81 GMC K35 Transfer Case and locking hubs

[justaburbn]

The transfer case and hubs seem to be stuck. I can not get the transfer case out of 4H and the locking hubs will not turn freely. They were both working fine when I bought the rig. I have only owned this truck for 2wks now and I am not familiar with anything yet.

Any help getting familiar with this issue would be great. I think it is an NP205?

[sweetk30]

unless someone swapped it k30 in 81 will be a np205 .

if your in 4wd and on pavement it can be tricky to get them out . do the t-case first . then the hubs . also try undoing this stuff on grass or gravel it can help the bound up problem . and wheels stright .

its also a good idea to get some spray oil and lube the linkage under the truck for the 4x4 shifter . the pivot bolt might even have a grease zerk .

stock single lever np205 shifters have always been a bit cranky . i swapped to a aftermarket twin stick years ago and it shifts WAY better . i will never go back to a single lever again . i got mine from offroad design .

for spray oil i like napa 1370 chain and cable lube . goes on thick foamy and turns sticky oil to stay in place and takes months to dry out .

and nice k30 truck and boss v-plow . she will be a tank for you .

[justaburbn]

Changed the gear oil and took apart the Hubs (Spicer Hubs) cleaned the gunk out of them, lightly greased and reassembled today. Drove around a little bit, parked on level gravel and everything seems to be working fine. I will have to go back and look for a zerk and lube linkage.

Thanks for the tips.

[sweetk30]

no problem .

and KEEP them spicer hubs . there BEFFY as he!! . and if they ever did fail they fail locked unlike warn hubs and some other brands .

[justaburbn]

That's what I thought when I had them apart but it just didn't register completely. Good to know. Thanks.

[hatzie]

Originally Posted by sweetk30

no problem .

and KEEP them spicer hubs . there BEFFY as he!! . and if they ever did fail they fail locked unlike warn hubs and some other brands .

You beat me to it. KEEP your Spicer hubs. They're tough as hell. Nothing like em is made anymore. Just keep em clean and lubed.
If the plastic centre breaks all is not lost. There's a writeup on how to fix it with Polyvinylchloride pipe and Epoxy

[justaburbn]

Originally Posted by hatzie

You beat me to it. KEEP your Spicer hubs. They're tough as hell. Nothing like em is made anymore. Just keep em clean and lubed.
If the plastic centre breaks all is not lost. There's a writeup on how to fix it with Polyvinylchloride pipe and Epoxy

Thanks for checking in on this. I appreciate the conformation. I never even heard of Spicer Hubs before.

[sweetk30]

Originally Posted by hatzie

You beat me to it. KEEP your Spicer hubs. They're tough as hell. Nothing like em is made anymore. Just keep em clean and lubed.
If the plastic centre breaks all is not lost. There's a writeup on how to fix it with Polyvinylchloride pipe and Epoxy

note true . yukon hubs they took the best of the dana 44 style and dana 60 style and combined them and made them better . plus they stick out even less . https://www.yukongear.com/productdet...x?ProdID=11865

next there is this guy who makes new billiet aluminum dials a pair for 100 bucks . https://www.tdsideas.com/store/p6/Da...kout_Knob.html and all sorts of other kool parts .

[justaburbn]

Originally Posted by hatzie

You beat me to it. KEEP your Spicer hubs. They're tough as hell. Nothing like em is made anymore. Just keep em clean and lubed.
If the plastic centre breaks all is not lost. There's a writeup on how to fix it with Polyvinylchloride pipe and Epoxy

Originally Posted by sweetk30

unless someone swapped it k30 in 81 will be a np205 .

if your in 4wd and on pavement it can be tricky to get them out . do the t-case first . then the hubs . also try undoing this stuff on grass or gravel it can help the bound up problem . and wheels stright .

its also a good idea to get some spray oil and lube the linkage under the truck for the 4x4 shifter . the pivot bolt might even have a grease zerk .

stock single lever np205 shifters have always been a bit cranky . i swapped to a aftermarket twin stick years ago and it shifts WAY better . i will never go back to a single lever again . i got mine from offroad design .

for spray oil i like napa 1370 chain and cable lube . goes on thick foamy and turns sticky oil to stay in place and takes months to dry out .

and nice k30 truck and boss v-plow . she will be a tank for you .

Can you tell me a little more about what an aftermarket twin stick is please? Thanks very much.

[SunSoaked]

These are twin sticks: separates the front/rear so you can use them independently. My 4500/205 combo.

[justaburbn]

Originally Posted by SunSoaked

These are twin sticks: separates the front/rear so you can use them independently. My 4500/205 combo.

I just checked out offroad design. Oh my my! What am I getting myself into? This is going to become another expensive hobby. I think I'm going to have to trade in some old hobbies for this one. I thought I knew something about offroading....not!

SunSoaked, I'm not exactly sure what a 4500/205 combo is yet, but I'm guessing I might like to have one of those. I have some other rigs like a 79' Suburban that has a 400cid/Th400/203 I was wanting to make into a back road bush truck, but now I'm thinking GM Crew Cab short bed rather than a Suburban body (I have 4 young boys that don't drive yet) because if I was to put all these things together (with like a 203/205 doubler) and go where I want to go, I'm guessing the frame is going to twist a little.

For now I just need to concentrate on a drivable/bulletproof plow truck.

Do I ask about other issues on this thread or create a knew one? or a search?
I need a good old Rochester Quadrajet builder, not a reman piece of junk. Any help/advice here would be great.

I also think I'm going to have to figure out a way to make more money. Legally of course.

My apologies to all respondents. I am new to forums in general and have never engaged with anyone and still learning how to correspond properly. So to everyone, Thank You! and keep it coming. I'm just getting started.

[MJN]

If it has lockouts there is a good chance it's a NP205, however without seeing the shifter or transfer case this is only a guess since you can convert NP203 to part-time as well.
My guess is things are bound up and won't unlock (if nothing is broken). Put the trans in neutral on a level surface and you should be able to get the transfer case out of 4-hi. Usually rocking the truck back and forth by hand will relieve the tension on the drivetrain and you can unlock the hubs then too. I have this same issue with my '74, just have to rock it back and forth a little and then you'll be able to unlock the hubs again.

[SunSoaked]

Not much help here but she's probably beyond repair. Your best bet is to sell it to me and I will gladly come pick her up.
Btw, curious about what's on the hood?

[justaburbn]

I should at least drop more money into it than it is worth first though, don't you think?

It was originally a firehouse rig. That is the no. 81 on the hood.

[justaburbn]

It definitely is NP205.

[1968k20]

Back her up and it should pop out of gear

[GM72K10]

Nice rig.