locking hubs not locking

[DJ 4x4]

My 1991 dodge power ram 50 has a problem with the front left locking hub. I started driving it home from work one day and it just started making the most horrible grinding noise pulled over and put it in 4wd and it stopped then i put it back in 2wd and it did it again. Now the hub doesn't lock or unlock right. It has the auto locking hubs on it. I was wondering if anyone could tell me how these things work i had the problem once before and had a shop look at it they repacked something and it solved it for a while then started again. As of right now i have no 4wd cuz it won't lock at all. I pulled it all apart and couldn't really find anything wrong. I would really like to replace it with some manual locking hubs but cant find any. I went to autozone to get some and they handed me a pair but they weren't even close to fitting. So any ideas on where to get a set of manual locking hubs or some insight on how the auto locking hubs work would be great.

[LethalEthan]

Alot of people swap from the auto's to the manual hubs. I believe superwinch makes them?

[TotallyBalistic]

ethan is correct superwinch makes manual locking hubs and the 100-120 bucks is worth it. ill look around and see if i can find them for ya

[DJ 4x4]

That would be awesome. I sure would like to get the 4wd back up and running before snow comes.

Well i did some looking for superwinch and came across this site.
http://shop.oreillyauto.com/productdeta ... 35&PTSet=A

The thing is these are the hubs that i had at one time from autozone. If you look at the link and see the picture i had that bottum picture just that part. I couldn't figure out for the life of me how just that would replace the hub (maybe i'm just dumb but im usually good at this stuff). I think i was missing something to actually convert it over. Like in the top picture it has a black bracket and i think i needed something like that also. Any ideas?

[TotallyBalistic]

DJ those should be direct bolt on with no converting or anything. they are identicle to the ones i had on my 87 ram 50 4x4

[DJ 4x4]

K, ill try and pick up a set of them and give them a go.
One more thing is i've noticed the only real lifts we can do on these trucks beyond going sas is a 3 in. body lift and cranking the t-bars. I did this on my blazer so i know what to do there my question is what about the back i did shackles on my blazer. Where can i find some shackles for this truck and any recomendations and how big of a shackle? I imagine i can get 1.5 maybe 2inch out of t-bars.

[TotallyBalistic]

its been a couple years so i might be forgettin something but on those autolockers you spin the very outside off. when you get the cap off theirs a clip toward the end of the axle shaft youll have to take off, then take the 6 bolts off that go around the locker and the assembly should slide off, when you put the manual hubs in do not grease them and be sure to put the clip back on the end of the axle shaft or it will try to suck that piece out. keep up with the questions we arent afraid to answer around here.

[DJ 4x4]

k that sounds good i think the clip on the end the snap ring is currently my problem. But still getting them over to manual will be alot nicer.
Any answers for the shackle question in the earlier post?

[TotallyBalistic]

yeah sorry i missed that, im sure you can just measure the width of the shackle and pick some up somewhere or have them made if you cant do it yourself, we make out shackles out of flat steel and pipe, got bushings in them and all, once you crank the torsion bars and cut the bump stops the truck will sit pretty level, if your not looking to stuff 35's then the t-bars cranked will saticfy. my 87 had the t-bars cranked and 3" body lift with 31x12.50 15s and i never rubbed or anythin.

[DJ 4x4]

Do you think i would have trouble sticking some 33x12.5's?