Posted by George (in Houston) on Thursday, December 23, 2004 at 2:27PM :
In Reply to: 251 vs 230 power? posted by mclark on Thursday, December 23, 2004 at 11:09AM :
Mike,
I put a 251 with synchro NP420 trans in my WDX. Off road, the 230 always had plenty of power. On the road, the extra power of the 251 made the truck a lot more fun to drive. If you have a later year 230, you may already have more power than the early (46)230 that I had. The NP420 with synchronzed gears is great both on and off the road. Using low range when off road, you can stay in the upper gears so you can take advantage of the synchro's. The NP420 was a major factor in my decision to go with the 251. The conversion isn't all that hard. You can use the stock sheet metal if you just move the radiator forward about 2.5 inches either by rebuilding your existing radiator, or having a custom one made like I did. I also used the later winch extensions. If you go that route, let me know and I'll provide all the details...