I've got a TERRIBLE wobble that comes in at low speed.. go figure with the play in the right side kingpin. Upon disassembly, I have more questions than answers: 1) Do kingpin locks wear out? And, how tight should the kindpins be in the axle? On one side, the king pin is kinda loose in the axle, but it gets nice and tight when the lock is in. The other side never gets tight even when the lock's all the way in. I found my wobble! 2) My axle is 2" tall, but the wishbones I'm using are 2.25". Are the 'bones from a different axle? Is it OK the way its been set up using washers to take up the space? (please see the picture) 3) What's wrong with my perch bolt? I know its too short because the nut doesn't go on enough to put in a cotter key, but shouldn't the taper on the bolt and wishbone get tight before the head of the bolt hits the top of the wishbone? (please see picture) I found some new bolts, but they're 6" long! I only need them to be about 1/2-1" longer. Thank you for any help! You're reponses are greatly appreciated!
Re loose kingpin- its probably due to the bolt being left loose at some stage,youll probably find the flat on the kingpin is damaged or worn when you remove it. it should lock the kingpin tight. re wishbone mounted with shims/washers to take up 1/4"- that should be fine.ive got shims in mine,as i had to reface the wishbone surfaces due to deep wear gouges,and made washers to take up the gap. perch bolts- they look pretty shitty-may have been machined at the wrong angle? get some new, longer ones,with a better hex on top. hope this helps.
If the pin wobbles in the axle boss, you will need to have the boss eye bored and sleeved back to standard pin OD. There should be no wobble BEFORE the lock goes in. If there is, the pin movement will deform the softer lock as you hit bumps and it will loosen up. Might be cheaper to just replace the axle. Replace the wishbone pin and use a thin(er) locking type jam nu.
Thanks for those replies! Where would you guys buy perch bolts? I've found some 6" long, but I think that would stick out too far. This is a Ford script axle. Do you think its worth repairing? I wouldn't mind finding a new one, but the one I have has had the 1/4 elliptic spring mount welded on. How tight should the kingpin be in the axle before the lock goes in? Should I have to drive it out with a hammer? How much clearance is tight? Thanks again! help from down under is what makes this board so cool.
The pin should be a tight "palm-press" fit. NO slop. Don't use a BFH. Can you thread up the longer pins and shorten? I would imagine the machine work to "save" the axle would be more than a replacemnt if it is stock. Moog makes (still?) an oversize (.010) kingpin set, if a .010 bore would clean it up, and save on the sleeving. Remember that the lock is designed to keep the pin from rotating and moving up and down. That axle has seen a lot of pounding on rough roads from a loose pin to elongate the boss.
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