In the process of rebuilding the front-end of my '68 F250 with discs, I've picked and pulled off parts until I've come to the dreaded king pins. Referring to my trusty shop manual, it says to just drive the old ones out and install the new ones...easy for the book to say. I've given it all I've got with a 1/2" drive socket and a 4 lb. sledge and can't even begin to budge these suckers.

Questions: Do I really need to replace the king pins on this truck with about 120K miles (I'm sure these parts are originals)? If I need to replace them, how do I go about it? I guess I could call a couple garages and ask their opinions. What are the ramifications of replacing the king pins? Would they have an impact on or affect the truck's alignment? I've heard something about shims, but haven't seen any, where are they and how does one add/delete shims, etc.?

As always, all help is greatly appreciated.

Jim

 

I had a discussion at an auto parts store about king pin replacement w/ a Ford enthusiast (kind of hard to find a counter person who knows and likes Fords). I have a 76 that has a galled kingpin on one side. My understanding is that when you jack the wheel up off the ground, that if you grab the wheel at the top and bottom (12 o'clock and 6 o'clock) and it has play, then the king pins are worn. The store guy told me that taking the entire I-beams off and replaceing all the bushings is the thing to do. Take the I-beam to machine shop, or a buddy w/ a several ton press (I actually have a buddy who makes certified airplane parts and has a 20 ton press) There are apperently Teflon kingpin bushings you can use that aren't that hard to deal with, or the stock bronze kingpin bushings that need to be honed (again at the local machine shop) The rest of the suspension can be fairly easily refreshed. It's apperently (I haven't tried this yet) fairly easy to get the parts on and off, and the new bushing (radius arm ect) aren't alot of money.

Good luck, and if you do this, let me know how it went

BBT

 

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Thanks Thom and BBT for the insight. I thought I remembered a former post but couldn't locate it yesterday.

As for the latter questions, how will changing the king pins affect alignment? What I'm trying to avoid is having to tear the whole assembly down again to add/subtract shims (I've heard that you cannot do this post reassembly) after I have the new pins installed.

 

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I've been planning to do the king pins in my 66 for about 2 years now, so I'll let you know, but I am under the impression that the camber/caster was adjusted by bending the i-beams and toe-in/out with the tie-rod? I wasn't aware of any shims other than under the coil springs.
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Stockman. What about this shims under the front coils business? My old bug droops to the right and I was not able to cure this by swapping the front coils left to right. So I bought a new set of coils from Eaton in Detroit. I expected the new right coil to be a little taller than the left (offset engine and stuff). But they are the same. Rear springs are new, also Eaton. I’ll be installing these springs this week end. It would be nice if a shim is needed, I could install it then. By the way there are shims between the axle I beam and the spindle on your 66. These shims are of various thickness’ and take up machining slack between the I beam and spindle. I used a press to get out the old pins and the same press made quick work of the old metal bushings as well. I cleaned everything up and installed nylon bushings, shims, the support bearings and pins. I should have done this off the truck cause the alignment Guy showed me a little slack on one side between the spindle and I Beam. These shims will be in the rebuild kit. Save one of the old King Pins to use as a guide to help install the bushings, spacers and support bearing. I push one from the top and one from the bottom and work in the space in the middle I then push out the old pin as the new one goes in. Be careful you don’t damage the threads for the screw in covers that hold the grease fittings.
William in Atlanta

 

William, are the shims the paper thin washer-like pieces included with the kingpin kit? If that's what is considered a shim I really can't see how these things would affect alignment. I have the factory shop manual and it doesn't say anything about incorporating these pieces in the installation. Then again the shop manual makes replacing the pins look like a piece of cake in the first place.

By the way, I could not drive the pins out while the axles were on the truck so I've completely removed and will be sending off to the shop this week. However, I really think this is a completely futile endeavor because I don't think the old pins were too bad...just happen to be 32 years old and seemingly needed to be replaced.

Thanks to all for the help with this project.

Jim

 

Jim, you could be bolting in I-beams with the disc on them while you are screwing aroung with all this running back and forth, and you are already half way there.

just my opinion.

John
jowilker@nc.freei.net

66 F100s
In the still cool hours of the night, you can hear chevys rusting away.

 

I have changed quite a few kingpins at work. One of the tricks that we use to drive the pins out is to apply heat along with a penitrating oil help unfreeze the kingpin. Use a propane torch or something with a lower heat.

I will recomend the bronze bushing just for the fact that they will last longer. Yes you will have to have a machine shop install and hone the bushing into the spindle.

When you install the kingpin fallow the directions as to the insulations of the shims and bearing plate. The shims included with the kingpin are for up and down freeplay not to change any alignment angles.

After you have replaced your kingpins take your truck to a shop to have it aligned.
Toe is set by adjusting the tie rod end.
Camber is set by the bending of your I-Beams
Caster can be set by replacing you radius arm bushing with an ecentric cam bushing. This will usually allow for up to 2 degresse of change.

Hope this have helped

 

Jim! The paper thin shims are to adjust slack between the spindle and I Beam. They do not affect alignment. Few if any of you Guys will ever wear out a set of nylon king pin bushings. And they are so much easier to work with. I also advocate installing the assembled spindle and I beam as a unit. Putting these parts together on a bench is really much easier.
William in Atlanta

 

Gracias to all of those who took time to answer my questions. I feel a lot better about the whole process now. I didn't think the kingpins had anything to do with alignment, but it's better to be safe and ask than to be sorry in the long-run.

The axles/spindles are at my uncle's shop (unbelievably well-equipped including a shop press) a couple hours from my home. I will pick up the finished products this weekend and put the front-end back together starting next week.

John, I already have discs on the front, but thanks for the advice as I probably would have installed discs while doing this project.

Jim

 

Jim I didn't know that you already had the discs on your 68, thought by what I read you were putting them on. That may be why your king pins are in such good shape, as that truck didn't come with them. ;-)

John
jowilker@nc.freei.net

66 F100s
In the still cool hours of the night, you can hear chevys rusting away.

 

Jim,

I've looked thru my manuals and can't find the minimum amount of play that they recommend, have you got a figure? The shim pack in the pin set are all .007 so it kind of limits the end play you have to live with. Anybody know?

Jim

 

That may be
>why your king pins are
>in such good shape, as
>that truck didn't come with
>them. ;-)
>
>John
>jowilker@nc.freei.net


Didn't the F250's with power brakes have discs? I thought they did starting in 68...

 

1968 was the first year the power disc brakes were an option on the trucks with smaller displacement engines and standard on those with the 390 cid.

Jim