Reamin the front axle king pin bosses

When you guys ream for your king pin bosses, what size ream do you use? I use a 7/8ths which comes in at .875, which is kinda big,being that the king pin is .813.
I've been looking for a 53/64 ream, it comes in at .828, but haven't been able to locate one.
The 7/8ths (.875) leaves it a little loose,but you use a tapered pin to tighten the king pin anyways..
Does anyone have a line on a 53/64ths reamer? Mikey

 

The ones that I have which were made for Ford are .814" Giving you a firm push fit. Good luck.

 

spend the money and buy something like this:
http://www.brattons.com/product.asp?P_ID=4969&strPageHistory=related
by the way i bought mine after finding it on craigshelper.com

 

Take them to a good machine shop , they should be honed +.001 -.0005 clearance for a perfect fit.

 

Brady's link didn't work for me, but I assume he is suggesting an adjustable reamer, which is the only way to go.

 

Wow, that one from Branton's is slick. I have one of those old reamer/drivers set @ .814. I also picked up an adjustable Blue Point but I'm having trouble setting it correctly.

Tim

 

Once upon a time,,you could get a king pin reamer that was adjustable, with a taper sleeve that fit over an extension below the flutes, the taper acted as a guide when held up to the other side of the spindle.Another way, if you have a lathe, is to carefully measure the bushing fit, ID/OD, and bore to size, allowing for press fit, install in axle. Caution, most of the commom adjustable reamers {cheap} will tend to grap in bearing bronze because of too few flutes to keep from digging in.

 

Scrap, that is like the one I have. It also came with some machined round stock to run in both holes to hone them simultaniously.

Question (I didn't fool with it much); How does it adjust smaller? I know how to make it larger, just can't seem to find a safe way to close the flutes tighter without having to grab on or press onto them. Which I rather avoid causing damage.

 

Do what Limey Steve said...have them honed...they'll last alot longer than reamed bushings.

 

uhhhh.....just why would they last " alot longer" or any longer, for that matter ????

 

This thread has some good information on it....

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=239133&highlight=kingpin

 

"Reamin the front axle king pin bosses"???
No one reams the front axle kingpin bosses.
You do ream the bushings in the Spindles.

 

manyolcars, i have bought tube axles that after the boss' are welded on, they don't clean them up and they need to be reamed or honed from the heat warp.

 

If a few people who lack this tool and own an early Ford would step up with a couple of dollars each, there could be an official HAMB kingpin reamer, maybe one of the nice new ones from Brattons, with its own little shipping box, it could just be mailed from job to job endlessly...this question comes up at least monthly. The HAMB could probably wear out a Ford reamer per year.
Meanwhile, if you are stuck, put your spindles into a suitcase and hop a bus to Joisey, and I'll do 'em.

 

Then what do you do with an oversize hole? and on what inclination is the boss after they finish welding and ship it to you? And if this is the case then the first place to visit is a new supplier who sells a finished axle.
More high quality products on the market...

If you lack the proper tooling for this or any job, find someone with the proper tooling...
Take the axle and your box-o-parts to a truck repair shop and have them do it right the first time.


.

 

why the hell would you ream out a hole to .875 for a fucking .813 pin? your next post is gonna be how comw my fucking front end wobbles right ! ... It doesnt matter if you ream em or hone em just as long as they are the correct size with a nice smooth finish so the bushings contact the pin all around the diamater.. You can fuck up a bushing with a reamer if your not careful or dont know what your doing ? Humm i said that and im sure you dont... Take em to some one that has the right stuff if you dont.
Dave

 

Go to Chadwick reamers.com. I ordered a long pilot adj. blade reamer from them, call them on the phone if you want to there nice people to talk to. When you use the reamer, start out small and slowly work your way up to the size you need. I did a set of bushings on my 58 Ford 1/2 ton,worked out great.

 

Reamin the front axle king pin bosses"???
No one reams the front axle kingpin bosses.
You do ream the bushings in the Spindles.

Listen up guys! He is right!
You ream the bushings not the bosses.
personaly i press fit my bosses -002" Then the lock bolt is mearly a decoration. I make my own bosses. They are smaller than the pin and are press fit. They will never be worn out because they dont move once installed. I clean the hole for sure but never ream it to the king pin size .
Don

OH yeah for those who are wondering, yes you can put a pin in a hole that is .002" smaller. Special lube and a press is all that is required. It is done to the piston pins of every single SBC chevy ever made plus many others BTW. Works well for King Pins too.
Some guys use heat but i use a press. The bushings should be honed though or reamed if you have absolutley nothing else. Rule of thumb for clearance on any moving part in a bearing or a bushing is .001" clearance per inch of diameter. So for a .814" pin .000814"
In truth. .001" would be fine
Don

 

if your pin is .813 .....13/16 is .8125 which is .0005 under and a 21mm is .8268 which is .0138 larger...which is still better than 53/64 which is a not on the shelf reamer and is far better than .8750 which is .0620 larger than your pin........

 

Well thats another way to do it but why not just do it henrys way and make the axle boss a nice slip fit with the bolt to retain it and ream or hone the bushings in the spindle.. your reinventing the wheel here for no other reason than to make your self happy... Fords shit has worked for years..
Now back to the other guy who thinks that .875 is really close to .813..
Dave

 

I second this .

 

Do you lubricate the bushings before you ream them?
I just bought a reamer and a new set of king pins, but I haven't tried it yet.
Thanks!

 

Do them dry. You use oil and it will plug up the reamer.

 

I am not reinventing the wheel. Many things are built that way Since i am making the front axle and bosses anyway there was no point in a bolt and such when 2 minutes with a press and a dab of BR200 will do. You can do it the old way and have to if your stuck with a stock axle. I have no trouble with that. i just choose not to since this method is something I am very familiar with.
Don.

 

He might be asking about reaming the axle bosses IF HE IS MAKING HIS OWN. If you drill them out to that size, sometimes they come out a bit sloppy. You are better off drilling undersize then reaming the boss to size. Not everyone builds with a credit card ya know.

 

I used the Sunnen hone at work for the last set I did. It makes a perfect fit and only takes a few minutes. Even the slowest machinist could do it in 20 minutes once the bushings are in. Try any local machine shop since they all have a Sunnen Rod hone, if they have the correct arbor and stones, you're set.

 

I suspect you have to wear ear plugs to drown out the howling and squealing as you force a .812" pin in a .810" hole. We install a lot of press-in hardned bushings at the shop I work at, and .002" seems like a ton of press. That brings up the question, how did you make the hole .810"? Not only that, but you have to take the axle out to press the pin out if you ever need to remove the spindles. Seems like the hard way around if you ask me.

 

I would think a .002 press fit wouldn't turn so well, if that tight in both axle and spindle. As far a reaming goes, oil won't "bind" up your reamer, it often produce's a better finish. The most important part is keeping the reamer in line with the hole to be reamed. I would suggest to anyone doing this job to drill the hole undersize, if necessary, say 25/32" (.781") or 51/64" (.796") would be better. Use a standard 13/16" (.812") reamer, or even better an adjustable to hit .810" to .812" then hone to size.
All the bases are covered, your fit is good and any roughness is taken out by the hone, giving a better surface (meaning more accurate). A reamer alone can work fine, in experinced hand's but the finish for a good bearing fit is easier with a hone.

 

If you look under this past Dec/Jan "tech month", I showed a way to make a cheap reamer that WORKS.