TIGHT king pins

I was installing my spindles onto a new CPP dropped axle last night and the king pins felt really tight going in. I greased the pin before installation and it went in ok, only need a few taps from the hammer. But the spindle is tough to move now that everything in installed. I imagine they should work themselves in once everything is greased up and moved a few times, am I right? This is the first time I've ever worked with king pins so any information you guys can give is very welcoming

 

Your probably ok. Hit the spindles with a good shot of grease in each of the fittings and work em side to side. I usually try to pregrease everything before assembly... Kingpins, spindles , axle bosses ....assemble... Then a shot in each grease fitting

 

Brass king pin bushings????

Did you have a machinist do an 'in-line ream' on your bushings after they were pressed into the spindles?

I have been told that, if your king pins and bushings are to tight, then your steering wheel may not return to center (on its own)after making a turn.

 

They're always (or should be) a little tight when they're first reamed. Like Jerry says, make sure they're greased up well and put a few miles on it, they'll be fine.

 

"I was installing my spindles onto a new CPP dropped axle last night and the king pins felt really tight going in."

King pin bushings need to be align reamed after the bushings are installed. They are reamed to a size that will allow the king oin to be pushed into them with just a bit of finger pressure. Sounds like this was not done. Remove the king pins and take the spindles & king pins to a machine shop that can align ream them.

 

thanks for the tips guys. I didn't know they had to be reamed. I'll be taking it all apart tonight so I can get this done. I thought they seemed far to tight to make it work properly. I guess I should have done a bit more home work on the install before jumping right in. I was going by the tech article on Classic Trucks Magazines website but nowhere on there did it mention reaming the bushings.

 

Thats a good thing.

 

The longer ream, once made here locally by Chadwick and Trefethern, aligns and then sizes with abit of arm muscle applied. It engages the lower bushing as you ream the upper, and then vice versa.
The pilot guided reams will allow you to:
Try this at HOME!
I've also heard them refered to as a king pin assy reamer.
http://www.etoolcart.com/king-pin-reamer-pilot.aspx

 

I've always "Jacked it Off" with a rolled up piece of sandpaper with no backing, just the paper.

It really doesn't take much.

 

You can use a brake-cylinder hone to remove a tiny bit of material and make sure there are no burrs, etc.

The kingpin-bushing ream should be used if more material needs to be removed, to make sure the upper and lower bushings are perfectly co-axial.

 

Generally, the bushings that come with kingpin sets are slightly undersize by design.....they intend for them to be honed to the proper clearances once the bushings are installed. As some of the guys mentioned, the correct way to do them is to use a reamer that registers on both bushings at the same time so you get a very straight bore down through both. If you just do one at a time there is the possiblility the bore can be cocked a little which can shorten the life of the bushings.

Don

 

Better to hone than ream. You can control the amount you take out.

 

This should be a push with your fingers fit, not a tap with the hammer fit.

The good thing is now when you take it apart you will see where the interfearance is. If it is even all the way thru, you can touch it with a hone til you get a push fit. If the drag marks are uneven, then you need the adjustable reamer with the tapered guide to even out the mis-alignment.

Oil on the pin and bushing when you try for the push fit.

It sounds real close if you are being honest about tapping. And not really hammering.

When the pin is that tight, grease won't get in there from the fittings. There's no room for grease.

Frank

 

Its best to have them done on a wrist pin hone, both ends at once.

 

" Palm Press Fit " here guy's is what's needed.

Remember even the smallest of burs can make a difference here, cleanliness as well.

No hammers.

 

You will have to have them honed. I have found few that we're to size when they are installed. We hone about a dozen a week. I just did some recently that were .010 under that we had to bore and finish hone. You can use king pin reamers, but they usually make them to big unless you use a mill to run them. Doesn't do you much good to replace them and then make them oversized again. Nice easy slide fit, not to tight and not to loose. If you can't find anyone to hone them, shoot me a PM and I can work you a deal. Any good machine shop or a engine building shop will have a pin hone for honing them.

 

Hold everything here is this a Ford or Chevy axle/spindle set??? Fords must be fitted reamed honed whatever. Chevys use floating bushings no fitting needed if no burrs dings in bushing bores.

 

Honing will leave a closer fit, and last longer before next replacement. Like mentioned above a shop with a wrist pin hone should have no problem.



Ago

 

The Ford spec I read when doing them was that a "thumb-press" fit was desired.

 

ok I took it all apart and there isn't any scoring or drag marks, it seems to be a tight fit all the way through. Should I be taking the axle to the shop to have the holes honed to match as well?

 

You need to have BOTH bushings honed or reamed together so the hole is straight through. Don't hone one end then the other. A brake hone will not do the correct job. A real kingpin reamer has a guide that pilots through one hole while reaming the other.

 

no, you don't need to take the axle. the pin gets locked in place anyway by the tapered bolt/stop.

 

The axle may need to be reamed. Helped a friend a few years ago install a straight axle, seems that the welding of the king pin boss to the axle distorted the boss and the king pin wouldn't go through. This happened before the CHEAP CHINESE JUNK era.

 

Once the pin is through the axle boss it has NO effect on how tight the spindle-pin-bushing fit is.

 

Here are what purpose made king pin bushing reamers look like (The top three) and the bottom is an adjustable reamer with the added extension and tapered sleeve to make it concentric with the cutters.

 

Oh geez. I assumed they were reamed..my bad

 

You should not have to do a thing to the axle, but it will be easy to confirm. Remove the spindles and slide the kingpin down the bore of the bare axle. It should be a nice fit into the hole, not sloppy but not binding either. You probably already know this, but there is a groove machined into the kingpin and you align that with the hole in the axle so you can slide the kingpin retaining bolt through to lock the kingpin in place.

I like the suggestion the guys made about having them honed on a wrist pin honing machine. Never thought of that. Next time I install some I will take them to our engine guy because I know he has that equipment.

Don

 

Just did a set of stock A spindles yesterday, when you ream bushings you turn the reamer ONE WAY ONLY, use some oil and they should turn out fine. Bob

 

the spindles and king pins are on their way to the machinist today. This guy has owned his own shop for 30+ years and can build or repair literally anything. When I called him, he knew exactly what needs to be done and can get it done for me today so I'll be back in business for the weekend

 

It really doesn't take much at all & the Kingpin Cross Bolt Spindle Stop Bolt locks it in place in the axle.