how to replace lockout hubs??

[griesel72]

i just bought a 69 1/2 ton 4X4 that has the orginal lockouts that are a little tough to operate. how hard is it to replace these, and can a guy that has never done this before be able to without any major problems.

thanks
David

[Mudder]

Pretty easy swap. Would be nice to have a book that shows ya a diagram of the parts.

[1969 GMC]

David, are they made of cast aluminum with the letters "Hub-Lok" on them?
those are the same kind that came on my '69. they didn't work good when I bought it, but I took them off (need snap ring pliers), cleaned them out with mineral spirits, and put some nice new grease back in, and they work like champs. The old grease was really thick and causing them to bind.

[griesel72]

Thanks guys

Adam, they are different than you describe, they are the plain hub with the red plastic hubs. One is really tight (have to use pliers to turn it) and the other doesn't seem to turn correctly. do you know if a guy can get an original looking hub? Or will i have to go with the new looking hubs.

thanks for the help
David

[cleatussnow]

I bought Warn Premium on E-bay for 75 dollars and I love them... they are kinda stiff but look really nice. As for swapping them out I had one broken original and getting the little pieces of spring out were the worst. There is a keyway that you have to line up but it is not that tough... I did both sides in about an hour.

Cleatus

[72k5]

Most of what goes wrong with hubs is the result of thickened grease and various crud. 95% of the time a good cleaning and coating of motor oil will cure what ails them. I would think that parts for the stock hubs would be pretty available. There were a gazillion of them produced. The 4x4 shop I worked at had a big box full of just stock hub parts. A shop that does a lot of 4x4 work may be a good source of parts should you need something.

The stock hubs are easy to work on, but an exploded view would probably be helpful if you've never seen one before. Any manual should have a breakdown. If you don't want to buy one, the local library almost certainly has something that will give you what you need.

BTW, if the hubs have been unserviced long enough to gum up, the wheel and spindle bearings are probably due for a repack as well. It would make sense to do it all at the same time. For that you'll need a special socket and a torque wrench. It is also easy, but you should have a book to guide you if you've never done it.

[1976Scottsdale]

I have my 79' silverado K10 back together. It has a 350 engine, th350, np205(I think), and 340 posi rear and supposedly a 340 posi front. Anyway, it is a full time 4wd. The T-Case shiftknob says Lo Loc, Lo, N, Hi, and Hi loc. What do all of these mean? Also, how hard is it to add manual locking hubs to my front end which just has plain covers on the hubs? I have to use the truck to go everywhere and I do not want to have power to all four wheels all of the time. I know that the driveshafts will spin all the time, but I want to be able to unlock the front end at the wheels.

[JIMs70GMC]

76 scottsdale, you have a full time transfer case(NP203) the lo-loc and hi loc actually lock the transfercase so it sends power equally to the front and rear. In lo and hi it's still 4wd but power is allowed to differentiate between the front and rear wheels. With the tc in lo or hi and the front wheels "unlocked" all the engine power would go to the front driveshaft i.e. you will not move. Milemarker sells a kit to enable your tc to function like a part time transfer case. It should come with hubs for the front. OR you could swap in a NP205 transfer case but you might have to lengthen/shorten your drive shafts. You have to find the TC and an adapter to mate it to your Turbo 350 or fine a turbo350/NP205 combo.