trouble with king pins

Im having trouble getting my kingpins through my axle. This is my first time doing these and i know its supposed to be a snug fit but they wont go all the way through and before i beat on them with a hammer id like to find out what i need to do before i end up scrapping them accidentally.

 

Are the new king pins in an old axle?

 

somethings off. they should slide through the axle with-out much effort. what are you using? new, used, after-market?

 

Are they gooing throw the spindle with ease????? If thats good. Then take the king pin and try to put it in just the axle. If good you will Know that you have somehting wrong or the spindels are up side down. You my need to take a small ball hown and clean out the Axle a little. Let me know if it works. STRANGERODZ..

 

the spindles and kingpins are new and fit perfectly and the axle is old.

 

you didnt get a 10 over set by accident did you?? these old axles stretch easy and 10 and 20 over sets are common....rust in the bore when old driven out ussually makess them looser not tighter?? Brass bushings in spindles needed honed right? HMMMMM Jeff www.swainsspring.com

 

Did you have them reamed or honed after pressing the bushings in?? They make a special piloted reamer for this task - otherwise a machine shop could hone them for you.

EDIT: OOPS! I mis-read this post - I completely missed the part about "going thtu the axle" I was thinking you had issues with the bushings.

I would suggest that you MIC the old versus the NEW just to make sure you're working with good parts!!!! Did the old ones just "drop" out or did you have to force them a little?

 

Ive never had any trouble getting them through the axle before. Im curious about this now... Where did you get theking pin set from?

 

Freeze the king pin in thefreeze overnight. Keep the axle warm with a troule light on it or something. LIBERALLY smear the hole with Lucas oil stabalizer and using a brass drift or a press, assemble it and press it through.
Don

 

i got the steering & disc brake kit through speedway. i think it might work if i hone it and freeze the pins might actually get it to work.

 

I got my kin for there too. try honing the axle and the bushing are all ready reamed so you good there. Hone then try the freeze. It worked on my 30 axle it was just rusty....

 

The bushings need to be reamed out with an adjustable reamer, so the pin is a light push through the bushings. I was taught how to do this 50 years ago and I've done hundreds of them since. If you have to freeze the pins & heat the housings, the bushings are too tight.

Note that there are some applications in which the king pins float and are designed to be somewaht loose. My '37 Chevy coupe with the Dubonnet ("Knee Action") is one such example.

When in doubt, buy a shop manual and read it..........

 

Yes the kingpins should fit your "axle" without alot of force. I've seen them where old grease has hardened up inside as well as rust. Most times if your kingpin is going in but getting hung up, the problem above could be the cause. I just take my pocket knife and scrape out the rust and crude and run a rag soaked with some penetrant through the hole back and forth and retry. If you have to tap them in use a brass hammer or a plastic headed hammer. Should'nt have to get crazy with a steel hammer. The locking bolt is what hold's them in the axle and there is a groove cut in the kingpin to align the two.