INCHWORM "LEFTY" T-CASE: Inst. w/ pics

Part I, Preparation

Tools needed:

10mm, 12mm, 14mm sockets (six-point, deep-well helpful) and ratchet
6" extension for ratchet
19mm (3/4" acceptable substitute) box or open-end wrench
14mm box or open-end wrench
7mm box or open-end wrench
Torque wrench
2 or 3 lb. sledge hammer
Drill and 21/64" or 11/32" drill bit, and appropriate-size drill bit for SPST switch (below)
(Optional – 21/64” drill bit for Heli-Coil threaded inserts if used)
Hacksaw
Bench vise
Bench grinder, portable grinder, or file (in a pinch)
Needle-nose pliers
6mm hex bit (could use 6mm Allen wrench in a pinch)
10mm hex bit or Allen wrench
Flathead screwdrivers, at least two
Wire cutter, stripping, and crimping tool(s)
Jack capable of lifting one side or end of truck
Floor jack, bottle jack, or stock tire jack (in a pinch)
Seal puller (or large flathead screwdriver in a pinch)
Seal driver (1-1/2" or slightly larger socket works well for this)
Arc welder (or pay a welder to do it)
Tin snips
Jack stands *
Transmission jack **
Impact wrench (not required but makes job much easier)

Tools footnotes:

* If you have a standard 3" lift and 33" tires and are not a person of enhanced stature, you can do everything under the truck without putting it on jack stands, but you will have more room to work with the transmission jack if the truck is up several more inches. Whichever you choose, be sure to observe all safety precautions.

** Technically, the job could be done without a transmission jack if you had at least one able helper and a regular hydraulic floor jack, but it is way worth it IMO to buy even a cheap transmission jack at Northern Tool or Harbor Freight. A transmission jack makes this a one-person install. Link to the one I have and used for this project: Torin Roll Under Transmission Jack — 1000-Lb. Capacity | Transmission Jacks | Northern Tool + Equipment


Supplies needed:

18 or 22-gauge wire, ten feet should be way more than enough.
18-22 gauge crimp connectors
SPST electrical switch, any size (or fancier lighted one, your option).
75w-90 gear oil of your choice, about 1.0 - 1.5 quarts
Silicone gasket maker, your choice of color
Lithium-base NLGI No. 2 grease or equivalent
Assembly lube (grease an acceptable substitute)
Sharpie marker or grease pencil
3/8" flexible auto electrical conduit (five feet is plenty)
Brake Cleaner
Blue (medium strength) Loctite
(Optional: M8 x 1.25 thread-repair kit; Heli-Coil, Time-Sert, etc.)

 

INCHWORM "LEFTY" T-CASE: Inst. w/ pics

Part II, Removal of Stock Transfer Case

To remove the stock transfer case, the Toyota Factory Service Manual says to first remove the entire automatic transmission and transfer case as a unit! Fortunately, this is not necessary.

Place the truck on jack stands if necessary. Disconnect the negative terminal on the battery for safety. Remove any stock or aftermarket skid plate(s) you may have that cover the transmission, transfer case, and drive shafts. Drain the gear oil from the transfer case and put the drain plug back in after. Remove the four bolts holding each of these two diagonal braces to the frame and transmission cross-member:

Remove the four bolts inside the transmission cross-member near the center that attach it to the transmission bracket. Here is a view of these from directly underneath, as good as I could get with the ShopCam on the floor:

Remove the heat shield over the exhaust pipe that is bolted to the cross member, and the bottom mount of the large semi-circular exhaust stand-off also bolted to the cross-member.

Support the transmission frame cross-member with a floor jack or suitable substitute. Remove the four through-bolts (two on each side) that connect the cross member to the main frame rails (two on one side shown in the center of this picture):

Lower the floor jack; the transmission and transfer case will sag a few inches, resting on the motor mounts, and the cross-member will fall down with it or with a little persuasion. Remove the cross member from out of your way. Remove the U-shaped bracket that goes between the transmission and the cross member you just removed; it is held on with four bolts, two on each side as shown (on one side) in the center of this picture:

Disconnect both drive shafts (propeller shafts in FSM-speak) from the transfer case by removing the four 14mm nuts that hold on each one on its respective output flange. If you are up on jack stands, you might need to lower the wheels to the ground to immobilize the drive shafts so you can remove the nuts, which are torqued on. To immobilize the front drive shaft, shift the transfer case into 4WD.

Tip: if you've greased the slip joints on each drive shaft every oil change like you're supposed to, it may be difficult to compress the slip joint enough to get the u-joints off of the flanges and bolts. In this case, remove the slip-joint grease zerk (the one on the outside of the u-joint) with a 7mm wrench and now you will be able to compress the slip joint - but beware, as grease will come out of the zerk hole in a steady stream! The grease in the slip-joint is what was making the joint difficult to compress.

Leave both drive shafts attached to their respective differentials but lay the rear one on the ground out of your way. The front one will rest on the exhaust pipe crossover; if it gets in your way you can prop it to the side by wedging a piece of 2x4 or similar between the floor of your garage and the drive shaft.

Remove the center console in the cab thusly: Remove both gear shift knobs by unscrewing them counter-clockwise. Scoot both seats back as far as they will go, lift the arm rests (if so-equipped) all the way vertical, and lean both seats back as far as they will go. The center section of the console (with the cup holders) is only held in with reusable plastic retainers and it pops right out with a little upward pressure. Put your hands in the cup-holder sockets (after removing the rubber insets of course) and exert upward pressure. remove the little oval plastic/rubber inset that is directly underneath the emergency brake lever, it pops out easily. Remove the four 10mm bolts that hold the main part of the console in. Two are in the bottom of the rear storage compartment and the other two are on each inside side of the console, near the transmission shifter, they are obvious after the center section is removed. Remove the center console by pulling the back up and the whole console back an inch or two, to disengage the lugs in the very front that go in the lower dash switch console. It is a tight fit, but with some wiggling and trial and error you can remove the center console despite the seats and especially the arm rests being in the way. Set it aside out of the truck. There is a thread on adding a 12-volt accessory plug that shows pictures of how to do this, if I remember later I will add the link here.

Remove the four bolts that hold the auto transmission shifter assembly to the floor of the tunnel. Using a small flathead screwdriver, unlatch the two electrical harness plugs that attach to the shifter assembly, then set the shifter assembly by. It will still be attached to a large cable that goes to the transmission, but you will have enough leeway to put it aside and out of the way of the transfer case shifter boot. Remove the four sheet metal screws that hold the transfer case rubber shifter boot to the tunnel floor, and remove the shifter boot. Remove or at least lift up the round rubber boot around the transfer case shift lever that covers the transfer case shifter ball joint. Remove the snap ring inside the top of the shifter ball joint by compressing it with needle-nose pliers. For some reason, Toyota chose not to use a proper snap ring with holes in the end, so needle-nose pliers are your only option. It is a lot easier to get off than get back on, but that will come later... With the snap ring off, the whole transfer case shift lever and male ball assembly will come up and out of the transfer case. Set it aside. Here is a view of the (female) shifter ball joint in the top of the stock transfer case (picture taken after the TC was removed):

While it's still in the truck, it looks something like this from the top, in the cab (although this pic is of Lefty already installed - the stock location is farther forward and a little easier to get to):

There are forward and aft cut-outs in the lip of the ball joint housing that allow access to the snap ring.

There are three shift sensors on the stock transfer case and all must be unplugged to drop the case. All are near the top of the stock transfer case, two on the driver side and one on the passenger side. All three uncouple by squeezing a prong to release a catch. Pay attention to the location of the wires for each plug; one of the blue plugs will be needed for lefty and the wiring for the other blue plug will be used also (the gray plug will not be used). Mark the blue plugs on the harness end with tape if there is any doubt which is the driver side and which is the passenger side. All the connectors are near the top of the transfer case; you may be able to get to one or more from above through the shift lever hole in the cab, but I found it just as easy to reach up the sides from underneath. There is enough room to get your hands up there.

Disconnect the small vent hose from the top of the stock case, right at the base of the shifter ball joint on the passenger side.

The stock transfer case is now ready to come out. Position the transmission jack (or a floor jack and a helper) underneath the transfer case to support its weight. There are eight 12mm bolts that hold the transfer case to the tail housing of the auto tranny; five that go through the front face of the transfer case into threads in the tail housing, and three that go through the tail housing into threads in the transfer case. Remove all these bolts; different combinations of extensions, short and deep-well sockets, and in case of the top two bolts a box-end wrench are needed for different bolts. There is generally room to get a wrench on each bolt, but not always a lot of room to turn the ratchet or wrench. When all eight bolts are out, roll the transmission jack to the rear while barely supporting the weight of the case. When the female splined input shaft on the transfer case clears the male output shaft of the transmission, the t-case will be free. Move it out from under the truck.

 

INCHWORM "LEFTY" T-CASE: Inst. w/ pics

Part III, FJ Cruiser Modifications Before Installation

Now there are a few things to do before Lefty goes in; modifying the transfer case shift lever, modifying the stock auto transmission tail housing, installing a new transmission output shaft oil seal, modifying the transmission tunnel, a little bit of wiring, and plugging a vent.

NOTE: my installation is a single-stick Lefty; i.e. a single transfer case shifter that duplicates the functions of the stock shifter: 2-high, 4-high, neutral, and 4-low in a "J" shift pattern. You have the option of ordering a twin-stick lefty, where one stick shifts between 2WD and 4WD and the other shifts between high range and low range. Twin sticks gives you the ability to run in low range in 2WD; reputedly useful for maneuvering a heavy trailer and also for rock crawling with a front diff lock - the idea being that you could leave your front diff locked and control power to the locked front diff by shifting between 4WD and 2WD. The disadvantages are increased cost and more modding to do; your choice. I chose to go with a single stick for simplicity, plus I like the stealth aspect.

For a single-stick installation, you can use your stock shifter but it must be extended by 1.5 inches because the combination of the adapter plate thickness and the older Toyota transfer case Lefty is based on puts the shifter ball joint aft of the stock location. A 1.5" piece of 0.5"-diameter mild steel round stock is included in the hardware packet provided by Inchworm. With a grease pencil, Sharpie marker, or scribe, mark a straight line the length of the dog-leg in the shift lever, parallel to the axis. You will need this mark to orient the two halves when welding in the extension piece. With a hacksaw, cut your stock shift lever in half, in the middle of the dog-leg and the middle of the line you drew. Make the cut as square as possible, i.e. perpendicular to the axis of the shaft. Remove the rubber boot, spring and spring retainer on the bottom half of the shifter. Dress the surface of the cut on both pieces and make a good chamfer on both ends with a bench grinder or a file. Make a similar chamfer on both ends of the round-stock extension. Make the chamfers angled and deep enough to get good weld penetration; the welds do not have to be pretty (they will not be visible on the finished installation) but they need to be strong because you may have to bend the shift lever for optimal position after the installation. Be sure to re-install the spring, spring retainer, and ball-joint upper cup over them on the bottom half of the shift lever, align the marks on the upper and lower halves, and weld in the extension piece. If you make you mark straight, your cut square, and align everything straight when you weld it up, the modified shifter should work with minimal adjustment later. I didn't take a picture of the cut stock shift lever, but here is mine after welding in the extension. Note the spring, retainer, and ball-joint upper cup in place (with a little brake cleaner or hair spray the rubber boot will stretch enough to fit over the top of the shifter later):

Next, you must enlarge one of the threaded holes in the transmission tail housing enough to pass a bolt shank through that will thread into Lefty. The hole to modify is the passenger-side lower hole. Drill it out with a 21/64" drill bit.

Be careful to drill it perpendicular to the mating surface of the tail housing. The tail housing is aluminum and drills easily. Dress the hole and both ends of the hole with files to ensure a flat mating surface and no restrictions on the bolt.

Pull the oil seal in the output shaft area of the tail housing with a seal puller or a large screwdriver. If you use a screwdriver, be careful not to score the inner surface of the seal housing. Install the new seal provided by Inchworm; drive it in squarely with a seal driver or a large socket so that it is flush with the end of the seal housing. (NOTE: picture above w/ drill shows the seal installed INCORRECTLY, do not drive in seal beyond flush into the housing.) I found that a 1-1/2" socket I have worked well for this purpose. After installing it, lube the inner diameter of the new seal with assembly lube or a thin coating of grease. Correctly-installed seal looks like this (with coupling sleeve in place):

A little adjustment of the sheet metal forming the transmission tunnel of the FJ Cruiser is usually necessary. If you put Lefty on the transmission jack and roll it under the truck, it is fairly obvious where the adjustment need to be made, where Lefty's front output case will be when installed. Lefty has been clocked a few degrees more than the stock output shaft, to increase bottom clearance on the trail, but this necessitates a little more clearance in the transmission tunnel. Mark an area fore and aft in the tunnel with a Sharpie marker or a grease pencil where Lefty's front output case will reside. Move Lefty on the jack out of the way. Give the area between the marks some good blows with a two or three lb. sledge or dead-blow hammer. You only need maybe 1/2" or 3/4" of additional clearance. Whack away without fear; nothing you can do will be visible from inside the cab. Here is a picture of mine after the adjustment, but the Sharpie marks were hammered off. The picture looks obscure, but it will be fairly obvious to you when you are laying under the truck.

There is one more optional modification I will mention here. With my installation (granted, the only one I have done so far), I found that the bottom two (short) bolts only engaged threads in Lefty's adapter plate a very short distance and were easy to strip. In fact, I stripped one on my first "final" (not mock-up) installation. In my opinion, this is a weakness in the design of Lefty, but it's possible mine was a fluke or it was my "operator error" since many other Lefties have been installed without this problem. I repaired it with a Heli-Coil insert and then put a second Heli-Coil in the other bottom hole as a preemptive measure. Heli-Coils are easy to install, work well, and you are left with good high-Carbon steel threads in the aluminum body of the adapter plate, much stronger than the original threaded hole. If nothing else, this is an improvement to the strength of Lefty even if no problems are encountered.

If you elect to do this modification, the threads in these (and all mounting bolt) holes are M8 x 1.25 and that size is available from Heli-Coil, Time-Sert, Fix-A-Thread and other similar brands. I will not duplicate the instructions for thread repair inserts in this post, but they are relatively easy to use and come with good instructions. If you have never used one of these thread-repair systems before, the most crucial part is to drill the hole for the insert as perpendicular to the mating surface as possible.

Wiring:

There are three shift sensors on the stock transfer case (two on the driver's side and one on the passenger's side) and only one on Lefty (on the passenger side). All of the sensors are up high near the top, just behind the shift gate. In this picture, you can see two of the three sensors in the stock case at the bottom of the picture:

It is necessary to connect the single sensor on Lefty into the stock wiring harness that was connected to the driver's-side front sensor the stock case. This is the input to the FJC computer that tells the system that 4WD-Low is engaged. If this is not connected, you will not be able to lock your rear differential or use A-Trac. The easiest way is to simply cut off the connector from the stock case with a few inches of wire left on it, and splice it on to the wires from the sensor supplied with Lefty. If you want to preserve your stock transfer case in perfect condition for some later use, then you would need to buy a new connector from Toyota. I didn't and hence don't have a part number for that connector. Since the sensor on Lefty is on the other side several inches away, you will probably need to extend the length of the wires necessary to reach. Use 18 or 22-gauge wire. Put female spade connectors on the ends of the wires to attach to Lefty's single sensor. It does not matter which wire goes on which terminal of the sensor, it is simply an on-or-off signal and has no polarity.

The next step is optional, but recommended: On the stock transfer case, the passenger-side sensor tells the FJC Automatic Differential Disconnect system when 4WD-HI (or low) is engaged, which then activates a vacuum-actuated shift fork in the front differential to move a sliding sleeve that connects an axle shaft to the differential. This is what allows the FJC to engage 4WD on the fly, without having manually-locking wheel hubs. To preserve this shift-on-the-fly function, you will need to install a simple switch to close this circuit manually, in place of the transfer case sensor. If you choose not to install this switch, 4WD will still work but you must come to a complete stop to shift into 4WD, and the 4WD indicator light in the dash may not come on. With the manual ADD switch installed, you simply flip the switch "on" at the trail head and leave it on until you are back on pavement. Then you can shift in and out of 4WD on the fly any time you want, just like stock.

Again, the easiest way is to simply cut the wires off of the stock sensor near the sensor, splice longer wires on to each of the two harness wires, and run these two wires up through the t-case shifter hole in the transmission tunnel, into the center console of the FJC. I used tin snips to cut a small notch in the base of the t-case shifter boot, to accomodate the wires without pinching them. Here is a picture of my two ADD switch wires coming through the shifter hole under the console. The single shift sensor in Lefty is also shown, in the bottom center of the photo:

I drilled a small hole in the top of my center console, in front of the auto tranny shifter, and mounted a simple SPST switch there:

Again, this circuit has no polarity (is either only on or off) so it doesn't matter which wire goes on which pole of the switch. You will want to place this switch somewhere that it won't be accidentally engaged, as it is best to engage ADD when stopped. I also recommend putting several feet of extra length on these wires, so that you can easily remove the center console at a later date without disconnecting the switch. The extra wire can be easily folded or looped inside the plastic center console.

The remaining shift sensor in the stock transfer case (the driver's side rear) only detects when the transfer case is in neutral (between 4-HI and 4-LOW), and it's only purpose is to activate a dash light that says "N". These wires will abandoned in a Lefty installation, and you will be left with only the transfer case shift lever postion to tell you wether you are in 4-HI, neutral, or 4-LOW.

Plugging the stock vent line:

The stock transfer case is vented through a small hose at the base of the shifter ball housing that ties into a three-way pipe fitting above the rear of the transmission. Lefty is vented through the shifter ball joint, and also through the shifter rods cavity into the space between Lefty and the transmission tail housing. You don't want to leave one open end in the three-way fitting; I just plugged mine with silicone sealer. Don't get so happy with the silicone that you plug either of the other two lines that attach to that three-way fitting.

 

INCHWORM "LEFTY" T-CASE: Inst. w/ pics

Part IV, Installation of Lefty

At this point, a dry trial-fit installation of Lefty is a good idea, to check for clearance issues and to see how it is going to mate up. Install the splined coupling sleeve provided by Inchworm through the new oil seal and on to the transmission output shaft. There is a small oil hole on one side of the coupler; that end (with the hole) goes on the transmission side, to oil the bearing just behind the seal. The coupling sleeve is divided in the middle by a metal disc that has been epoxied in from both sides. Make sure that the splines inside the coupler are free of stray epoxy, I had to chip some out of mine. Test the coupler by slipping each end over the input shaft of Lefty (the spline size and pitch is the same on both sides).

Put Lefty on the transmission jack and raise it to the level of the transmission tail housing. This where the transmission jack really shines, because it has manual adjustment knobs in two different planes besides rotating and going up and down. Stab Lefty's input shaft into the coupling sleeve first, then move Lefty forward and rotate it as necessary with the jack adjustments to locate the two indexing pins in the transmission tail housing with their respective holes in the front of Lefty's adapter plate. I went ahead and threaded all eight bolts at this time and snugged them up, to see how easy or hard it would be and for practice. All eight bolts are provided new by inchworm. The two socket-head (Allen) bolts go in the top two holes, in sockets in the adapter plate. The two shorter hex-head bolts (mine were taped together) go in the bottom two holes, through the tail housing and threaded into Lefty. The remaining four hex-head bolts are all the same length and can go in any of the four remaining holes. Note that some bolts go in through the rear of Lefty into threads in the transmission tail housing, and some go through the transmission tail housing into threads in Lefty. Note also that you will need to remove the shift sensor from Lefty to get the top-most passenger-side allen-head bolt in.

At this point, it should look something like this:

Remove the transmission jack for working room, but with a floor jack (or other suitable substitute - bottle jack, stock tire jack, etc.) raise the transmission back to the stock height (as it would be with the frame cross-member in place) and look and feel for clearance between the top of Lefty and the transmission tunnel of the FJ Cruiser, i.e., make sure that you previously beat the tunnel sufficiently with the hammer to give ½” to ¾” of clearance.

If all looks good, you are ready for the final installation. Take Lefty back off, but leave it on the transmission jack. I recommend running a good bead of high-temp silicone sealant between the transmission tail housing and Lefty. There shouldn't actually be any fluid in that cavity and the stock t-case is not sealed there, but if nothing else you do not want water in a deep crossing to possibly get in your transmission through the rear oil seal. As before, make sure the coupling sleeve is on the tranny output shaft and in the oil seal, with the little hole on the tranny side. If you didn't already, put some assembly lube or grease inside the lip of the seal before you put the coupling sleeve on. Stab Lefty's input shaft into the coupler, move it forward until it catches on the two indexing pins as before, and install all eight mounting bolts. IMPORTANT: Clean the very bottom two holes in the Lefty adapter plate with brake cleaner, blow dry with compressed air, and fill these holes with silicone sealer before installing the two bolts. These two holes may communicate with the inside (oiled) cavity in Lefty; sealing them is insurance against possible leaks. I used a little Blue Loctite on the two top allen-head bolts since there is not room under the heads for lock washers. Be careful not to over-torque the bolts, particularly the bottom two! Both the tail housing and the Lefty adapter plate are made of aluminum and it is not hard to strip the threads in them, particularly in the bottom two holes as previously noted. I can't give you a torque value; I didn't use a torque wrench, but good and snug will do.

Remove the transmission jack from under Lefty. At this point, the transmission and transfer case will be hanging down an inch or two without the support of the frame cross member and mount. This will give you enough room to install the shift sensor and connect the sensor wires. The shift sensor takes a 19mm wrench (3/4" wrench is close enough if you don't have a 19mm). Put a little teflon or silicone sealer on the threads of the sensor, being careful not to get any inside beyond the threads. Don't forget the flat washer under the hex head of the sensor. The wrench is a tight fit under the truck. The easiest way to do it is to run a box-end wrench over the electrical connector and wires to the top of the hex on the sensor, and make short turns at time when tightening. Again, do not over tighten! Snug is plenty good enough for the sensor. Run the sensor wires over the top of Lefty. I used some 3/8" plastic conduit to protect the wires and keep them off of the hot transmission.

Re-connect both propeller (drive) shafts. Torque all eight nuts (four each front and rear) to 65 ft.lbs. Reinstall the grease zerks and re-grease the slip yokes if you pushed the old grease out to disconnect the drive shafts. Grease all four u-joints, unless you recently did them.

Reinstall the U-shaped bracket that holds the round plastic mount to the transmission, tightening to 48 ft.lbs. Place the frame cross-member on a floor jack, position it under the round plastic transmission mount, and jack up the cross member with the transmission until the cross member can be bolted back to the frame. Torque to 53 ft.lbs. Reinstall the four bolts that hold the frame cross member to the transmission mount bracket, tightening to 14 ft.lbs. Reinstall the heat shield and the semi-circular stand-off for the exhaust. Reinstall the two diagonal brackets, tightening to 24 ft.lbs.

Check the clearance between this cable (emergency brake?) to the front output flange / u-joint:

Mine was very close, so to avoid the possibility of rubbing I intalled a galvanized electrical conduit "C"-clamp to an existing threaded post as shown as a hold-off for the cable.

Fill Lefty with good-quality gear lube. I use Amsoil Severe Gear 75w-90 full synthetic. Fill it through the fill hole on the forward (front) side, near the front output flange, until gear oil seeps out of the bottom of the fill hole. Filling is only possible with a hand pump and flexible plastic hose. Fill and drain plugs both take a 10mm hex bit or allen wrench, just like the front differential. Do not over tighten the fill or drain plugs; both the plugs and the case are aluminum and relatively soft.

You are finished under the truck! Let it down off of the jack stands, if used.

From inside the cab, install the extended shift lever and ball joint into the top of Lefty. It is a real pain in the ass to hold it in, depress the upper spring and cup, and then fit the spring clip in the groove that holds it all in. A helper makes it much much easier although space is tight for more than one set of hands; have one person hold the spring and spring cup down from the top with two flat-bladed screwdrivers (or similar) while the second person installs the spring clip with a pair of needle-nose pliers. Why Toyota did not use a conventional circlip with holes in the end is a mystery.

Intsall the rubber boot over the top of the shift lever, using brake cleaner or hair spray, etc. as a temporary lube. Push the boot all the way down and engage the bottom ridge over the lips on the shfter ball joint. Re-install the t-case shifter boot, being careful to index the ADD switch wires through the notch you cut in the base of the metal shifter boot foot for that purpose. I installed plastic auto conduit/loom over the ADD switch wires, from just under the shifter boot all the way down to the wiring harness connector. Reinstall the auto transmission shifter assembly, remembering to re-connect the electrical connectors. Installation is the reverse of removal in all cases. Reinstall the center console, stowing the excess length of wires for the ADD switch appropriately. Be sure to hook up the wires to the ADD switch if you have not already done so previously.

Reinstall the transfer case and transmission shift knobs. IMPORTANT: Try the t-case shift lever through its full range of movement; with the tranny in neutral, shift the transfer case several times from 2-HI to 4-HI to 4-LOW and back, making sure that the edges of the console box allow postive engagement at both ends. If you previously disconnected the battery, you will have to re-connect it athis time to be able to shift the automatic transmission. The extended shift lever has a greater range of movement because it is 1-1/2" longer than stock, and it is a tight fit to get the full range in needed for shifting without the shift lever contacting the edges of the opening for it in the plastic console. You do NOT want the shift lever or knob to rub on the edges of the console hole at any time, if it does there is the possibility that the transfer case could pop out of gear at an inopportune time on the trail! If you were careful in welding in the extension piece straight, little to no adjustment should be necessary. If the shift lever does contact the console at any position, carefully bend the shift lever a little at a time until the contact is just removed and the opposite shifted position still does not contact. The extended shift lever is long enough to apply leverage to bend it in place, and the insert is mild steel and will bend without damage. Easy does it, and a little at a time, checking between each small bend. When it is correct, it will be very close to the console both front and back when shifted, but not in direct contact at either end.

Your installation is complete! Test drive the truck; engage the ADD switch (if installed) and test all modes of transfer case operation, i.e., 2-HI, 4-HI, and 4-LOW. Make sure once again that the transfer case shift lever does not rub on the console in any range high or low. Revel in the amazement of how slow you can crawl at idle in 4-LOW and first gear. After the transmission is fully warm, check for ATF leaks through the transmission tail housing oil seal and gear oil leaks from Lefty.

While you are resting from your installation, consider how you will re-route your exhaust and replace the frame cross member to gain another 3-4" of clearance under your truck.