Hub Conversion : Manual to Auto

[Bebop Man]

I've got an 86' Bronco, and I want to be able to lock the hubs from inside the cab. I don't do any ******** 4-wheeling, it's just to get around on the snowy roads during the winter season. I know most folks prefer to go the other way, but out here, there's no real indication what the roads will be like before you actually get on them, whether they're dry, ot slick, or what not.

Also, there was no manual with the Bronco when I bought it, and the advisory label on the sunvisor is illegible. What are the safe operating ranges / conditions for running with the hubs locked on dry pavement? I've got no instructions to go with, and this is the first vehicle I've ever owned with manual hubs.

Thanks in advance.

 

[4X4RedNeck]

My opinion, along with many others, is that you're going to have a more reliable 4 wheel drive system with manual hubs that are also going to last you longer. What does it hurt to get out and switch those bad boys on? Especially if you just said you don't do any hardcare muddin. Changing your manual hubs to automatic is going to cost you and not be fun.

 

[Bebop Man]

What I'm after is convenience. I know it's contrary to popular wisdom, but that choice is already made. I'm just looking for tips as to the 'how' and any resources others may have.

 

[Broncobill78]

What I'm after is convenience. I know it's contrary to popular wisdom, but that choice is already made. I'm just looking for tips as to the 'how' and any resources others may have.

Man, I know you say your mind is made up but it's a mistake. When you're pounding on the dash because they won't engage or ****** off because they *did* engage but then disengaged just as soon as you backed up a few feet you'll be looking for that shoebox that you stored the old manual hubs in. Convienance is all well & good but when the wind is blowing & the snow is falling reliability is always King. Why not just engage the hubs when you go out to the truck in the first place & then you can just engage the Xfer-case if/when you want ? The milage penalty for driving around with locked hubs is pretty small, as is the wear & tear.

Now just as a point or refrence, it's not that anyone is *unwilling* to help with this misguided adventure but I have now been searching Google for *40 freaking minutes" and cannot find a SINGLE automatic hub kit. There are scads of them to convert FROM auto hubs to manuals (which should be a big red flag right off the bat) but absolutely *nothing* about converting TO auto hubs. You have to understand that you're NOT just swapping hubs, you'll also have to fabricate & install either a vacuum or electrical actuation system as well as installing the necessary control hardware in the dash. You could maybe get a junkyard to pull one for you but as best *I* understand it the late model axles come equiped for this and you'll need to either teardown the entire outer end of both sides to fabricate what you need or swap in the entire axle from a late model truck as well as the plumbing & control hardwarde (ok, you can probably get away with just swapping everything from the knuckles on out, still a bitch of a job). Neither Mile-marker nor Warn (the two largest mfg's of hubs) makes a kit to do this and you can bet there's a good reason for that. The ammount of work involved is absolutely insane, if the benefits were worth *anything* even close to the cost & hassle of a swap like this don't you think they'd be offering a kit for it ?

 

[Burns]

Why not just engage the hubs when you go out to the truck in the first place & then you can just engage the Xfer-case if/when you want ? The milage penalty for driving around with locked hubs is pretty small, as is the wear & tear.

I'm with Bill on this one. Just lock em when you leave, or leave em locked altogether. The manuals are about... I'd say 100x more durable and reliable than autos. My biggest fear when I had the autos was... what if one happened to lock and the other didn't, when I did or didn't hit the button or even when they locked up themselves? Just my 2 cents.

 

[Bebop Man]

Man, I know you say your mind is made up but it's a mistake. When you're pounding on the dash because they won't engage or ****** off because they *did* engage but then disengaged just as soon as you backed up a few feet you'll be looking for that shoebox that you stored the old manual hubs in. Convienance is all well & good but when the wind is blowing & the snow is falling reliability is always King. Why not just engage the hubs when you go out to the truck in the first place & then you can just engage the Xfer-case if/when you want ? The milage penalty for driving around with locked hubs is pretty small, as is the wear & tear.

I'm not having any luck finding a kit, either, which is why I came here. I guess there is no such critter. I thought they were just a cetrifigal type clutch affair that fed right off the drive axel.

The first part of your comment goes to the second part of my question. Can you explain a bit more? I've always thought that driving on dry pavement with locked hubs was a BAD thing, right up there with running the engine crankcase dry. Are you saying that's not quite the case? That could very well be the answer to my question. Maybe I'm just making things harder on myself than what they need to be?

 

[wileec]

There is NO issue with running the hubs locked all winter, as long as the transfer case is not engaged you will do NO harm. Just miniumal milage loss. When I am driving the bronco in the winter I have the hubs locked all the time, and swap between 2 and 4 WD as needed for turning or getting going. Or when the road ahead looks real nasty.

 

[Broncobill78]

I'm not having any luck finding a kit, either, which is why I came here. I guess there is no such critter. I thought they were just a cetrifigal type clutch affair that fed right off the drive axel.
The first part of your comment goes to the second part of my question. Can you explain a bit more? I've always thought that driving on dry pavement with locked hubs was a BAD thing, right up there with running the engine crankcase dry. Are you saying that's not quite the case? That could very well be the answer to my question. Maybe I'm just making things harder on myself than what they need to be?

Ok, now I get what you're worried about. There really isn't any problem with driving around with your hubs engaged, like a number of others here I would routinely drive around most of the winter with them locked & then just shift the Xfer case when I needed 4wd. Now here's the rub, driving around on dry pavement *in 4wd* is what you want to be cautious about. You can do it, and again a lot of us here have, but what you need to watch out for are making sharp or tight diameter turns. When the hubs are locked & the front axle is powered you'll start to feel a sort-of see-saw motion in the nose of the truck if you try to drive in too tight of a circle. Wide circles aren't a problem but as you tighten up the diameter the front wheels will want/need to slip and as that torque builds & releases you'll actually *feel* the nose going up & down from one side to the other. Turn tightly enough and you'll also start hearing the tires scrub as they slip. When you start to feel that loosen up your turn. You can still do it but it wears on your tires, U-joints & such and if you have a poorly maintained front-end you *can* eventually break something. You don't have this problem in the rear end because those tires are fixed in position and don't turn, but since the fronts DO it add's a different dimension of stress to the package & that see-saw motion is how it expresses itself. You can drive around for as long as you want with the hubs engaged, it's only when you start sending power to the axle that you need to start thinking about what you're doing.

Quick edit: don't forget, there are PLENTY of those Brand-X Blazers out there w/NP203 Xfer cases & full-time 4wd. Never caused them much harm (other than the embarassment of driving a $hit truck, but that's a whole different thread) so it's really no big deal. Just be carefull when you start feeling your frontend see-saw & loosen up that white-knuckled grip on the wheel.

 

[4X4RedNeck]

How come no one agrees with me? I was the first ***** to comment. haha. Plus if something goes wrong with your hubs it's not as bad to troubleshoot(with manual).

 

[Broncobill78]

Well, sure, OK, why the **** not, I can do that if it makes you feel better <grin>.

HEY EVERYONE, Redneck was right, I *agree* with him. Auto hubs ****, stick with manuals. Listen to HIM, the freaking autos are *designed* to not work properly, there's nothing WRONG with them that's just the way they work (or don't work depending on the direction you're driving in)

We cool now ? /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

Oh, and I prefer MISTER ***** (or Mister ****** ***** if you're a big enuf Robin Williams fan)