Kingpin bushing reaming

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Aug 16, 2006 | 03:33 PM

microb

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Kingpin bushing reaming

Wow this really sucks. I purchased a new kingpin set from midfifty along with new tie rod ends wheel bearings, races, and seals. Now I'm ready to get started but one problem. I cant find a machine shop anywhere in my area that still reams kingpin bushings, and I can't find the tool anywhere either to do it myself. Even if I could come up with a tool I am worried about screwing up somehow since I've never done this before. And I thought I would just open the phonebook, make a quick call and get it done....

Mike

Aug 16, 2006 | 04:27 PM

fking1

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From: Michigan

i'm sure you can find a reamer at a machine shop supply vendor. I have an adjustable one my Dad gave me from when he had many 50's pickups. Reaming a bit at a time and trying the pins worked out for me.

Fred

Aug 16, 2006 | 04:53 PM

microb

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After asking around everywhere here I was given a number of a guy about 40mi away in a very small town who has his own small shop. It sounded like he was very knowledgeable and had done quite a few of these in the past. He said he would press them and ream them both for $50. That sounds like a pretty good price to me to have someone who is experienced do the job. Now I have a really stupid question. I have only had this truck a short time and this is the first work that I have done that requires jacking the truck. I have a craftsman 1 1/4 ton floor jack and 2 good jackstands. My question is where is the safest place to jack the front end from and where to install the stands. It will need to be up for a couple days because the guy that is reaming the bushings is in the middle of other jobs and said he would work them in between other jobs. My floor jack will not extend high enough to jack up the frame rail. I have considered using a couple of 2x6 boards to raise the height of the jack, but I'm not sure if this is safe or not. Otherwise what I want to know is if it is ok to jack the front axle one side at a time and install the jack stands under the front frame rails in front of the leaf springs. I know this is a very amateur question but I really would appreciate any help so I dont damage anything or land a truck on myself. Thanks,

Mike

Aug 16, 2006 | 04:57 PM

fking1

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From: Michigan

Jack the front axle, this is what I always do. It's worth $50 to have the kingpins done.

Fred

Aug 16, 2006 | 05:06 PM

microb

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Thanks for the help Fred, I'll be sure to let everyone know how it works out.
Mike

Aug 16, 2006 | 05:57 PM

ALBUQ F-1

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From: NM

Ask the local shops if they can hone your bushings with a Sunnen adjustable hone. This does as good or better job than reaming (but the hone has to be long enough to go thru BOTH bushings at once!)

Your jack may be on the small side, not from a purely weight capacity point of view, but I have one of those and feel much safer using a 3-ton floor jack. The height may be an issue too, for the smaller jack. The bottom of the axle is not horizontal, it slopes up at the outsides. The bigger load cup on the big jack gets a better grip and can lift higher parts on trucks.

I've found the 3-ton jack to be indispensable for truck work, you might want to pony up now, rather than later. By all means use good 4-legged jackstands!

Aug 17, 2006 | 11:15 AM

jaye

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From: S.C.

I've used a scissor and a bottle jack on my 55 and has never had any problems getting it on jack stands. They are also what I used when I replaced both the front/rear springs and brackets. Once you get it jacked up I would put the jack stands near the front horns and chak the rear tires in the fron and rear. You will definitely get a better ride after replacing the king pins; after I replaced mine the truck rode like a Caddy (well...not really that good)
Jaye