Transfer Case Lever Thread Size?

[ronward]

Want to improve the TC (Hi Lo Difflock) lever by increasing it's length and throw. I bought an aftermarket knob but it looks stupid and is too loose fitting for the 90. What is the thread size of the existing stock TC lever? It looks like 10mm or 3/8th but a course thread 3/8 coupler doesn't thread on (but will thread onto a piece of 3/8ths course threaded bar). It's not fine thread either. What gives? Anyone have a solution?

The stock lever and knob are too short making shifting in and out of HI LO and Difflock difficult and ends up yanking the leather boot and plastic ring loose.

[Doug]

I've read that forcing the lever will cause the linkage to bend, then you are SOL.

Recommend that you find the reason the shifting is difficult (lube the linkage?) and fix that, instead of increasing the mechanical advantage as described above.

DW

[ronward]

The linkage moves easily, that's not the problem. The problem is the 1997 TC lever is surrounded by the big black plastic center console. The lever is capped with the rubber knob and is surrounded further by the plastic gaiter ring and leather boot. All that to say if the shifter was 2 inches higher, there would be ample room to get my hand on the shifter and pull it back or forward without pinching the leather boot against the shifter and the console. That make sense?

[Mike Hippert]

Pull the knob off and take it into the hardware store, then you can buy a threaded rod and a coupler to make the hole thing longer. To make it look nice get some black shrink tube to put over it.

[ronward]

That is exactly what I did. I took the rubber knob to the hardware store and both 10mm bolt and 3/8 threaded rod fit. The 3/8 seemed to fit exactly like the way the lever threads fit. I bought a 3/8 threaded coupler to connect the threaded rod to the lever. The 3/8 threaded coupler fits on the 3/8 rod, but does not thread onto the lever itself. I think the threads inside the knob are plastic and will fit either thread type (but will cross thread and strip out soon enough).

All I could find was standard coupler and threaded rod, no metic. Which leads to my question: anyone know the thread size (10mm, 3/8ths, anything else?) of the lever itself?