so i got a kingpin set from napa and tried putting them in this last weekend, i knocked out the worn bushings from my spindles and knocked in the new ones. then i started the kingpin in from the top of the spindle but once it got to the part of the bushing where the grease goes in the kingpin caught the edge of the triangular hole and blew the bushing to pieces. i decided to try again on the other side but the same thing happened!?!


if some one can please walk me through what went wrong it would be greatly appreciated.

 

once you get the bushings pressed in, you have to have them machined to match the kingpin.


If the kingpin will fit into an unmachined bushing, you're probablu going to need a new one of those too, as its worn out

 

that explains a lot... so thats why the NEW kingpin was bringing metal shavings out of the bushing... what sort of place do i need to take my spindles with new bushings to? Please dont say "a machine shop..."

 

Usually heavy truck shops have the reamers to do kingpins( like Peterbilt, Navistar, Mack). The other option is a ...you said not to say that!!

 

so like a napa machine shop mabey?

 

There are some machine shops that are also NAPA parts places, so yes, maybe. But most of them probably not.

Have you considered the nylon bushings? They are not as good, but those don't need to be reamed. Just drive em in and then drive the kings in and you are done.

Last time I checked, I thought the king pin sets always came with new pins and bushings both.

 

the sets do as far as i know but my set came with brass bushings and i dont realy want to have to replace them ****s all the time, where would i go about getting nylon bushings?

 

Most parts places list both types.

 

alright thanks for the info guys i talked to the napa machine shop and they said they would press the bushings in and machine them for $50 so ima go that route.

thanks for the help guys!

 

Now, I'm gonna date myself here, but I remember when most everything had kingpins. Back in the 50s when you needed kingpins you ordered 'em from "Monkey-Wards" and they came in a set; kingpins, bushings, thrust bearings, lock bolts and (most important of all) a combination bushing driver and reamer. I remember a friend of mine who put a set of kingpins and bushings in hi '47 Ford without reaming the bushings and you could barely steer it; it would not return to center either. Anyhow, I wonder if you took the kingpin with you to a tool supplier if a reamer could not be purchased for much less than a machinist would charge to do the work? Maybe not cause I know tools are expensive today. Just a thought. Brian G. NY

 

I remember working at the Ford dealer and we had all these reamers to do the job in my parts room. The dealer went belly up in 79 and I didn.t go to the auction. I probably could have gotten them for a song. Oh, well.............

Barry

 

About four years ago I called a reamer manufacturer in Conn. wanting to buy an align
reamer for a 5000 lb Rockwell front axle, the cost would have been $187.00. I asked if
they made them for the old Fords they would same price. I bought one years ago for
15 dollars. I think I still have it, maybe I should consider rental. Boys this world is nuts
I remember buying four gallons of gas for a dollar.

 

My dad bought a reamer for my/his 65, which I still have. The 65 reamer is rather specific, as the pins are a couple thousands smaller (or maybe larger) than later years.

As an aside, as it is worth mentioning -- the difference is king pins do NOT mean that you cannot do the swap to front disk brakes to a 66 or 65 from a 78, for instance. I used the 65 kings in the 78 spindles and everything was fine and dandy. The few thousands here or there was overcame with some grease and 5 lb sledge. But I do think that in a complete new king pin/bushing install, it would be best to have the right reamer.

And don't ask me to loan my reamer.

 

For a 68-69 the pin is .860". There is a special reamer that has a pilot shaft with a cone that slides on the pilot and centers in the opposite bushing. This will keep both bushing bores in line. To hone makes the bushings "bell mouthed" and loose with all the grit, once cleaned the fit will be as loose like the old worn bushings. 95% of shops will hone as they don't have the proper reamer for our old iron. I'm lucky as I purchased a king pin reamer NIB at a machine tool auction for $35. Machined bushing drivers so all work is done at home. A tight Twin-I-Beam front end is a joy to drive.

Carl....=o&o>....

 

I have to defend the honing processs one more time. Gentelmen if you can hone the bushings in connecting rods, pistons on a precision Sunnen hone which now most likely costs what some of the cheaper cars do it will not mess up bushings. The bearing contactsurface will be 98 percent verses 80 using a reamer. By the way connecting
rod big ends are also honed on theses machines.