Longslyde
Member
Hello Guys, I'm new to the forum, but definitely not new to modding. I drive my wife crazy because I modify everything I own. But I recently made the jump to a 2022 Roxor and made it my own. The last thing I just finished was a real Dana 18 Twin Stick conversion. Although its probably not for the faint of heart, it REALLY works well. I'm defintely happy with it and love having 2 LO when backing trailers and the like. I thought I'd post a few pics for those that were interested and a brief write up. Not sure how many are actually interested, but I find it extremely useful around the yard.
I have done many mods already like 4.88 gears with True Trac front and rear, 30 Spline axles, 5" SOA Lift, Custom drive shafts, 35" Tires, Lockouts, Light Bars, Bumpers, upgraded Steering arms and stabilizer, Stereo, PRP seats, Morimoto Headlights, XTC signal and trailer light kit, DOT glass, Modded Longer Wiper Arms, Tempered Back Glass, Floor and bed mats, Gilomen Stage 3 Tune, Stealth RX41 Turbo, Intercooler, Electric Fan, Borla Exhaust, HD Clutch, and other mods I'm probably forgetting. I'll start with the Twin Stick, but if anyone has questions on the other stuff, feel free to ask.
Again, Disclaimer, This is not a bolt-on mod. This requires some work. Not all that hard but it is extensive.
I sourced the Dana 18 Twin Stick kit from Kaiser Willys. the housing and shift shafts came packed in cosmoline. THAT's a real treat to clean off. LOL. But everything comes out like new from 1972. You will receive just about everything you need for the conversion although they mispackaged a few parts on mine. They were very accommodating in helping me sort things out, so kudos to them.
There are no instructions but things are pretty straight forward. You will need to replace both shift shafts and leave the interlock pill out on the new front assembly. Thing to note is once you remove the high-low range shift fork, it bolts right onto the new shaft. BUT, there's a surprise you will run into on the 4WD shaft. on the Roxor, the fork not bolted on, it is roll-pinned. So you will have to drill and tap a bolt to fit the fork to hold it to the shaft, Just make sure you keep it as short as possible so you don't run into interference shifting it in the case. Don't forget to use RED loctite on it or drill the head and wire it in similar to the range shaft. I opt'd to use red loctite as it's in a place easy enough to apply heat to take it off later if needed.
Also, there is a very important thing to address with the front housing. There IS a difference in the housing lip depths between the two. It's alomst exactly .080. You must shim the shaft bearing correctly to obtain .003 to .007 end play. ymmv, but I had to shim the front shaft bearing with a spacer identical to the spacers used the in the middle shaft bearing assembly. Those are approx ~.100. This was to push the bearing tight enough to gain proper end play. I put it between the bearing and the clip on the range shaft, then shimmed the housing accordingly. Worked great! But, If you don't proper set the appropriate end play, it will definitely fail.
Once you have everything bolted up you will notice that the shifter position is rearward from the original Roxor position. You will have to modify the floor to get the shifters new position. I love the new position because it is so easy to reach.
![20241109_123822[1].jpg](https://teamroxor.com/attachments/20241109_123822-1-jpg.14343/ "20241109_123822[1].jpg")
Also, be prepared to modify the shift shafts with a bit of heat to bend them to where you want them. I did this simply with a MAPP gas torch. The Original Dana 18 shifters all lean too far back when in this position and will hit the cup holders. I just straightened them a bit and tilted the range shift lever out to clear the shift balls. Very easy to adjust, just think about where you want them ahead of time.
Next, you'll have to make a cover plate for the original hole and for the shifter boots.
![20241117_135622[1].jpg](https://teamroxor.com/attachments/20241117_135622-1-jpg.14344/ "20241117_135622[1].jpg")
I used 18 Gauge as that was thick enough for this application and cut very easily with a jig saw.
![20241117_142008[1].jpg](https://teamroxor.com/attachments/20241117_142008-1-jpg.14345/ "20241117_142008[1].jpg")
![20241119_160526[1].jpg](https://teamroxor.com/attachments/20241119_160526-1-jpg.14346/ "20241119_160526[1].jpg")
I painted, undercoated, and riveted the plate in place as well as installed nut-serts for boot mounting.
I removed the fiberglass shifter boot mount and just installed the top boot on the plate.
![20241122_185642[1].jpg](https://teamroxor.com/attachments/20241122_185642-1-jpg.14347/ "20241122_185642[1].jpg")
The thing I like most about the set up is that it's easy to reach (especially for a fat guy like me LOL) as well as a real positive, crisp feeling shift. No Slop. I always throw the range lever to low as I'm just coming to a stop before I go to reverse to back up slow.
I topped it off with a couple of custom shifter balls from Twisted Shifters and here's what it looks like from the drivers seat. Pardon the crappy carpeting, I need to redo the tunnel area when I get time. Just wanted to make sure everything worked as it should. LOL.
![20241122_214335[1].jpg](https://teamroxor.com/attachments/20241122_214335-1-jpg.14348/ "20241122_214335[1].jpg")
I wish I would have taken more pics of the transfer case and housing install, but since I was covered in oil and cosmoline, I just opted to get through it lol.
Hope this is informational or at least entertaining if nothing else. Feel free to ask any questions you may have. Take Care!
![20240514_150405[1].jpg](https://teamroxor.com/attachments/20240514_150405-1-jpg.14349/ "20240514_150405[1].jpg")
I have done many mods already like 4.88 gears with True Trac front and rear, 30 Spline axles, 5" SOA Lift, Custom drive shafts, 35" Tires, Lockouts, Light Bars, Bumpers, upgraded Steering arms and stabilizer, Stereo, PRP seats, Morimoto Headlights, XTC signal and trailer light kit, DOT glass, Modded Longer Wiper Arms, Tempered Back Glass, Floor and bed mats, Gilomen Stage 3 Tune, Stealth RX41 Turbo, Intercooler, Electric Fan, Borla Exhaust, HD Clutch, and other mods I'm probably forgetting. I'll start with the Twin Stick, but if anyone has questions on the other stuff, feel free to ask.
Again, Disclaimer, This is not a bolt-on mod. This requires some work. Not all that hard but it is extensive.
I sourced the Dana 18 Twin Stick kit from Kaiser Willys. the housing and shift shafts came packed in cosmoline. THAT's a real treat to clean off. LOL. But everything comes out like new from 1972. You will receive just about everything you need for the conversion although they mispackaged a few parts on mine. They were very accommodating in helping me sort things out, so kudos to them.
There are no instructions but things are pretty straight forward. You will need to replace both shift shafts and leave the interlock pill out on the new front assembly. Thing to note is once you remove the high-low range shift fork, it bolts right onto the new shaft. BUT, there's a surprise you will run into on the 4WD shaft. on the Roxor, the fork not bolted on, it is roll-pinned. So you will have to drill and tap a bolt to fit the fork to hold it to the shaft, Just make sure you keep it as short as possible so you don't run into interference shifting it in the case. Don't forget to use RED loctite on it or drill the head and wire it in similar to the range shaft. I opt'd to use red loctite as it's in a place easy enough to apply heat to take it off later if needed.
Also, there is a very important thing to address with the front housing. There IS a difference in the housing lip depths between the two. It's alomst exactly .080. You must shim the shaft bearing correctly to obtain .003 to .007 end play. ymmv, but I had to shim the front shaft bearing with a spacer identical to the spacers used the in the middle shaft bearing assembly. Those are approx ~.100. This was to push the bearing tight enough to gain proper end play. I put it between the bearing and the clip on the range shaft, then shimmed the housing accordingly. Worked great! But, If you don't proper set the appropriate end play, it will definitely fail.
Once you have everything bolted up you will notice that the shifter position is rearward from the original Roxor position. You will have to modify the floor to get the shifters new position. I love the new position because it is so easy to reach.
Also, be prepared to modify the shift shafts with a bit of heat to bend them to where you want them. I did this simply with a MAPP gas torch. The Original Dana 18 shifters all lean too far back when in this position and will hit the cup holders. I just straightened them a bit and tilted the range shift lever out to clear the shift balls. Very easy to adjust, just think about where you want them ahead of time.
Next, you'll have to make a cover plate for the original hole and for the shifter boots.
I used 18 Gauge as that was thick enough for this application and cut very easily with a jig saw.
I painted, undercoated, and riveted the plate in place as well as installed nut-serts for boot mounting.
I removed the fiberglass shifter boot mount and just installed the top boot on the plate.
The thing I like most about the set up is that it's easy to reach (especially for a fat guy like me LOL) as well as a real positive, crisp feeling shift. No Slop. I always throw the range lever to low as I'm just coming to a stop before I go to reverse to back up slow.
I topped it off with a couple of custom shifter balls from Twisted Shifters and here's what it looks like from the drivers seat. Pardon the crappy carpeting, I need to redo the tunnel area when I get time. Just wanted to make sure everything worked as it should. LOL.
I wish I would have taken more pics of the transfer case and housing install, but since I was covered in oil and cosmoline, I just opted to get through it lol.
Hope this is informational or at least entertaining if nothing else. Feel free to ask any questions you may have. Take Care!
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