King Pin Help

DavidNevada · Post by **DavidNevada** » September 5, 2010, 7:29 pm

My left front wheel is VERY loose - probably moves a least 5 degrees if you grab the wheel at 12 and 6 O'Clock with it jacked up. My mechanic says he would remove the entire i-beam and have it machined for an oversized bushing. I read here on slick 60s some guys recommend using the nylon bushings to avoid the trip (and the $) to the machine shop.

My neighbor is retired but owned a service station/garage back in the day. He says we could simply leave the i-beam installed on the truck and knock out the old bushings with an air chisel. Then we would re-assemble with the nylon bushings. He says it is unlikely the bushings on the spindle would need replacing.

Opinions? I've never done king pins and I'm not afraid to try, but I don't want to mess up my truck with a brute-force approach. Nylon or metal? Air chisel or ????

F7BIGJOB · Post by **F7BIGJOB** » September 5, 2010, 8:02 pm

I've done a ton of them on buses [18 years in that industry] they all had bronze, we used to install them and ream them to fit the pin. When I worked for my uncle, we had a '68 C40 tow truck and we were constantly replacing pins/bushings [320+K miles by 1979] they had nylon bushings that didn't wear out, but would wear the axle. I'd stay away from nylon myself.

-Steve.

DavidNevada · Post by **DavidNevada** » September 5, 2010, 8:25 pm

Thanks. Did you ream the new bushings with the i-beam still on the truck?

F7BIGJOB · Post by **F7BIGJOB** » September 5, 2010, 8:37 pm

DavidNevada wrote:Thanks. Did you ream the new bushings with the i-beam still on the truck?

Yes.they only time axle was pulled was 'cause it was worn as well.
If I remember right, we had 2 or 3 different ones depending on the size.
-Steve.

it's been aboout 16 years since I've done ANY

and I think we only ever had to pull 1 axle as the hole was too worn out for the pin.

Thanx Don, I knew they are in spindles, didn't 'click'=Steve

don morris II · Post by **don morris II** » September 5, 2010, 8:37 pm

the bushings are on the spindle not the i beam so you leave the i beam on the truck you remove the spindle hope this helps

DavidNevada · Post by **DavidNevada** » September 5, 2010, 8:53 pm

Thanks Don. I guess I'm not understanding the assembly. The kingpin does go thru the end of the i-beam - yes?

don morris II · Post by **don morris II** » September 5, 2010, 9:00 pm

don morris II · Post by **don morris II** » September 5, 2010, 9:03 pm

the pin is locked in the i beam with a tapered pin and does not move the spindle pivets on the pin so the bushings are in the spindle

ezernut9mm · Post by **ezernut9mm** » September 5, 2010, 9:55 pm

please don't get the nylon bushings or "no ream". they are junk. they have my company sold on them and they wear after less than a year on big trucks.
get the metal ones and have your spindles reamed. you won't be sorry.

F7BIGJOB · Post by **F7BIGJOB** » September 6, 2010, 5:12 am

ezernut9mm wrote:please don't get the nylon bushings or "no ream". they are junk. they have my company sold on them and they wear after less than a year on big trucks.
get the metal ones and have your spindles reamed. you won't be sorry.

That's what I was saying

DavidNevada · Post by **DavidNevada** » September 6, 2010, 4:58 pm

Thanks guys. I'm kinda embarrassed I had the assemply backwards in my head. I thought the bushings were in the axle. I obviously misunderstood what the mechanic said. But I learned something and that's worth a little embarrassment. I'm gonna go with the metal bushings.