Atlas II transfer case worth it?

[latrucker]

Getting ready to do a 4R70W swap and after mulling over the adapter options and the cost i am seriously considering the Atlas II for not much more and a lot less work. What are the pros of an Atlas for someone who rarely goes offroad. I am considering it because it bolts right up to my AWD 4R70W (from what I have been told). Just wondering if there are any other advantages that i am missing. I will be converting from a D20 if it makes a difference. Also, where is the best place to purchase the Atlas from?

 

[needsmoarturbo]

What are the pros of an Atlas for someone who rarely goes offroad.

Not aware of any, but I could just be ignorant. Seems a lot of money with the main advantage of gaining lower gear ratios, may be worth it for an off roader.
Thats my 2 cents anyway.
I guess if it really gets you away from having to buy an adapter for the d20, that might be a different story and might just be worth the little extra dough, but I don't know anything about that.

 

[fishinman78]

My wifes 1976 Lubr has a 4r70W with a Dana 20 and sees very little off road use.

I bought the Wildhorses adapter which was $600.00 which only requires trimming of the output shaft, bolt in cross member from Bronco Hut about $200.00 and a Twin Stick from JB Fab which was $125.00

Not really close to the cost of an Atlas and works well.

The Atlas cases are really cool. I am considering one when I upgrade to the 4r70w in my Bronco. It will see much more trail use however.

 

[Nothing Special]

I have an Atlas and love it, but I wouldn't have paid for it if it wasn't for the low gearing. Still, there are a couple other advantages I see, just not worth all that much.

It does shift much smoother than my Model 20 did (although if I had put as much work into the shift linkage on the 20 as I did in getting the Atlas shifters installed the difference might be less)

And newer Atlas cases have an oil pump so they can be flat-towed without dropping the rear driveshaft.

In my case (no pun intended) I was swapping trannies too (installing an NV3550), So I also had the advantage of not needing an adapter with the Atlas that I would've to keep the 20.

And resale might be a consideration (if you sell the Bronco to someone who does plan to 'wheel it they might value the Atlas).

 

[SteveL]

Dont really think it's worth it if you're not going off road. Dont really think it adds much on re-sale unless everything else is beefed up for off road. Now if you planned on off reading it its probably worth the extra couple bucks will you're at it. The dana 20 isnt a bad t-case but if you get to adding lower gears you're also gonna want the 300m outputs then you're really getting near the cost of the atless. Now with that said some of the more hardcore guys have broken the atlas and have better luck with the 205-203 doubler which I think is cheaper than going atlas but takes more skills to fab up and install. All of em require driveshaft mods so better to do it once and get it right.

 

[Broncobowsher]

How much power will you have in front of it?

I should have done an Atlas. But I did wheel and the lower gears were great. By the time you do an adaptor, gears, and the upgraded output shaft the Atlas is better. Without the need for gears, probably not. But the Atlas will care less about any amount of power you put in front of it. The Dana 20 is good and can take a lot, but that is still a lot less than an Atlas can take.

I have the feeling the right answer for you is the ZF adaptor (that we didn't know would work when I did mine and did the whole rebuild with output shaft).

As for flat towing, the Atlas now has an option for a pump to allow flat towing. Not standard. Fairly new option in the past year or two. Unless you specificly optioned it, the Atlas doesn't have it.

 

[sykanr0ng]

Atlas II transfer case worth it?

Not for what you are going to use it for.

You want to spend $2400 on an Atlas to save you from spending $500 on a Dana 20 adapter?

You are not going to use it offroad so lower gears mean nothing to you.
If you are not going offroad you are probably not going to shift it out of 2wd, so smoother shifting is no gain for you.

The cheapest way for you would be an NP205, with an adapter for the Dana 20 not costing very much more.

 

[Justafordguy]

I agree, you don't need an Atlas for a street only Bronco. The NP205 will be your cheapest option, followed closely by the D20 adapter.

 

[Broncobowsher]

I would not do a 205 for the street. A lot of extra weight (and un-needed strength). The 20 is an easier package to work with.

 

[BanditBronco]

My wifes 1976 Lubr has a 4r70W with a Dana 20 and sees very little off road use.

I bought the Wildhorses adapter which was $600.00 which only requires trimming of the output shaft, bolt in cross member from Bronco Hut about $200.00 and a Twin Stick from JB Fab which was $125.00

Not really close to the cost of an Atlas and works well.

The Atlas cases are really cool. I am considering one when I upgrade to the 4r70w in my Bronco. It will see much more trail use however.

This is definitely the easiest option. Atlas calls for a custom crossmember and more fidgeting with the T-case shifters. Also speedo parts to figure out and body lift issues.

 

[garberz]

This is definitely the easiest option. Atlas calls for a custom crossmember and more fidgeting with the T-case shifters. Also speedo parts to figure out and body lift issues.

The AtlasII hangs off the back of the trans, just like the Dana 20. No special crossmember needed

Mark

 

[BanditBronco]

The AtlasII hangs off the back of the trans, just like the Dana 20. No special crossmember needed

Mark

A 4r70w with an atlas bolted to it doesn't just drop right in on the stock bronco crossmember... No one makes a bolt in crossmember for a 4r atlas combo. Bronco hut uses puck style mounts when running an adapter. BC might make a crossmember that uses a two bolt base mount but you are probably still going to have to cut it up to get it installed. Easiest bolt in option is the way fishinman78 did his wife's rig.

 

[Fitz24]

My wifes 1976 Lubr has a 4r70W with a Dana 20 and sees very little off road use.

I bought the Wildhorses adapter which was $600.00 which only requires trimming of the output shaft, bolt in cross member from Bronco Hut about $200.00 and a Twin Stick from JB Fab which was $125.00

Glad I seen your post before I tried hacking my stock crossmember for my 4r70w install. Save me a lot of work and time.

 

[fordguy]

My wifes 1976 Lubr has a 4r70W with a Dana 20 and sees very little off road use.

I bought the Wildhorses adapter which was $600.00 which only requires trimming of the output shaft, bolt in cross member from Bronco Hut about $200.00 and a Twin Stick from JB Fab which was $125.00

Glad I seen your post before I tried hacking my stock crossmember for my 4r70w install. Save me a lot of work and time.

Fitz, not that hard to modify.

 

[Fitz24]

Fitz, not that hard to modify.

Didn't sound like it but my welding skills are lacking a little and free time is at a premium for me right now. Plus it will leave me with an original cross member if I decide to sell the C4 setup as a complete kit (minus the D20).

 

[garberz]

A 4r70w with an atlas bolted to it doesn't just drop right in on the stock bronco crossmember... No one makes a bolt in crossmember for a 4r atlas combo. Bronco hut uses puck style mounts when running an adapter. BC might make a crossmember that uses a two bolt base mount but you are probably still going to have to cut it up to get it installed. Easiest bolt in option is the way fishinman78 did his wife's rig.

I was under the impression he was putting in a 4r70w regardless, so the crossmember work would already be done.

Mark

 

[bowhunter]

The fact that it wouldn’t leak oil like almost every D20 would be worth it!!

 

[Broncobowsher]

The fact that it wouldn’t leak oil like almost every D20 would be worth it!!

Good point. It took a long time, and about 4 tries to get my last D20 to be dry. In the end I had 4 different sealers for different leaks. Hylamar, anaerobic sealer, pipe dope, and a touch of RTV. Each one for a different purpose and a different leak. The first Atlas I installed I saw recently after a decade. It had a layer of dirt in a few spots but never dripped a single drop.

 

[sprdv1]

totally agree, if not much offroad use....

Atlas II transfer case worth it?

Not for what you are going to use it for.

You want to spend $2400 on an Atlas to save you from spending $500 on a Dana 20 adapter?

You are not going to use it offroad so lower gears mean nothing to you.
If you are not going offroad you are probably not going to shift it out of 2wd, so smoother shifting is no gain for you.

The cheapest way for you would be an NP205, with an adapter for the Dana 20 not costing very much more.

 

[sprdv1]

The fact that it wouldn’t leak oil like almost every D20 would be worth it!!

haha, them leaks a beetch..