Has anyone used the Deluxe kingpin set from speedway? Looks like it uses needle bearings instead of the bronze bushings.
I would stick with the plain ol' bushings. Needle bearings need to travel more so as not to make a wear spot in the main area of use, like driving straight down the road. Same as motorcycle headset bearings that will wear only in one spot, straight .
RV is correct. I used a similar set-up for the Stude steering-arm bellcrank. It did work well, but bushing wouldv'e been better. I didn't know better at the time. The rollers will brinell the shaft from lack of enough movement. then steering get s bad, rather quickly. Marcus...
X3 with the good old bushings. As others have pointed out bearings like to spin at the rate they were designed for. The limited back and forth movement and the constant road pounding in your steering will cause the bearings to fail.
Thia has been asked DOZENS of times here over the years. The general consensus is stick to the tried and true bushings
The issue is with the hardened needle bearings against the the king pin that was not designed for load on a reduced contact area. It results in brinelling. A bushing is the way to go with king pins. The below is one of several definitions you'll find if you do a search. What causes brinelling? Brinelling typically results from a heavy or repeated impact load, either while stopped or during rotation, though it can also be caused by just one application of a force greater than the material limit. Brinelling can be caused by a heavy load resting on a stationary bearing for an extended length of time.
When Ford tried it on the sector shaft it was a failure too. I have a 36 sector shaft here that had the needles in it and you can feel the needle marks with your thumb nail.
Get the original style bushings honed at an engine shop that does wrist pins. Will last longer than reaming them.
One good note, they can make steering easier. I put them in my avatar car and it does make a difference. As to how long they will last is another question. Super easy to install and where I live there's no machine shops or anything else to help with pressing in and pin fitting, etc. The needle bearing setup just drops in and done. I have a reamer for these bushings but it's not a line reamer so keeping them in line is really tricky.
I read they do steer easier an can see why The consenus I read on the negative was stopping and starting put back and forth pressure on the needles That said, I have seen an had more than a few forged I Beam axles that had the king pin hole wallowed out Same as a wallowed out valve guide, too much clearance at the top an bottom Ricky.
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