4 Wheel & Off Road – October 2019

4WHEELOFFROAD.COM 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROADOCTOBER 2019 35

BORG WARNER

Overview: There are many iterations

and differences in Borg Warner–produced

transfer cases named BW 13xx or BW 44xx.

Most are found in Fords and fullsize Jeeps

(Quadratrac, although the BW 1305 lacks

a low range). Some have automatic shift,

while others use a good old lever. These

cases also run the gamut when it comes to

part-time, full-time, and other differential

drive types. Most common and useful to us

would be the Ford BW 1345 and BW 1356,

and Jeep BW 1339.

Found In: BW 1339 in 1973-1979 full-

size Jeeps and 1976-1979 Jeep CJ-7; BW

1345 in 1980-1989 F-series and Bronco;

piece housing, manual shift, rear slip-yoke

housing. Best identified by the round tag

on the rear of the case.

Low Range Ratio: 2.72:1

Modifications: Slip yoke - eliminator, shif ters

NP242

NV261 & NV271

Overview: The largest of the NV cases

found in modern^3 ⁄ 4 - and 1-ton 4x4s, these

are basically just upsized versions of the

NV241 with some modifications. They

are strong (accepting up to 7,800 lb-ft of

input torque) and are probably in many of

your trail and tow rigs.

Found In: 1999-2010^3 ⁄ 4 - and 1-ton Ford

trucks, and SUVs; 2001 and up GM 3/4-

and 1-ton trucks, and SUVs; 2003-20012

Dodge/Ram 2500-5500 trucks.

Identification: Aluminum three- and

four-piece housing, manual shift, rear

slip-yoke housing, slip-yoke front housing.

Best identified by the round tag on the

rear of the case.

Low-Range Ratio: 2.72:1

Modifications: “Case Savers” that pre-

vent pump rub, which can cause a hole in

the case. Slip-yoke eliminators for the front

output on the NV261 and the NV263, which

is the electronic shift version of the NV261.

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NV261 & NV271