ok, i got a set of new kingpins, and new spindle bushings. i pressed in the spindle bushings. How hard will I have to bash the kingpins in? Also any tricks on keeping the bushings in while driving the kingpin in? I started hammering one of the kingpins in and noticed it was removing a lot of material from the top spindle bushing, and the bushing was starting to slide out of the spindle so I stopped and came here. This is the first time I have set up a front end like this. Oh forgot its a 37-41 ford setup. got the kingpin kit from http://www.rjays.com/Superbell/SB_steering-01.htm Thanks for any help!
OOOOPS. your supposed to have the bushings machined/reamed to slip fit the pin.. order another set of bushings. lesson learned.
Never pound anything in place when it comes to a precision machined fit. I just did my king pins about two years ago. The inside diameter was .780" and needed to be reamed to .814". I bought an adjustable reamer that goes from .750" to .875" from Mc Master Carr. For each reaming p*** you should only remove .002" - .004". It's a tedious process, but it should be a perfect grease sliding fit when you're done. If you press your bushing back in place, you should still have enough good material to ream it properly. Measure it with a dial caliper.....better yet a telescoping I.D. gauge and a micrometer. Good luck.....Dowie
The king pins should be a 'palm press fit' when installed. You need to find someone with a kingpin reamer, an engine connecting rod/piston hone etc... and take just enough material out to gently push the king pin in by hand. It should not be loose in there where you might end up with play after ***embled. I have in the past used a small engine cylinder hone to hone each bushing out individually but this is not the prefered method as both should be honed/reamed on the exact same plane/inline. Try a local shop that works on trucks, some medium duty trucks still use kingpins and the guys may have the tools and actual knowhow to do it right for you.
I would say you will probably have to buy a new kingpin set,if you have done much hammering on your new pins. The modern king pin sets seem to have really soft pins,I have seen several "mushroomed" from trying to hammer them in.Which ever way you fit the bushings,make sure you use a pilot to keep the bushings straight with each other.We used to use a sunnen honing machine to do them,but our shop no longer has the machine.any good automotive machine shop should be able to do the fitting for you.
the pins are fine, i didnt hit it too hard. it only slightly damaged one bushing so i only gotta get one. it pushed it out of the spindle more than damaging it
Since Ford kingpins were the same diameter form '28-'48, there were several aftermarket fixed size reamers in the tool trade years ago for this purpose. I picked up an old Lisle tool and it works great. It pilots in one bushing while reaming the other.
i am getting ready to do the king pins and bushings in my truck,this thread came just in time!!! thanks!!
THIS is what you need to get and do! Your bushing that got beat up will probably be allright, just get it back in place, take off the big burr with a file or die grinder and use a reamer, just like this picture. The tapered guide is shown at the rear, it centers the reamer to the bushing. You do one bushing this way and then flip over to the other side and repeat, keep sneeking up on the size till you get a slip fit. DON'T forget to make sure the hole for grease lines up with the hole in the spindle, or make a new hole.
I've had more than a few PMs about this, so I thought I'd provide an update. The adjustable reamer you want to buy is Chadwick & Trefethen Inc., size "F" adjustable reamer 25/32 to 27/32 part number 00560. The screw on pilot you need is "F" part number 07560. www.chadwickreamers.com These are very reasonably priced compared to other adjustable reamers out there. You can get them though Chadwick Reamers or Mc Master Carr www.mcmaster.com .
Reaming is fine...but if you want a precise fit most auto machine shops will hone them with a wrist pin hone to get a perfect fit.
The bushings from Mac's may be $4.00, but they still need to be reamed concentric, in series, after being pressed in place. The I.D. of the Mac's bushings are .780" and they need to be reamed to .814" to fit the king pins.
what is the usual clearance (in thousandths) for kingpins. "palm fit" would tell me if it "feels right" but what about the actual sizing?
This is perfect. I have a car in the shop now that had STIFF spindles. The king pins were so tight they had to be knocked out with a drift. When I got them out, the top bushes on both sides were real sloppy, the bottom ones super tight. Couldn't push them in by hand. Turns out they were out of alignment too. A case of someone not knowing what they're doing (butcher). So new bushes and as said, reamed in alignment! It really does make a difference. Good topic.
I found that reaming the bushings, in series, to the Ford specified .814" I.D. was the perfect gliding / sliding fit. To do do it right takes time. I spent about 45 - 60 minutes per spindle shaving off .0005" - .001" per p*** till they were perfect.
I found a cheaper way to obtain the tools. You can buy the adjustable reamer from Enco.com (http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?PMAKA=334-1112) for $20.95. Then buy the pilot from McMaster-Carr (http://www.mcmaster.com/#3004a18/=stlm5) for $31.57. That's the cheapest I've been able to find the tools. Actually I couldn't fine the pilot anywhere but McMaster-Carr. Mark
If anyone wants to sell their reamer tool to recoup some of their investment, let me know, send me a PM. I need to ream my new Ford spindle bushings. Thanks!
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