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OK Im a little confused by what you mean. I guess you are saying that you hear a noise when you lock and unlock your hubs. Is this a new problem that just started or has it always been there an you just now started to pay attention to it? With this very minimum info Ill give my opinion. When you twist the **** the internal spring applies pressure to the locking ring thus locking your axles in 4wd. The pressure on the inner face of the hub makes a little noise and is just the nature of the beast.
With this small amount of info its my best guess. If the wheel bearings havent been changed since 1985 Id do that anyway. Maybe give us a little more info or take it to a front end shop who could help fix your problem.
If it only does it when the hubs are locked in, there is a good chance the UJ on that shaft is bad. If it is more like a clicking sound, the hub could be bad or misassembled.