NWF BlackBox-i UnderDrive

I'm looking to get some lower gearing. I was original going to do the box for Rocks kit with a D300, but then i saw that I have to cut up the floor and stuff, and with my XJ being my DD I dont really want to do that. plus the guy who makes them on pirate is supposed to be very hard to get in touch with and it seems when ever I do business with someone like that I get F-ed.

I had already bought a D300 so I next looked into a 4:1 kit for it. I looked at the Lomax, and terra Low kit and both looked very good. but problem is that with all the clocking rings shifters and gears it would cost me about 1200-1300 bucks and I would only have 4:1.
and I would have to get new drive shafts because the 300 is so short.

next I saw the blackbox-i. its 1600 bucks which is a hell of a lot of money! but it actually replaces the the input shaft on the D300 and mates right up to it, adding about 4". and it has infinite clocking ability so I dont need a ring to flip my 300. also with the extended length I think I might be able to get away with my existing drive shafts. plus I get a much lower low and some mild lows.

so Im thinking that is the way to go.

Does this logic make sense?

and does anyone here have any experience with NWF?

almost all the info on my rig can be found in my sig.

thanks guys

keep in mind you'll want shifters for both the NWF box, and the D300... thats about $300, and a flip kit for the D300 $20-200+ (home made-custom prices)

I like the blackbox idea, looked at it myself... but damn it's pricey.

Yea the shifters are about 300. And the flipkit money is negligable. I just need to move the breather tube and a few other little things.

I think this will be slightly more expensive, but ill also be getting more.

There is a third and fourth opyion. A guy on pirat makes a kit. Calls it a mad rouster or something like that.basicly use a lowrange of a 231 and and its a adapter plate and intermeatiate shaft. Then there is the atlas tcase. Bout the same price as the black box and stronger then a 300

chedisme said:

I had already bought a D300 so I next looked into a 4:1 kit for it. I looked at the Lomax, and terra Low kit and both looked very good. but problem is that with all the clocking rings shifters and gears it would cost me about 1200-1300 bucks and I would only have 4:1. and I would have to get new drive shafts because the 300 is so short.

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Lomax gears are $600+ clocking ring $150 and you're gonna have to buy shifters no matter what. This is probably the cheapest option if you don't want to modify your floor.

Just curious what the specs are on your rig? What makes you think 4:1 won't be enough gearing?

BenDiesel said:

There is a third and fourth opyion. A guy on pirat makes a kit. Calls it a mad rouster or something like that.basicly use a lowrange of a 231 and and its a adapter plate and intermeatiate shaft. Then there is the atlas tcase. Bout the same price as the black box and stronger then a 300

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First paragraph says he doesn't want to do a 231/300 doubler, so that eliminates the Mad Rooster kit (which I'm not sure is even still being produced.)

Ops didn't see that part. Well a 231/300 woild mean you don't need new shafts. The 2 togeather is like a inch shorter then just a 231 with sye. I would also say keep a eye on the forsale section on pirat people sell atlas for good prices

9T3XJ said:

Lomax gears are $600+ clocking ring $150 and you're gonna have to buy shifters no matter what. This is probably the cheapest option if you don't want to modify your floor.

Just curious what the specs are on your rig? What makes you think 4:1 won't be enough gearing?

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there price must have come down in the 3 or so months since I checked. they were like 770$ plus 220 for a rebuild kit since I have it open anyways plus 150 for the ring plus 300 for the shift kit. that's 1300ish not counting the shafts.

I might be mixing up Novaks gears with JB's gears but I have the other total here and its 1020$ and thats with a cheaper shift kit that I dont think will work anymore.

and 4:1 would most likely be enough. But id like to retain the 2.6ish to one normal low also. I have a 5 speed and would really like to be able to let the clutch out in low low and climb a near vertical wall in first with little or no throttle.

I find my biggest problem/obstacle in wheeling right now is that I kind have to bump everything to get over it. unless i want to ride the clutch a lot.

and as I stated before my rigs specs except for my gear ratio(4.56) is in my sig.

also I forgot to say Im on 33s right now but plan on going to 35s when these wear out.

Kind of OT, you don't find 4.56 deep enough?
I've been wheeling with 34's and 3.73's for a while and it brings the suck. Going to 4.56 shortly. Thankfully mine's an MJ, so I can make the driveline as long as I'd like.

I paid for my cable shifters from nwf about a month ago and have yet to receive them, but from everything i have read all of their products are quality. From what i remember you do not need the spacer/ ring if you are mating a 300 to an ax15.

Everything i have seen says go with lomax over the other companies for the 4 to 1

87manche said:

Kind of OT, you don't find 4.56 deep enough?
I've been wheeling with 34's and 3.73's for a while and it brings the suck. Going to 4.56 shortly. Thankfully mine's an MJ, so I can make the driveline as long as I'd like.

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yea 4.56 is alot better then the 3.55s i was running previously, but still not nearly enough. In order keep from stalling I need to rev the engine up and slip the clutch, and as to the top of the obstacle i am going faster then I want to. that keeps my driving from being fluid. I know its not "necessary" but I do feel it would help in the more technical stuff.

raze1287 said:

I paid for my cable shifters from nwf about a month ago and have yet to receive them, but from everything i have read all of their products are quality. From what i remember you do not need the spacer/ ring if you are mating a 300 to an ax15.

Everything i have seen says go with lomax over the other companies for the 4 to 1

Click to expand...

by spacer ring do you mean clocking ring? Idk weather or not I need it to run it pas side drop, as I didnt do any research on that. but i know I deed it to run driver side drop.

and I was favoring the Lomax gears

you really do not need either from everything i have read. if you have the ax15 you can flip it with out it clocking ring. it is nice to have but i had to smash my floor with a bfh to get it flat with the ring. i think you need to make 1 of the holes on the output housing shaft a little oblonged to make it bolt up.

either way my flip ring from novak was 130 delivered. remember to double up the seals on the shift shaft mine would leak until i did that

Idk Ill have to some more research on the ax15 and 300 combo. but that would still leave me with a much shorter drive train and require me to get new drive shafts.

and that kills me as my rear shaft is a woods and not much more then a year old.

and thanks for the reminder but yea I knew about doubling up the seals.

As bad as it sounds those woods shafts are a sunk cost, you can never let a suck cost affect an impending decision, it will impede your ability to develop a good solution to your problem. Run the best set up possible, even if it changes drivetrain lengths.

chedisme said:

and as I stated before my rigs specs except for my gear ratio(4.56) is in my sig.

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I missed that the first time...

Adding a doubler is going to really stress the Dana 30, I know a couple people that couldn't make stock shafts live after going to 4:1.

Have you thought about installing a 4:1 kit in you're existing case? I'd save you buying new shifters and driveshafts.

ausi02 said:

As bad as it sounds those woods shafts are a sunk cost, you can never let a suck cost affect an impending decision, it will impede your ability to develop a good solution to your problem. Run the best set up possible, even if it changes drivetrain lengths.

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I understand what you mean, and I really believe the BlackBox/D300 is the best setup.

9T3XJ said:

I missed that the first time...

Adding a doubler is going to really stress the Dana 30, I know a couple people that couldn't make stock shafts live after going to 4:1.

Have you thought about installing a 4:1 kit in you're existing case? I'd save you buying new shifters and driveshafts.

Click to expand...

It crossed my mind but I kind of dismissed it for 3 reasons.
the first is that I already bought the D300
and two I heard bad thing about the 231, I got the impression that building up a 231 was kind of like building a super D35.
and 3 is that this is my DD so I would really have to buy another 231 and build that so to avoid the down time.

Idk you guys are doing a pretty good job of talking me out of this. maybe Im just not ready yet.

I dont really want to blow up my D30. Iv got a pass side drop front 44. which would be great as I wouldn't have to flip the 300. but its full width and set up for leaf springs and my fab skills are not up to a task as big as that.

ill look into the 231 again. thanks guys

Personally I'd do a 300 and a 231 doubler box, wasn't that your original plan?

Makes your rear shaft a little shorter (have it shortened) and your front shaft a little longer iirc.

kastein said:

Personally I'd do a 300 and a 231 doubler box, wasn't that your original plan?

Makes your rear shaft a little shorter (have it shortened) and your front shaft a little longer iirc.

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it was my original plan. but I dont really want to modify the floor to make it fit.

chedisme said:

it was my original plan. but I dont really want to modify the floor to make it fit.

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you don't want to mod the floor, but are you taking into account the fac work required to hang the blackbox & D300?
a custom cross member which attaches to atleast the D300 will be required, which means getting rid of whatever you have, or modding it to work with what your putting in.

if you don't have the ability to make/modify your rig to make these options work, the one option left is to 4:1 the 231.