I'm a pretty experienced mechanic, and I just installed a d1 shifter in my 01, and it was a pretty big pain in the ***. Bending the rod to fit just right took a good hour by itself.

It'll be worth the extra cost if an aftermarket shifter is truly plug and play and requires no modifications. If I could go back in time and buy aftermarket I very likely would.

 

Here are the options in the way I see them.

The Ashcroft unit is the best NEW part you can buy. The install is easy and it works wonderfully. If you have the money to spend it's a no-brainer.

Next would be a used 04 shifter set up. It is the same thing as the Ashcroft but generally found for a few hundred bucks. In my opinion this is the best deal if you can find it.

After that I would go for retrofitting the D1 shifter into the D2. If you can get the linkage from down south it's not bad but if you use a rusty one be prepared for a battle during the install. The price for this is generally $100 but the linkage is known to come out of gear under heavy loads or bumps. In my opinion it is due to the bend rods not being aligned correctly.

And if you don't want to spend any money at all just climb under your truck with a wrench and engage it before you go wheeling. This is really not a bad option and I've known people that have welded the wrench right to the Tcase. The downside is you have to go under a dirty truck to disengage.

I don't know about this Polish copycat part please send the link if you have it.

 

^exactly what I said. It comes down to what your time and happiness is worth.

There are several analogies I could use for this situation, but it really comes down to the fact that there is a superior, and inferior setup. If price is a deal breaker then every time you go off road climb under it to lock/unlock throw a few dollars in a box. When that box is full buy a proper kit.

 

For those of you that want to make the D1 linkage an easier project, whey buying the linkage also buy the Ho/Lo D1 shift plate and it then becomes a direct plug and play with no bending.

 

If that is the case, I stand corrected.

 

From what I've seen online both the Ashcroft and new Rover kits are both pricey. About 600 Bucks without taxes and shipping for each? right?

There is a D1 at a local scrap yard... not sure what kind of shape, but this would be the cheap solution. I do admire Sozo-'s home made made version, but I'd like to also say, "Hey jeep dude, Look at what my stock Land Rover can do". (I would not actually say that)

The D1 linkage just looks stupid, but Is anyone having problems with it?

Also... I'm going to Edit my post so it's more factual.

 

I have the D1 shifter with the stock bent arm and cap in the 99. Has always worked great. It's a bit more noisy than the cable . but I never had any issues with it 100 bucks. I don't believe one is that much better than the other. The D1 works good if your on a budget

 

That's the only way I've been selling DI linkages to DII owners these days. For an additional $30 for the cover it takes a lot of headache out of the install.

 

I am picking up the shifter *** from a D1. what part are you referring to by shift plate?

 

The Hi/Lo shift plate is the plate that has the verticle arm that the Hi/Lo shift arm hooks to. It has the proper angle on the shift arm so it bolts right up.