FIXED IT!!!!
ok, so i mentioned that the cabs were like 20 years old. a foam guard in the back of the speaker got so old it does what foam coverings on mics do, it disintegrated and little pieces were dirtying up the coil gap and making an odd rub when the speaker moved. i got in there with some scotch tape and a can of air and got it all cleaned up. now it is working as good as new!
thanks to everyone for their patience and help!
I'm glad you didn't go ahead and spend a bunch of money-when the problem was very simple.
As with any troubleshooting-FIRST figure out what the REAL problem is, THEN figure out what it is going to take to fix it.
BTW the speaker is most likely a Black Widow.
McCauley also makes speakers with removable baskets, the two are very close to being interchangeable.
Some of the best subs I used (back in the day) were a very custom recone that we joked as "JBMcEavey"
They had Peavey black widow magnets mounted on McCauley frames and had a JBL recone kit in them.