Twin stick conversion on the Dana 20 j shift

[powers4680]

Has anyone done it do you like it?


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[NGABronco]

Yes sir, did it on the Stretch rig and I cut the shift blades on the Blue rig yesterday. Got the twin sticks Thurs. from JBG... 10% off !!!;D;D;D

 

[bronconut73]

One of my very favorite mods.
A must do if you like to go wheeling.

The J-shift shifter is just an awful design. James Duff redesigned it if you want to stick with a J-shift. The Duff is great but their twin sticks are even better. Soooo much easier shifting. Engage only the front axle if needed. Should have been a factory option.

 

[No Hay]

Yes, twice. Highly recommended.

Not too tough, just a little time and patience required.

 

[sanndmann3]

Absolutely. My stock shifter was pretty worn out. Had a hard time getting into 4 hi or 4 lo. twin sticked it and soo much better. A great mod, highly recommended.

 

[gooch66]

I had a T-shifter but the twin stick has been one of the easiest mods I have done. The toughest part was fishing for the cotter pins on the t-case linkage. It's also nice when you get out on the trails.

 

[RPM289]

I did it on my 70 love it! I could not keep mine in 2h shifter was shot. Glad it was the j shifter and not t case

 

[blubuckaroo]

I liked the "J" shifter and mine worked great. Once you learn to shift with it, it works pretty good. You really need to be rolling to shift in and out of 4 HI.
The only reason I replaced it was it wouldn't work with the NV3550.
The twin stick works good too.
The only real difference is now you have a stick for the front and a stick for the rear. It can be more confusing for someone to learn to use.

 

[bronconut73]

Powers 4680,

Blu (above) is now and usually is "the exception to the rule"....That rule being, "The J-shifter sucks" haha.
Except as stated above, the Duff re-engineered J-shifter.

Blu likes all things old school, haha, but he "is" running an NV3550 and the twin sticks were a requirement. If Blu will endorse them, then they "must" be pretty darn cool, haha.

I have actually read that the J-shifter design was improved in '75 and again in '77, I believe. Blu does have a '77 I believe, so his may really have been a better functioning J-shifter than the typical eb.

But again, if Blu approves of anything considered "new tech" it's gotta be good, lol.

Just jabbing you a little Blu,;D

 

[blubuckaroo]

Hey! Sure I'm "old school."
If I weren't, why would I be driving an expensive "old school" car?

But twin sticks have my approval. They have several advantages.
Like most things, they don't do everything better. If you have a twin stick setup, you'll know what I'm talking about...
Unlike the old "J" shift, it's difficult to tell if you have the front axle shifted into Neutral or HI.
That's really important unless you mind spinning the front while driving down the highway.
I'm so anal about knowing that I get under the car to make sure the front driveline will spin free.
I have no problem with this activity myself, but my wife drives the car too, sometimes in 4WD to get out in the snow. She did better with the "J" shift.

 

[BoureeOne]

Here is a visual on my 66 in progress. NV3550 5spd, Dana 20, J-shift.

 

[Rustytruck]

Here is a visual on my 66 in progress. NV3550 5spd, Dana 20, J-shift.

What intake and carbs are you running? Cool set-up.

 

[Slednut10]

Had to so I could run the M5OD 5 speed and love them. Still wonder why I put up with that stupid j shift. What a PITA. MY JB twin sticks have a very smooth positive feel and I have no issues telling where the shifter is and what the d20 is doing.

 

[BoureeOne]

What intake and carbs are you running? Cool set-up.

Triple holley 94's on Edelbrock's intake they came out with just over a year ago. Mines a 347 Stroker, Explorer Serp.

 

[blubuckaroo]

Had to so I could run the M5OD 5 speed and love them. Still wonder why I put up with that stupid j shift. What a PITA. MY JB twin sticks have a very smooth positive feel and I have no issues telling where the shifter is and what the d20 is doing.

That said, how do you know for sure whether you're front axle is in 4Hi or N without looking under the car?

 

[bronconut73]

My twin sticks move pretty far and have obvious detents.
At a glance you can see if the shifters are in the forward middle or rear position.

 

[Slednut10]

My twin sticks move pretty far and have obvious detents.
At a glance you can see if the shifters are in the forward middle or rear position.

^^^^This. Plus you could always put the both shifters in what you think is neutral then put the truck in gear to verify. Literally one click forward and mine is out of gear and no longer lined up with the rear stick.

 

[bronconut73]

I feel the exact opposite.
I could never tell what my J-shifter was up to.
But I believe my J-shifter was broken,....I think many were broken. It's just a shitty design that isn't worth fixing unless you are doing a restoration.
My wife finds the twin stick configuration much easier to understand. We always hated our J-shifter. It hanging up made us not want to go four wheeling. The twin stick positive shifts and obvious position turned us on right a way and are much more likely to hit a trail after installing the twin sticks.

 

[BoureeOne]

What intake and carbs are you running? Cool set-up.

Correction... They are actually Holley 2110's. About 240cfm each.

 

[kyle]

I run them and would recommend the modification.