing it to try to find its way out of any little spot. Anyways, the cup of ATF seemed to have made a huge difference. I also didnt fill it up quite as much as the 2qts (since in the clocked position, it is sooo much higher than in the stock position). This seems to have stopped the leak. Thanks to somebody - I cant remember where I read the ATF thing, but it was a great idea. Apparently the diff guys suggest running ATF in the diffs for the same reason. Gear driven and chain driven are two completely different beasts.

[MattPascoe]

Got the tranny and t-case installed today. Went fairly well (me being a stuborn dumba$$ gets in the way some times).

The clocking flipped with no clocking ring/adapter wound up being perfect. I could not clock it any higher without cutting out the floor.
http://www.solamarconstruction.com/Matt/D300/D300%20mounted.jpg

I am going to have to re-do my flat skid crossmember. The NV3550 mount pattern is different and the D300 case is further forward than the NP231 so it hits my current crossmember. Hopefully wont be a big problem.

It looks like the flat belly skid will work fine with the D300. It's lowest point is 1/2" below the frame rails.
http://www.solamarconstruction.com/Matt/D300/D300%20frame.jpg

The shifters are turning out good. I had to notch a small section out of the pan for clearance. I was trying to re-use/modify the factory shift boot and splice in the twin stick boot but being the dumba$$ that I am, I cut the top off of the tranny boot by mistake:bangnerd:

So it looks like my best option is to find a stand alone boot just for the tranny and use the twin stick boot supplied with the kit. This means I will have to fab a new sheetmetal plate to cover the tranny access hole.
http://www.solamarconstruction.com/Matt/D300/D300%20shifters.jpg

It's slowly coming along... prob another week before its done.

BTW, my rear drive shaft will be 24" long and the front will be 36"!

MP

[Joe Dillard]

OUTSTANDING info Matt, thanks for sharing!! :clapping:

Call me a dork, but what size ujoint does the D300 F&R yokes take/are you using?

[MattPascoe]

I'm using 1310 CV yokes front and rear but I'm pretty certain that you can get 1350 yokes if needed.

1310 Joints are rated at 1600 ft lb torque which is almost exactly what I will be putting in to them (unless I do a wheelie!). So I'm hoping they will be a good "fuse". Cheep and easy to repair.

1350 joints are rated at 2200 ftlbs.

DORK:bangnerd:

Enjoy your trip and hopefully you will be able to give updates from time to time:beerchug:

MP

[chef]

very nice writeup. good tips and info to watch out for being discussed in here. i must admit i was a little jaded/worried by the amount of work going into a project like this and ended up using my bonus to get an atlas. i just finished the install friday morning and took off for a run that afternoon. it worked really well, i need to clearance the floor pan and clock it because i had to install a tc drop..fortunately i still didn't hit the skid plate on anything up in big bear. i'm sort of glad i cheated and went with the atlas even though it was nearly twice the price, looks like a lot of work and a lot of minor bugs to work out

[MattPascoe]

-=- originally posted by Rock WoRM -=-
:clapping: NICE!:clapping:

I know your not finished yet, but do U have a ball park guesstimate on all your costs?
I'd also like to snag an 3550. My 15 is almost toast! Where did U find that? Just currious.


WoRM :bsod:

I have been looking for a NV3550 for ~6 months. I did not want a rebuilt unit and new ones are ~$1372 from AA.

I paid $700 delivered for mine. It was from a 2001 TJ w/20,000 miles.

You just have to keep looking and be ready to jump when a good one comes up.

Flipped D300 costs:

Used D300 - $150
Low300 - $478
DEO Flip - $550
Overhaul kit - $123
32 spline output - $178

Total - $1479

New Atlas 4.3 is $2031

So, a $552 savings. Smart money would be to buy the Atlas as Chef did. The Atlas copied the D300 design and they are VERY similar but with the Atlas you get synchronized gears.

HTH

MP

[love24wheel]

Looks good.. the reason Im looking at a d300 is because you can build it over time, vs. dropping all that coin at once for the atlas. That being said, the D300 is going to be significantly cheaper for me, since Im swapping axles anyway, and will just do a pass side drop front.
Scott

[MattPascoe]

Made alittle progress today. Making the D300 fit in a flat belly skid with only a 1" BL is proving to be quite a challenge. I needed an additional 1/2" and I think I found it today.

Or should I say the cutting torch found it:brows:
http://www.solamarconstruction.com/Matt/D300/floor%20cuts2.jpg
http://www.solamarconstruction.com/Matt/D300/floor%20cuts1.jpg

Kinda hard to tell from the pics, but there were two sections cut out.

Gotta say that its not alot of fun laying under your Jeep with a cutting torch wrapped over your tranny spraying molten metal down on you:rotflmao: Hope I don't have to do that again!

MP

[Joe Dillard]

Coll Matt! Or should I say hot? :rotflmao: Hope it works out well.

[MattPascoe]

Pretty much got it done now:clapping:

I found the additional 1" clearance that I needed by eliminating the large OE access cover. Made this one out of 1/4" T6 and also relocated the vent to the high side which helps the breathing.
http://www.solamarconstruction.com/Matt/D300/D300%20alum%20lid.jpg

Had to modify the tranny cradle. The NV3550 has a diferent bolt patern and tapers up in the rear. Required a section cut out of the crossmember:
http://www.solamarconstruction.com/Matt/D300/D300%20cradle.jpg

The tranny shifter and t-case shifter are now too far apart to use even a modified stock shift boot. I realized that I would need to make a new tranny cover and find a seperate boot for the tranny. Prob is the tranny is pushed up so high that most boots that I tried couldnt fit over the shifter housing. Last week I was working on a Bobcat 463 and noticed the control boots looked perfect. Picked one up from the Bobcat dealer ($14) and was pleasantly surprised how well it worked:
http://www.solamarconstruction.com/Matt/D300/D300trannycover.jpg
http://www.solamarconstruction.com/Matt/D300/D300%20shiftersdone.jpg

Without skid:
http://www.solamarconstruction.com/Matt/D300/D300noskid.jpg
With skid:
http://www.solamarconstruction.com/Matt/D300/D300%20skid.jpg


First test drive - 4:1 low is sooo nice. I can drive in 1st gear low, step out and walk around the jeep while its sloowly crawling down the road. Shifts in and out of all ranges easily as long as you spin the tranny slightly while shifting. And did I mention how quiet it is?? Because it does not use planetary gears like the NP231 4:1 does it is very quiet. I actually never realised how noisy the chain drive case was till I drove this, much smoother and quiter than the 231.

Took it for a spin around the block to try out the NV3550. Nice! shifts like butta.

Pulled back into the garage and slid underneath to check things out and was greated by hot tranny fluid dripping on my face. I immediately knew what I had done. Prior to installing the tranny, I had pulled the front trans input seal housing to reseal it. After pulling it I realised that it could go back together one of two ways. I guessed wrong:bangnerd:

So, I pulled the t-case and tranny back out, flipped the input seal housing, and reinstalled everything (I'm getting better at it at least).

Sunday I went on a club run to Los Coyotes and now I cant imagine life without the 4:1 reduction. So much more control. I highly recomend it:beerchug:

One problem though, while decelerating in low the rwd will sometimes pop into neutral. I called Down East Offroad and was told that I need to slightly rotate the rwd shift rail to get positive engangement of the detent ball. In order to do this I have to pull the tcase out again:headpop:

Something to do next weekend I guess:beerchug:

MP

[zman]

Looks good Matt. Glad you were able to keep the flat skid. I'm sure you wil have the 300 apart again anyways. At your pace I'm guessing within a year you'll have full width axels. :brows:

[tehmidget]

GREAT job. You guys are giving me great ideas for my SM420 install. The parts are getting here soon so the rebuild will be starting. Im hoping i can go flat like your with the same type of mount.

The pics REALLY help.

[loringcox]

One problem though, while decelerating in low the rwd will sometimes pop into neutral. I called Down East Offroad and was told that I need to slightly rotate the rwd shift rail to get positive engangement of the detent ball.

MP

Are you saying the rear shift rod will be angled about 10 degrees higher than the front? The rear rod I got from them sits that way now and I thought DEO messed it up... Is that the way it should be? So they are not parallell to each other? The little blocking rods they welded on to keep from going lo and hi at the same time I mean...

Damn that makes no sense now that I read it...

[MattPascoe]

Damn that makes no sense now that I read it...

Makes perfect sense unfortunately.

DEO apparently has some quality control issues with the shift rods. That small detent drilled in the shaft that the shift fork set screw sits in.... seems they had some problems with the shaft slightly rotating while drilling that detent. First time I installed mine the shaft was rotated so much that those forks (that prevent front low and high rear) prevented the black cover from fitting. I called DEO and they told me to grind the detent over so the forks sat parallel.

I got them rotated enough so the cover would fit, but not totally parallel. End result... the shift detent spring and ball does not sit completely in its detent on the shift rail so it pops outta gear (rwd low only) when you bounce the throttle.

Few bugs to work out.

MP

[loringcox]

Damn, so I have the "bug" and not the "fix"... Thanks again Matt.

[Dev Dev 23]

You spent all that time and money on the D300 (which is sweet) but you're still wheeling on a D35??? Please tell us you have a valid reason for that.
Devin

[RatherBeJeeping]

-=- originally posted by MattPascoe -=-
It looks like the flat belly skid will work fine with the D300. It's lowest point is 1/2" below the frame rails.
http://www.solamarconstruction.com/Matt/D300/D300%20frame.jpg

BTW, my rear drive shaft will be 24" long and the front will be 36"!

MP


Very nice. My set up hangs down about the same as yours, it's a clockd Bronco D20. Is that an aluminum skid with blocks welded to the skid to space it down from the frame rails?

What is the rest of your drive train made up of? When I still had the D35 in the back my rear driveshaft was 29" and my front is 37" with my 4.3L, 4L60E, D20 combo.

[olympicyj]

Wouldnt it be better to drill a new hole instead of grinding the old one?

[MattPascoe]

DevDev,

INCREMENTALISM:brows:

Also, its a non c-clip, semi-floating, 30 spline alloy shaft, duper 35:rotflmao:

Seriously though, I'm very comfortable with that axle on 33's. When I go bigger it will probably be for sale.

Ratherbe, Yea the skid is T-6 6061 alum. Same stuff the baja racers use for skids. Problem with it is rock rash wears it out faster than steel. Fortunately its up so high that it doesnt get hit often.

Drivetrain - 4.2, NV3550, D300
my rear driveshaft was 29"
Damn! I got shaft envy:clapping:

Olimpicyj, the set screw hole is just slightly off so it would be hard to start a drill for a new hole. I just used a die grinder and moved the base of the hole (not enough apparently). This time I might weld up the old set screw hole and redrill.

Zman, I'm still following your lead so probably a year after you go full width I'll be working on it:beerchug:

Thanks for all the coments!

Matt

[love24wheel]

Very nice Matt! Makes me look forward to swapping in a pass side drop 44 front, and an unflipped D300.. you do some NICE work!
Scott

[MattPascoe]

Got some time last week to pull the t-case and work on the RWD low problem. After talking with several people and Down East Offroad it seems the problem has to do with twin sticking a D300 (whether flipped or not). Terra solves the problem by supplying a detent spring shim (washer), Lomax supplies heavier springs.

I tried the terra shim (cause I had them) and they were a tad too tight. I didnt want to have to pull the t-case and try different shims till I got it right so I came up with the idea of an adjustable spring tensioner (bolt and locknut) that tensions the spring and detent ball:
http://www.solamarconstruction.com/Matt/D300/D300%20detent%20adj.jpg

I can reach it with everything installed so if I need more spring tension its an easy adjustment.

Hope this solves the problem:giveup:

Also, when I pulled the "black box" shift rail cover I was surprised to find almost 1/2 cup of gear lube trapped in the cover, and yes, the cover was starting to leak. After Roadheads comments about having trouble with it, I decided to try a "fix". I drilled a drain return line so the oil could flow back into the case:
http://www.solamarconstruction.com/Matt/D300/D300%20shift%20drain.jpg

Another week or so and she'll be back on the trail:rotflmao:

MP

[Jays89YJ]

Matt, looks good! Is this a kit you bought? It sounds like the engineered kit wasn't exactly engineered very well. LOL. Fluid mechanics, materials selection and tolerances & fits seem to be flawed. I like the top you put on there. Aluminum sealing to aluminum.

My D300 is cocked like that as well. I'm trying to get everything to sit up higher, but that will come in the future.

What are you running for an engine? Oh and my rear driveshaft is a hair under 36 inches long. :D

-=- originally posted by Road Head -=-
Hopefully you dont have any leaks. I have sealed mine 3 times now, and it still leaks around the aluminum spacer at the top.
Aluminum and steel do not seal well without the proper gasket. I'm pretty much a firm believer that they do not seal well at all even with the gasket. You could try grinding the surfaces to make sure they are completely flat and not warped.

I know it's key to use aluminum to make the product lighter, but for sealing, steel on steel is much better.

[grannygear]

-=- originally posted by MattPascoe -=-
Pretty much got it done now:clapping:

I found the additional 1" clearance that I needed by eliminating the large OE access cover. Made this one out of 1/4" T6 and also relocated the vent to the high side which helps the breathing.
http://www.solamarconstruction.com/Matt/D300/D300%20alum%20lid.jpg

Had to modify the tranny cradle. The NV3550 has a diferent bolt patern and tapers up in the rear. Required a section cut out of the crossmember:
http://www.solamarconstruction.com/Matt/D300/D300%20cradle.jpg

The tranny shifter and t-case shifter are now too far apart to use even a modified stock shift boot. I realized that I would need to make a new tranny cover and find a seperate boot for the tranny. Prob is the tranny is pushed up so high that most boots that I tried couldnt fit over the shifter housing. Last week I was working on a Bobcat 463 and noticed the control boots looked perfect. Picked one up from the Bobcat dealer ($14) and was pleasantly surprised how well it worked:
http://www.solamarconstruction.com/Matt/D300/D300trannycover.jpg
http://www.solamarconstruction.com/Matt/D300/D300%20shiftersdone.jpg

Without skid:
http://www.solamarconstruction.com/Matt/D300/D300noskid.jpg
With skid:
http://www.solamarconstruction.com/Matt/D300/D300%20skid.jpg


First test drive - 4:1 low is sooo nice. I can drive in 1st gear low, step out and walk around the jeep while its sloowly crawling down the road. Shifts in and out of all ranges easily as long as you spin the tranny slightly while shifting. And did I mention how quiet it is?? Because it does not use planetary gears like the NP231 4:1 does it is very quiet. I actually never realised how noisy the chain drive case was till I drove this, much smoother and quiter than the 231.

Took it for a spin around the block to try out the NV3550. Nice! shifts like butta.

Pulled back into the garage and slid underneath to check things out and was greated by hot tranny fluid dripping on my face. I immediately knew what I had done. Prior to installing the tranny, I had pulled the front trans input seal housing to reseal it. After pulling it I realised that it could go back together one of two ways. I guessed wrong:bangnerd:

So, I pulled the t-case and tranny back out, flipped the input seal housing, and reinstalled everything (I'm getting better at it at least).

Sunday I went on a club run to Los Coyotes and now I cant imagine life without the 4:1 reduction. So much more control. I highly recomend it:beerchug:

One problem though, while decelerating in low the rwd will sometimes pop into neutral. I called Down East Offroad and was told that I need to slightly rotate the rwd shift rail to get positive engangement of the detent ball. In order to do this I have to pull the tcase out again:headpop:

Something to do next weekend I guess:beerchug:

MP

I salute your skills, but question your decision...about the second time I had to pull the t-case to 'adjust' for poor engineering would be when the $500 dollar diiference in price to have an Atlas would seem quite worth it.

Still, I built nearly everything on my project, a lot of it twice, so what do I know.

In that one pic showing the front articulated, is that shock shaft bending?

[MattPascoe]

Jay, Its a kit from Down east Offroad. I agree the engineering was close, but not quite good enough to be a fool proof bolt-on install. I think DEO was overwhelmed by the demand for this kit and the quality suffered. They are pretty quick to tell you that this is not a mod for the weekend warrior mechanic.

Motor - 258 w/4.0HO head and MPI fuel injection.:beerchug:

Grannygear, I've said before even starting this project that smart money would be spent on an atlas.

The $500 savings was really not the motivator. I'm one of those loons that really likes to do it myself. I've had a great time building this case, I know how it works intimately, and I can say I built it:beerchug:

I really dont think that shock shaft is flexing, but it kinda looks like it from the pic. I was more surprised by the brake line:rotflmao:

Thanks,

Matt

[grannygear]

Matt, I can appreciate the desire to know how it works. That is really nice when something breaks out on the trail. Bully to you.

Oh yeah...I totally missed the brakeline! Yipes!

Anyway, I was not trying to rain on your D300 parade. Good work.

[tehmidget]

-=- originally posted by MattPascoe -=-


I really dont think that shock shaft is flexing, but it kinda looks like it from the pic. I was more surprised by the brake line:rotflmao:

Thanks,

Matt

Drop them too the bottom of the frame and you will be fine.

[MattPascoe]

Drop them too the bottom of the frame and you will be fine.

Did that last year. Thought it was enough. This is the first time I ramped my Jeep backwards and the front flexes a lot more like this. I'll be getting longer lines ASAP:brows:

MP

[tehmidget]

-=- originally posted by MattPascoe -=-
Did that last year. Thought it was enough. This is the first time I ramped my Jeep backwards and the front flexes a lot more like this. I'll be getting longer lines ASAP:brows:

MP

Very nice flex then.

I better check mine too.

[tehmidget]

-=- originally posted by MattPascoe -=-
Did that last year. Thought it was enough. This is the first time I ramped my Jeep backwards and the front flexes a lot more like this. I'll be getting longer lines ASAP:brows:

MP

Very nice flex then.

I better check mine too.

[tehmidget]

-=- originally posted by MattPascoe -=-
Did that last year. Thought it was enough. This is the first time I ramped my Jeep backwards and the front flexes a lot more like this. I'll be getting longer lines ASAP:brows:

MP

Very nice flex then.

I better check mine too.