The kingpins need to be replaced on my truck. I am getting ready to order them from LMC and don't know if I should get the ones with metal bushings or the ones with nylon bushings. What do you guys recomend? Also, I figured I would go ahead and do the radius arm bushings and axle pivot bushings while I am at it. I can do the bushings myself no problem, but am going to have somebody else do the kingpins. Would it be cheaper to just take the I-beams to the shop and have the kingpins pressed in, rather than taking the whole truck since i will have the front end dropped for the bushings anyway?
-Nick Good

 

You only want to do this job one time, buy the the metal bushings.

 

And I would recommend taking the whole shebang to a shop to have the old kingpins pressed out. Waaaaaaay easier than heating and using a BFH to try and force them out.

I'll second the use of metal bushings.

After it's all said and done be sure to make it a routine to grease those kingpins regularly.

Josh

 

X3 on the metal bushings. The only drawback to the metal ones is once they are pressed in you need to have them honed to size to fit the king pin.
As long as they are greased regularly, they will last virtually forever.

 

X4 on metal

 

Thanks for the input. I am curious to see what people have paid to get them done. Also, did you guys just drop of the I-beams or the whole truck, because i figured it would be somewhat cheaper if I just took the I-beams to the shop since I would not have to pay them to dissasemble as much.
Thanks, Nick

 

It would be way cheaper to just take the beams in to have the old pins pressed out.

A machine would just charge normal labor rate to press the pins out, press old bushings, install new bushings and hone.

At at truck or suspension shop you have the disassembly of the entire front end and then whatever they try to do to get the pins out. Some leave everything attached and try to heat the beams to ge the pin to move. Others would take the beams in to another shop and you then get charged DOUBLE.

I had mine done in 2000, I think I paid more for the kingpin kit than I did for the machine shop costs as the work was done in well under an hour.

Josh

 

What exactly are the symptoms of worn out king pins? Loose front end feel?

I've adjusted the nut on my steering box to take out a lot of slack in the steering system, but there is still a noticeable ammount of play... sound like king pins?

 

No, the kingpins start seizing and make the steering extremely hard and after awhile they squeal like a pig.

Pretty darn embarrasing trying to fanagle your way into a Safeway parking spot at the front and everyone starts looking around like "WTF?"

Josh