has anyone made a homemade twinstick for there dana 300. i really dont feel like paying around 150 for the currie one. i did a search but it didnt turn anything up. i have seen a few guys that have used the twinstick out of a dana 18 case but i dont want to pull the shift rods out if i dont have to. basically i figure that there is a way to make one at home that is cheaper then the currie and relativly simple.

thanks

I made one but it required pulling the shift rods, filling them with weld and grinding slots in them. Then I made my own shifters out of 1/2" round stock. I also made mine so the sticks would cross over and come up the stock tcase shift lever hole in the floor of my TJ.

But, if you don't want to pull the shift rods, then my way won't work.

http://jeep-club.irtech.com/phils_mods/D300CrossoverLinkage.jpg

If you are interested in it let me know and I can answer questions.

Phil

I dont know of any other way to do it but here is a link to a write up of doing it with the dana 18 sticks: http://www.alloffroad.com/issue/2001/june/contents/twin_stick.htm

Edit: link should work now, i dont know how the hell that other link got there.

404 dude, not found :(

They are easy to make, and dont require welding the rods. Go to http://www.4plusoffroad.com/CJ-01.htm and look at their twin stick and the way they mount.

Easy to make at home.

Ed

I made a twin stick.

just a piece of box tube off the magnesium or aluminum shifter mount..the out cropping to the passenger side. bolted throught the stock hole....then there's a hole drilled out a ways on the box tube which is the pivot for the sticks. they are bent to fit flat bar w/ round bar welded to them for the shifters. at the bottom of the flat bar is a hole for a pivot pin. connected to that is another flat bar w/ a 90* twist in the center to accommadate the angle of the shifter's flat bar and to meet the slots in the t-cases shift rods. This is done to each shifter and shift rod. bam 30 mins later you have a twin stick. I'll make you one for $75 (no shift knobs)

I was given a set of Dana 18 twin sticks off a '50s willys and adapted them to my Dana 300, took a bit of work but didn't cost me much...

I have a couple of picts on my site if it will bother to load
Willys Twin Sticks (http://www.cj7jeep.com/tcase/twin_stick.html)

Sillyneck, you got pics?
I already made one, but your way sounds easier (so when I help the next guy in my club do it, we don't have to go to all the trouble I did).

Thanks,
Phil

I made a set after looking at a friends, that cost him about $149. used scraps from around the house and $7.85 worth of new bolts and nylon spacers.

It's even easier than that. I was in the same boat, wanted twin sticks but didn't want to part with $130. Had my driveline out to replace the clutch, so I sat there and stared at it until it occured to me.

If you can find another dana 300 shifter lever (not as easy as I thought) then its a piece of cake. The hole in the shifter lever housing is 5/8". Take you're two shifters and drill the holes out to 5/8" Go to the hardware store and buy yourself a 4" (this is if you go all the way thru both ears. Next time I have it out, i'm cutting off the driver's side ear so I can clock the t-case, then i'll just bolt thru the one ear) 5/8" bolt, a nylon lock nut, and six steel 5/8s washers for shims (not the best way, but it works fine).

Bolt the shifters up, and you will have to heat the inside one (or whatever one you want to move) and bend it so they will clear each other. Then get some 1/4" plate steel, and cut them into squares, i believe it was 1.5" square, but I can't really remember. I just eyeballed it anyway. The plate is going to slide into the slot in the shift rail and you drill a 1/4" hole in the plate to bolt it in place and wind the bolt down tight so the plate won't pivot. Drill another 5/8" hole next to it (in the plate) that's for that tit on the end of the shifter to go in. Repeat for the other shift rod.

PROS:
It's dirt simple and durable - i've wheeled mine quite a bit, and it works great. 2wd lo range is a godsend.

You don't have to pull the shift rods. It bolts up, no sweat. Just a lot of shimming and fussing to get thing to fit just right.

Its cheap! I got the other shift lever for free from a friend, and the hardware cost exactly $5.

CONS:
I've yet to find an appropriate shift boot for it, so i've got this big ol hole in my floor where the inspection plate used to be. This would be fine if it was a trail rig, but its my daily driver, and the fumes are starting to get to me. Must fix this. I need to bend my shifters some more to get them to line up the same, and I have a twin stick boot for a dana 18 t-case out of an old Scout that I think will work, but right now its too short for the throw of the shifters. The Currie one might be better, but they want like $30 for one. Snuh.

I know this was kind of a rambling description, if you have some specific questions, drop me an e-mail. I can't rememberr if I took any pics of it when I built it or not, i'll paw thru my pictures and see.

Boots

When are you going to drive your rig down here so I can use your HEEP as a reference for doing this on mine??

I happen to have a Scrambler with the appropriate shift lever that I plan on leaving in 4low permanently... :D SO the shift lever can be used no problem.

Also did you do this with the t-case dropped? If so ...I'll probably just wait til spring..I'm assuming this is the easiest way.

MJ

Well, I COULD be pursuaded to help you out with the damn thing for the appropriate amount of :beer:. If you've got the material and the garage, we'll do it up. Twinsticked a friend of mine's CJ in about two hours.

Oh yeah, I saw those rocks too...and then you went home crying and we found the good ones. :flipoff2:

Boots

Was that before or after your "ROCK RIG" broke on that dirt road.

LMAO!

Bootsintheheep aka "Maintenence Boy"!! :flipoff2:
MJ

Okay, I'm gonna not rise to this and open up the proverbial can of verbal whoop ass on your sorry keister just so we don't get flamed and deleted for being off topic.

I apologise for injecting such levity into an otherwise serious conversation.

Boots

P.S. Maine Jeepah is a Fogarty. Take THAT!