I doubt you will be able to get a manual locking hub to work. Most kits come with longer axle shafts, due to our CV joints you will have to have something custom made.

You might be able to make a ram 1500 kit work if you have someone make custom outer axle shafts up.

http://www.emsoffroad.com/store/inde...roducts_id=263


Also I made an edit to Step 11. about using Anti-seize on wheel bearing matting surface.

 

"Once the vehicle is back on the ground you will need to torque the axle nut to 185 Ft/lbs You need to do this when the wheels are back on because you have no other way to keep the axle from spinning besides using the trucks weight and friction of the tire."

The way I do it, when removing or installing the axle nut, take a piece of flat iron or angle iron, about 2 - 3 foot long and drill a hole near one end, to fit over a wheel stud. Place the iron over a wheel stud at the bottom, rotate the hub so the iron jams against the next stud and also against the floor (or ground, ifn you're outside).
Then you can wrench on it all you want. Simple.

 

That will work... You do risk damaging the threads of the studs that way. They have the removable cap on the wheel for a reason.

 

If you have some steel available, you can make yourself a spanner, the main bar of the spanner should be about 3 feet long and this can be almost anything, like angle iron, flat stock of substantial thickness (1/4" is good), or rectangular tube (1 x 1 is adequate, but I prefer 1 x 2 because of the hinge point you need if you don't have a welder). On this piece, you'll need to make a hinge point & about 8" in, you can weld a flange or if you have no welder access, drill a hole (3/8" OK). Now at the "short end", you drill another hole about the same size and that's it for the main bar. The hinge bar will be similar material but will only be about 8" long and will have a hole at each end. One hole you'll use at the hinge point - use a bolt and some washers to make this hinge and you just want it tight enough not to be sloppy. Now you have an adjustable spanner that will work on any 2 bolts up to about 8 to 10 inches apart leaving an angle between the 2 bars of the spanner to "go around" things like a hub center. You slip the 2 bars onto the studs, for example, add the stud nuts and tighten - now you can use this to tighten/loosen things like the hub center nuts without worry that you'll damage anything. Sometimes it's like having another set of hands there - I made one of these years ago and am constantly finding additional uses for it. A smaller version is a good design to hold your fan from spinning when you try to remove it - lots of uses for a smaller one also.

I'd post a pic, but I'm packing for a move & it's no longer available for picture taking.

 

Very little risk if you put the bar tight against the hub, the wheel nut doesn't go on that far anyways. I've replaced lots of hubs over the years using this method and never had a problem w/damaged threads.
If one was worried about damaging the threads you could put a spacer or washers on over the bar, then put a wheel nut on and tighten it down, also put a sleeve over the next stud that the bar is wedged against.

BTW Eimer123, thanks for the bolt info I went to the local bolt supply house and got 3 bolts w/washers for $5, a lot better than the $5 per bolt at the dealers (that I read somewhere).

 

Instead of pounding out the hub/bearing, I used a Spicer type wheel puller that I had left from the days of my 69 Jeepster. Pulled it right out. I did not seem to have quite as much trouble with the hub bolts, as some have commented. I gave them a good soaking with Kroil the night before I started this project.

 

Not familiar with what you mean by a "Spicer type wheel puller", can you describe it, or better yet, post a pic?

 

Something like this?

 

did my passenger side wheel bearing today. what a pain in the butt! took me about 5 hours. alot of pb blast. a air chisel to crack the bearing loose and the head of a 20 lb sledge and about 400 hits. it was pretty stuck. but its out. thank god.

 

I bought all new hubs for My 05 since I'm rebuilding my suspension. I'm using Timken ones. My bolts were slightly rusted so I bought new ones. Local dealer wanted 10.99 a piece... For all 6... just.. wow. Another dealer like 30 miles away wanted 6.25 for em. My local dealer dropped down to 5.99. That shows how much money they are making off parts... Now, can you run these hubs without a cv axle? I'm thinking yes?