I've seen methods using propane to oxyacetylene with presses and such. the shop manual and online suggestions blow over the removal of a stuck/ seriously frozen locking bolt/pin. I've soaked in wd-40, blasted with an air hammer (and sledge), used a c-clamp and socket to try to press it out...with not the slightest movement. I got a whole new rebuild kit but the current kingpins seem to be relatively tight and have 0 play in them that I can feel. I'de leave them as is if I could repack the thrust bearing. I'm really close to just puttin it back on and hoping that locking bolt will just fall out. It would be more than I can do. Really tired of messing with it. thought about buying new spindles,...but dont matter if I cant dis***emble the thing. the bolt seems slightly bent, and me being careful with it still beat up the threads a little. I dont want to put it on the road with dry thrust bearings but I have almost no choice at this point. I dont have a oxy ac torch so how else can I do it? Bout to throw it in a fire.
Remove the whole ***embly and take it to a shop. I tried removing kingpins on a couple of '40 Ford front axles with a big hammer and a punch. Got two out (one from each axle) but not the other two. Kept pounding and the result is rotator cuff surgery next week, because I tore a tendon loose from my humerus. A good friend with an old Ford PU took his twin I-beam axles in to a mechanic and had the kingpins pressed out...for a total of $26.
Agree with Arkie 100%..sent some Merc spindle supports to a shop with a big*** press about 30 years ago,the person who took them in told me that the guage read some insane number of thousands of pounds of pressure before they moved..This after I tried for weeks to do it myself.
Ho, man. Yeah, that sounds about right... So I guess I gotta pay them to press them back in? All the reading I've done its like "oh yeah just remove the lock bolt, drift out the kingpins"... uhhhhh no. so Its not just me or a weak air hammer. Where would I get replacement pins/bolts? Thanks yall by the way
i just replaced them in a friends 54 the old one tapped right out and the new one slid right in must have been lucky listening to you guys but i have changed them in fords (bushings have to be reamed) and chevy trucks but have never had that much trouble. any parts store can order them like NAPA or you can break the bank and order from CANTER
Are you having problems getting out the reatining pins or the king pins? The retaining pins come out in only one direction. Also, Chevy is different from Ford. The king pins and br*** bushings are "floating". Neither are pressed in. Todd
thats what I dont understand... they're supposed to be floating but I've heard all kinds of stuff.. The retaining pin is my first thing and it should back out the opposite way of the threaded retainer with any common sense. I dont know what would make this retaining bolt stick so hard.
I've done Hundreds over the years. 2 out of 5 will be a total pain. The retainer bolt can be a ***** if the king pin grove was not in correct alignment in the first place. I never would take the nut off the anchor bolt to beat it out. Just remove the lock washer and put the nut back on flush to the end of the treads. One good smack with the hammer. If it didn't move I'd stop and remove the up right and go to the press. The problem is that when you beat on the retainer you generally make a Rivet out of it. The recoil is what stops things from moving. You can't hold it solid enough to stop that. I've had parts come to me that guys heated and beat to the point a 50 Ton press would not remove the King Pin. Some times you just half to bight the Bullet and take things to a shop with the right equipment. Good on ya for trying but know when to stop before you make S**** Iron. By the way, the thrust bearing should take grease through the bushings Zert fitting. The Wizzard
From experience; Like has been said, if one good whack with a hammer don't do it, next stop is hydraulic press.
On my 56 F100, I put heat on the pin and [don't laugh ] took one of my wifes old candles and let the wax be drawn down into it. Works by cappilary action. Same as sweating copper. Still alot of work.
Get out the torch and put some heat on the bushing area.The old ones had br*** bushings so you can heat them up,the newer king pins use a neoprene (plastic) no good to breathe the fumes. If you use a punch you could mushroom the end and cause more problems. One guy heat the other pound good luck
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