3/4 ton 1980 chev manual hub swap

[uchi]

hey guys, new to the board, im on my third 4x4 now and i think this one might now break, lol. its a 1980 3/4 ton chev truck. d44 front and the np203 t case, now what i wanna do is put a set of manual locking hubs into the front so that its not always in 4wd. anyone have any information of doing this or a link that shows me how its done? thanks

[rcurrier44]

First off welcome.

Second off search! It has all been covered many times before. But since I'm feeling a bit nice I'll tell you that you also need to convert your 203 to a part time case.....search under "part time kit" or something simmiler and you should find lots of info. Mile Marker makes one of the most popular kits.

[Grandpa Jeep]

You sure you have a 1980 with a 203? I had heard that all 1980 chevys had NP 205s. Could have been swapped too I suppose.

If that's the case, what rcurrier44 said is correct, you need a part time kit for the transfer case in additoin to the hubs. If you really feel like spending money, you could get a 205 and a doubler kit. Don't know if that would suit your needs though. Good luck!

[uchi]

thanks guys, i had skimmed through the section a bit but hadnt come across any info. the truck is like 3 different years really, lol, 79 frame with 80 body and a newer bed but registered as an 80.

i was told by a buddy of mine that the 203 gears mated to the 205 t case would give me a real nice 4 low ratio, like 4:1, which is what i think i might end up doing anyways, but in the meantime i was hoping that thered be a way to just replace some hardware up front and put in a set of manual locking hubs, so that even if the driveshaft was still spinning in the front, the wheels arent getting any power.

anyways, thanks for the welcome and ill do my best to contribute from what i know, ive had an 83 ranger with a 5 inch skyjacker lift that sat on 38's and an 88 bronco 2 that had 31's and a snorkel so now its time for somethig fullsize with fullsize axles and a v8 :D

[Grandpa Jeep]

thanks guys, i had skimmed through the section a bit but hadnt come across any info. the truck is like 3 different years really, lol, 79 frame with 80 body and a newer bed but registered as an 80.

Ok, that makes sense now.

i was told by a buddy of mine that the 203 gears mated to the 205 t case would give me a real nice 4 low ratio, like 4:1, which is what i think i might end up doing anyways, but in the meantime i was hoping that thered be a way to just replace some hardware up front and put in a set of manual locking hubs, so that even if the driveshaft was still spinning in the front, the wheels arent getting any power.

The doubler I mentioned is what I was talking about. Yeah, you could just put manual hubs in and run them unlocked with the case in hi lock (which would spin the front driveshaft), but what's the point? You're not going to gain any mileage, your front end parts won't be under any load, but they are still moving and thus wearing. Why would you want to do that?

[uchi]

actually i was hoping that by there being no front wheels to move that i would get some better gas imlage, so i guess it looks like ill be doing either a 205 swap with manual hubs or doubling u pon the t cases.

thanks for the info bud

[Grandpa Jeep]

actually i was hoping that by there being no front wheels to move that i would get some better gas imlage, so i guess it looks like ill be doing either a 205 swap with manual hubs or doubling u pon the t cases.

thanks for the info bud

Unless you do wheelies everywhere you go, you're still turning the front wheels. It doesn't matter if they're being driven or just pushed along, they still have to turn. The only thing you gain in a part time system is the front axles, differential and front driveshaft don't turn with the hubs unlocked. Unless you put in a part time kit along with your hubs, all those parts will still turn with the T-case in high lock. (those will be the only parts that turn if you try to drive with the t-case unlocked) Frankly, you won't gain much if any MPG even with hubs and a part time kit. I'd buy another car for a daily driver if it were me.

[uchi]

no i know that much, and i appreciate the information your giving me. il lprobably end up grabbing an np205 and mating the 2 together just for the low range ratio.

is there a kit i cna buy that will let me use hubs? or is there a vehicle i can get parts from for this? my biggest thing is i want to either put a locker into the front 44 if i can find one cheap or just weld it and if i had hubs i could stil ldrive around with one wheel unlocked or even both.

actually if theres a websit ethat sells these parts and you have a link for it id really appreciate that