Are locking hubs factory or personal add on?

[AuroraGirl]

They even made auto hubs for the Dana 60 after 81. Here is a NOS set I have (one has a Ford cover, but other than that, they are the same)

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And from the 1981 pickup brochure

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You beat me to it on the 1981 ad!

 

[AuroraGirl]

Here’s what the factory Spicer manual hubs look like. Not sure if there’s any difference in the ’81 & newer models

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thats only one kind of spicer hub , the other one is much bulkier looking. Thats also a ford dial. Fords had red. Chevy had yellow. Dodge had blue.

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heres a faded one

 

[AuroraGirl]

Thanks for the info. Ill check tomorrow to see what T/C I have. I thought it would be a 208.

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The red tag will tell you, in addition if its aluminum like this its a NP208

The tag should read 208 C

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[nvrenuf]

thats only one kind of spicer hub , the other one is much bulkier looking. Thats also a ford dial. Fords had red. Chevy had yellow. Dodge had blue.

The blue dials are from 72 and older Chevys. I don’t believe Dodge ever used Spicers in their 72+ trucks.

The bigger bulky hubs were on 3/4 ton Chevy and Fords, again no Dodges.

 

[AuroraGirl]

The blue dials are from 72 and older Chevys. I don’t believe Dodge ever used Spicers in their 72+ trucks.

The bigger bulky hubs were on 3/4 ton Chevy and Fords, again no Dodges.

dodges did use them, i have a 3/4 ton and the locker is the same. youre thinking of older squares 73-77 or so. Blue was on older chevys? aww I wish they kept the blue.

 

[AuroraGirl]

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heres the older design but same size i think

 

[CalSgt]

thats only one kind of spicer hub , the other one is much bulkier looking. Thats also a ford dial. Fords had red. Chevy had yellow. Dodge had blue.

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heres a faded one

No Ferd parts here! I just painted them red because the faded yellow didn’t look good.

The color is a Toyota duplicolor though

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[bucket]

It should be a 208 tcase. The 241 was 89-91(iirc) and the 205 was only in 1 tons for 81+.

As far as manual vs auto locking hubs, for 81+ (all series) the manuals were base and auto locking hubs were an option.

Conversely, my understanding is that for most (if not all) 73-79 full time (which used solid drive slugs) was standard equipment with manual hubs being an option. I believe the sales pitch was convenience because you didn’t have to get out to lock the hubs.

Trivia, you could get a 1 ton with auto locking hubs and a synchronized 205 from 82-84.

I used to have a set of NOS auto hubs for a GM D60, wish I wouldn't have sold them. I never would have used them, but I miss them as a conversation piece, lol.

 

[midwest]

When I bought my K20 used it had come from the factory with auto locking hubs, however the owner had switched them out for manual hubs. A good friend of mine who is a mechanic said "lets see if they did this right". I am not a mechanic and don't remember what he said (its been 20 years ago) but he said there is something that needs to be done when going from auto lockers to manual hubs and some people don't do it right. I am sure someone on here knows what he was talking about and looking for when he jacked the truck up and checked things out.

 

[RanchWelder]

My Mile Marker's were a lot less money than the WARN.
Extremely satisfied, dispite the lower cost.
The internals are very good quality.
I bought 100 3" silicone O-Rings from an eBait volume wearhouse seller.
When you add the locks, no matter which brand, add the O-rings and torque the hex bolts gently.
Don't over pack the grease.
Don't add any extra grease to the outside cover area, or you'll be air-locking the system as you put the cover on.

I lubed up the o-rings well and have never had water in the spring area, which is what causes either brand to fail.

M/M are half the price and from my experience, very well made.

If you need a set of o-rings I'll mail you a pair for your rebuild.

 

[AuroraGirl]

My Mile Marker's were a lot less money than the WARN.
Extremely satisfied, dispite the lower cost.
The internals are very good quality.
I bought 100 3" silicone O-Rings from an eBait volume wearhouse seller.
When you add the locks, no matter which brand, add the O-rings and torque the hex bolts gently.
Don't over pack the grease.
Don't add any extra grease to the outside cover area, or you'll be air-locking the system as you put the cover on.

I lubed up the o-rings well and have never had water in the spring area, which is what causes either brand to fail.

M/M are half the price and from my experience, very well made.

If you need a set of o-rings I'll mail you a pair for your rebuild.

the o ring wasnt included with the mile marker?

 

[RanchWelder]

No.
It comes without a gasket or the o-ring.
At first I tried to stuff the housing with grease, figuring it would stop water from entering through the lock housing cap.

Then I cleaned it out and used a minimum of grease to prevent rust on the springs and internals.

Was going to cut the orange silicone o-ring material and glue with super glue, but the 3" I had in inventory fit perfect.
Used a dab of blue thread lock on the hex bolts.
M/M did provide the hex key.

Snug them but don't over crush the o-ring.
the diamter is either 2.5mm or 3/16" silicone.
Once it installed, it sits in the groove so clean, it looks like it was made for it.

We don't have salted roads here, so I'm not certain how well the chrome holds up where salt is an issue.
Installed them 2019. No issues whatsoever. The locks are very tight and rotate smooth.

I tend to leave them locked all winter, putting 25mph around town.
The ice roads are way too slick for the Blazer without 4wd for traction.
Our County hits the main roads with sand but city driving is very slick on the hills.

Just jump it into 4 high when I need to.
On the highway, you want to unlock or the turning radius issues still occures, in or out of fourth.

Don't forget, you still have to back up out of 4wd sometimes to get it out of low or high properly, before you hit the highway with a trailer on the back end. You'll ruin the gear box if you drive with the transfer case and axles accidentally stuck in low, trying to drive at highway speeds.

Your front end can huck and buck turning corners as well, even if you are unlocked and out of 4wd.
Put it into reverse for a few feet and it will release.

Still have the old auto locks, if anyone needs a set for a restoration.
They get a good buck for them online too, so don't throw away the old units before you see what they sell for.

 

[Old Guy Bill]

I opted for the Warn.

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[Nasty-LSX]

I opted for the Warn.

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Damn, show some pics of the build!!

 

[Old Guy Bill]

Damn, show some pics of the build!!

https://www.gmsquarebody.com/threads/new-project.41246/page-3#post-903872