When bushings need replacing, do you always replace the king pins also? Or have you just replaced the bushings?
I would say yes. Usually a person keeps driving the car after the bushings are already worn out and the kingpin will have wear. If the kingpin shows no sign of wear then I would just ream to size
I would never replace one without the other. I've been doing this kind of work for 40 yrs and can not count how many king pin sets I've replaced and reamed to fit. From tractor trailer rigs to small cars etc. I've had customers come in the shop and try and talk me into just installing their bushings but refused too. Your there already so might as well do it right. ..
Speedway makes a decent king pin set. Speedway Standard 1937-41 Ford Spindle King Pin Set (speedwaymotors.com) But, you WILL need a reamer. Speedway has them too, but they are pricy and most have a 5/8 shank so you need a heavy duty drill press. -Abone.
you'll need a reamer or take the spindles to a machine shop to get them honed (with a connecting rod hone). If you have a Chevy then they might not need to be reamed, as the bushings floated in the spindle.
If you don't have a 5/8 chuck, you will have to come up with some hokey**** Gorilla Tape and a hose clamp trick. -Abone.
Also an FYI, when reaming a bushing never change direction of rotation. As in you turn clockwise as you ream the bushing, keep turning clockwise as you move the reamer back out. Never go counter-clockwise. I've seen people turn clockwise while going in and think you need to turn counter-clockwise when pulling it back out, it usually ends up marring the bushings... ..
It is good practice to replace the kingpins too. Even if they "look" good; they will more than likely have wear when checked with a mic. I've used a 12" crescent to turn kingpin reamers since I was a kid; maybe I need to modernize or not.
First off, you should never try to run a reamer through a spindle with new bushings in a drill press! They should always be reamed by hand with a reamer that has a pilot to guide it from the opposite bushing. You should also never attempt to use a brake cylinder hone on them, your alignment will be off from the bushing in the other half of the spindle. Over the years, I too have have reamed countless numbers of king pin bushings. The more I have read on the process of using a connecting rod hone, I am convinced it is the best and most accurate way to achieve a precise finish and fit. 6o Special
It's best to replace the king pins when you install new bushings and have them honed to fit at an automotive machine shop. I installed the bushings and then had the machine shop hone the king pins to fit properly. Ask your machine shop about the procedure used.
The old restoration stores use to sell a kingpin bushing reamer and driver but guess the manufacture of these went away...
I always buy the complete kingpin kit. If the bushings need replaced I also replace everything else. In this part of the country the going rate for installing new bushings and reaming them at the local machine shop seems to vacillate between $50 & $75 depending on spindle condition. I had a Ford kingpin reamer but mistakenly loaned it out and forgot who I loaned it to.
It's disconcerting when some folks who borrow tools "remember you" when they need a tool and then forget about returning it even if tool has your name on it. We've all had it happen.
Tip of the day, the replacement 1932-34 kingpin kits have the wrong angle cut in the relief for the bolt so you will have to cut those a bit to get the cup to fit right for the mechanical brakes if you are going that route. Always replace both Kingpin bushings and pins, only time that is not the case is if your kingpin has no wear and mic's out 100%. But its cheap insurance to put the new stuff in. If in a $ crunch and you have good pins you can do just bushings but its never 100% in my mind but will work on shoestring budget. I found a used reamer on Evilbay for 80 bucks, then bought a adjustable set of reamers the same week for 100 bucks used. I have all the game covered now and never have to pay someone to do my reams again. I like being self sufficient.
60 Special's advice is spot on. You will never get two bushing reamed in the same plane, without a self aligning reamer. I cringe when I see someone put their spindle in a drill press and do one side and flip it over and do the next side. You want the kingpin to push in with a slight resistance by hand. Have a machine shop do it if you don't have the proper tool.
even the "pros" goof it up. i bought a kingpin/bushing set at the local parts store (back in the '70s) and the "machinist" installed one bushing upside-down. instead of replacing the bushing, he took a dremel and carved a grease channel in the piece. my last waltz with that store!
Having them honed gives a far better fit than reaming them. The last two sets I did, I installed the bushings and then took the spindles and king pins to the machine shop to have them fit them. It usually takes them longer to select the correct hone and set it up than actually hone and fit the king pins.
I have bought many kingpin reamers at swap meets and garage sales. Most have been new or maybe used for one job and they have been cheaper than the high priced repop dealers, like $5 - $10. Just look for 13/16 or .814 size marking. I like to bid on Sunnen hones at auctions; but somebody always bids them up. Truck spring shops are a good place to find someone to hone bushings.
Just in case you think about the needle bearing bushings, don't. See the following. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/posts/14759431/
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