i never had any shimming before ,, i need to get this thing running and go down the road and see how it goes ,, i have looked at the king pins dont seem that hard to change ,, i am about to get this thing running all i like is steering column install and bleeding the system ,, that first trip down the road is going to be scary you know
thanks

 

Just changing the king pins generally won't fix anything. There are bronze bushings in the spindles that are the wear points. They have to be pressed in and then honed to the proper spec.

I took mine to a machine shop and he pressed in the new bushings and honed them for me for $40.

I did end up having to get another axle as the king pin bores in my axle were oblonged out.

Do a search on king pin replacement as there have been many threads on the subject.

To check yours, jack up the axle and try to move the tire by grasping it at 12 and o'clock. If it moves more that an eighth inch or so, your bushings are worn.

 

thanks dmack
i am getting closer to finishing ,, i got it running and working on getting the air out takes time

 

I made a power bleeder to do mine. It was a pain to make a top cap that would seal on the mc mounted under the cab, but it worked well once done.

To tell on myself, I was having trouble getting pedal pressure. Finally preloaded the mc and found that the fronts were getting pressure but the rears were spinning freely. Pulled the drums and discovered that when I replaced everything in the brake system, I never spun out the adjusters on the rear brakes. As soon as I adjusted them, I had brakes. Imagine that.

Good luck with everything.

 

Dmack, He's talking about bleeding the power steering system not the brakes.
To bleed the PS pump, with engine running turn the wheels fully to one side and hold, it should bump as the pressure relief valve opens and closes. Bump it 3 or 4 times and return to neutral. Check pump rez level and refill as required. Turn to other side and bump a few times, return. Check level. Repeat until level does not change. System is bled.

 

Yep thats what i did, , hope to get it on the ground today

 

That's what happens when I don't keep up with the posts. Sorry for the tangent.

Good luck with it and keep up the progress.

 

Well the air is out its time go on the road,, i am nervous

 

well got it on the ground and it seems to be harder to steer than i was thinking , also it seems to be just a tad bit easier 1 way than the other too , i checked i do see a little cloudiness in the fluid ,, i am doing some research to see whats going on

later

update ,,

i think i need to change the pressure ?? i did see kits from jegs and summit ,, i dont know how much a GM should have on a toyota gear box ,, still looking

 

Since the only way to tell what pressure your pump is set for since it was a new (rebuilt?) pump, I'd buy the pressure kit and try adjusting the pressure until you find what you like. Or you could pull out the pressure relief valve and see how many shims are under it. I don't remember without searching if you add or reduce the number of spacers to increase the pressure. You may be able to adjust it without buying the kit depending on how it's currently set up? Make sure the drive belt isn't slipping. Remember it isn't going to be fingertip steering.like a caddilac, it should be noticeably easier than stock tho. What diameter steering wheel you using? Radials or bias ply tires? Did you check the tire pressure?

 

thanks ax
i am using the OEM steering wheel ,, the front tires are 235 maybe ,, its not bad at all ,, i think still might have a tad bit of air too , i hear a wine when turning the wheel ,, like a ford lol i am driving it to church tom and see how it does maybe i need to drive it some and get all the air out , i was expecting some different i guess ,, i saw a video of a guy that had a car it was way too easy and it was all over the road and he added 3 shims ( by the instructions ) to make it a little harder to steer ,,i'll you know after tom
thanks ax almost there

 

well if adding shims decreases pressure than removing them would increase it (but I'd check to make sure) so pulling the valve and start removing shims until you like it or you run out of shims. If you run out of shims before you like it then you would need to change the pulley size on the pump to make it spin faster. Bias ply tires steer harder than radials. Have you greased the front end?

 

yeah i have greased the front end several times , i am running radials i think 225 or 235 ,, i am going to drive it today and see if its gets better ,, anothe guy i know ran a RP and he said it took a while to get the air out and it also made a little noise at first ,, maybe its me over reacting as always

thanks

 

well went for a drive today and got to 50 or so everything went great,, i do feel some road in steering wheel little that is no shimmy or shaking ,, but i do have some hissing sound when turning the wheel either way ,, i would have thought all the air would be out by now no ???

please input on thing thanks

 

Hissing is likely just oil bypassing valve in box. not likely air, system bleeds out pretty easily, just check level often until it holds level for a while. Insulate the cab and you likely won't hear it (or get louder exhaust! ). Direct coupled steering column with U joint will give more road feel than a rag joint or vibration damper sleeve.