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Kingpin Rebuild - mklotz70


mklotz70

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I link to this thread on my site and refer people to it.  It's been bothering me that so much of this first post is bad links and useless/outdated info.  I'm going to edit this quite a bit.  I have pics in my photobucket(PB).  The first link is to the How-to King pin album.  It won't be much help, but it may help someone.

 

https://app.photobucket.com/u/mklotz70/a/52c18fc5-2c53-4675-b042-774ed4ff9a7b

 

This link is to my PB account if you want to check out some of the 9000+ images and videos. lol

https://app.photobucket.com/u/mklotz70

 

The factory manuals have the removal/replacement information and the specs for the king pins.  You can download the 521 and 320 manuals(free) on my site. The 620 will be similar and if you google the manuals, you should find one or two sites with free downloads available for the manuals.

 

http://www.bluehandsinc.com/manuals.html

 

I've got a ton(43?) of videos about rebuilding the king pins on my youtube channel bluehandsvideo.  Here's a link to the playlist. A lot of these....maybe all....will be in this thread.

 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAUFP46xkHEzqD5J9c36-dVrcjcUd3npX

 

 

 

This thread will be a great place for questions and suggestions.

 

 

I came up with an idea to press the kingpin up from the bottom. Rather than machine a piece to do it, I found a harmonic balancer for $20 and modified it. That saved me a ton of time which was nice considering it didn't work. I'm going to post the info anyway since I think it would work fine for a kingpin that is not stuck. I really wanted the long "bolt" from the balancer kit. The second use after pressing out the kingpin was to use it to remove the bushings and press them back in too. I was going to machine a block that would bolt to the bottom of the spindle where the steering arm bolts. That would hold the bolt in alignment so that it would be easier to do the rest of the bushing work. Similar to this....

 

KingpinPressSR.jpg?width=960&height=720&

 

I'm not going to follow through on any of that now since it didn't work to press out the pin. I know how to make an "on vehicle" press piece, but it would be quite involved and end up so expensive that no one would want to buy it. I don't want to deal with a loaner tool....I was going to sell it...that person could do their kingpins and then sell it to the next guy that wanted to do it. If everyone sold it for $20 less than they bought it, eventually, it would be a free loaner tool guys could pass around.....but you know dang well someone would just keep the dang thing. Anyway.... I think the only option I might consider after this is to simply do kingpin rebuilds for guys that send me their spindles/dogbones. The price will be somewhere in the $2oo range and they'll need to clean them up nice and send the kingpin kit along with them. Okay...enough...onto pics and vids...

 

edit(6/9/21)....removed pic links that were not working and completely irrelevant anyway.  The pullers I was trying to use just didn't work.  A big hammer did. :) 

 

Edited by mklotz70
update bad pic links
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Finally!

 

Instead of posting up bunch of short vids, I used youtube to combine several.....but for as long as it takes, I may just post up the short ones. I can decide later if I want to combine/edit, or I may just come up with a better one later and scrap these. I probably won't delete them, I just won't use them in the final cut for my web page.

 

 

 

 

....and almost a half hour later, I got the second one.

 

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Geez! Took me another 10 min to figure out that I needed to pull down the display where it shows all my vids, then do a right button click and a copy link location.....that put the vids into the post. It's supposed to be a "learning CURVE!" .....seems to be a learning wall for me...I have to beat my head against it to figure stuff out! .....read the siggy! :)

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Mike thanks for doing this write up. I wanted to do a similar one but if you dont mind i'll just throw in what I call my 2 secrets one being fact and the other an opinion.

 

The fact, I found last time I did my king pins is that the locking pin or whatever the name for it is doesn't seat all the way on the kink pin on installation. I did a dry fit snugging the nut down hard but not too hard that I couldn't get it back out and the king pin still wobbled.

 

100_5109.jpg

 

So I got out my dremel and shaved it down a bit.

 

100_5106.jpg

 

Now the pin seats just fine when tightened down. This took care of a mountain of slop that I dont think people even know they have.

 

100_5110.jpg

 

Now on to my opinion. I like to test fit the shims until I cant get the next shim in then on reassembly I put the shims in the top first and then gently tap the bearing into the bottom. The spindle moves freely with no slop.

 

Test fit.

 

100_5115.jpg

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Great tip about the cotter bolt/pin. I'll check into that when I get to that point. I don't remember it being a prob before, but it was years ago and I may not have even done a test fit.

 

So, you put the shims on top? Your method is certainly a good one to get the shims into place.

 

The manual is a bit vague....they say to lift up on the spindle and take a measurement, but they don't say to put the shims in the top...at least they don't say specifically to do that. I would prefer the shims to be with the bearing....that way they don't move. If they're in the top, they will rub against each other constantly. If the shims are with the bearing, then the area at the top can get some grease that is squeezed out when they top is regreased. If the shims are up there, there isn't even any hope that grease will get between the shims....so any grit from the road will cause them to wear even more. The only down side, I can see, to having the shims with the bearing is that the spindle and the dogbone will rub against each other....but, as mentioned, I think it would be easier for grease to get in there. I'm still a bit undecided on putting the shims above or below...I'll try to do some more research. Open to other opinions :)

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Nice stuff Mike! I wish kingpins were easier. My inspection station keeps threatening to fail me for them once a year. But seeing as how I have not driving the truck in a year or so, out of sight out of mind for now.

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When I did my kingpins, I put the shims on top of the bearing, below the spindle. they way, the shims do not slide across each other, they move with the spindle, and the top of the bearing.

 

I also cleaned up the hole in the knuckle spindle support, the king pin slides through, and is held by.

The notch in the king pin needs to be lined up exactly with the king pin lock bolt. If the king pin slides through with "finger pressure", but does not move on its own, when the lock bolt is tightened, the king pin will move slightly, and align perfectly.

 

The last kin pin job I did, I made a fixture that clamped on the spindle, and held a 10 ton hydraulic cylinder, with the ram pushing on the king pin. After maxing out the hydraulic ram, I had to heat the knuckle spindle support, around the king pin, with an oxyacetylene torch. a loud bang, and the king pin moved, slightly. Reapply pressure, and then heat again, and a not so loud bang, and the pin moved again. After the third or fourth reapply pressure, and heat cycle, the pin finally moved with pressure only.

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I've been doing some searching and I've come across some validation to putting the shims with the bearing.....like I think they should be. Glad to hear you think the same.

 

Oxy/ace....I probably should have used that to see if I could get the puller to pop it loose.....but most guys won't have an O/A setup...and if they do, they probably have a shop press. The propane probably heats too slowly...allowing the heat to soak into the pin as well. I'm not surprised you 10 ton maxed out...I've heard of 20 ton presses barely being enough.

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I've been doing some searching and I've come across some validation to putting the shims with the bearing.....like I think they should be. Glad to hear you think the same.

 

Oxy/ace....I probably should have used that to see if I could get the puller to pop it loose.....but most guys won't have an O/A setup...and if they do, they probably have a shop press. The propane probably heats too slowly...allowing the heat to soak into the pin as well. I'm not surprised you 10 ton maxed out...I've heard of 20 ton presses barely being enough.

 

hey mike nice info

check out mrbigtanker 521 with new wilwood brakes is the first truck with that set up hope i can sell more

keep in touch.

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  • 1 month later...

I am so dreading this, having limited tooling that is. Can someone list some MUST HAVE tools? I saw callipers, feeler gauges, and an adjustable reamer, which I don't have. What kind of reamer was that? would any generic one work? Does anyone think any of the removal is A) easier with the parts on the truck, or B) off the truck? What are your p/n for upper and lower bushings in the dog bone? How easy/hard were those to change? I would like to do this over my 5 day work week where I can use all my tools at work. Is this a possible feat? Would I need to make a run to a shop for anything in particular? (vague question I know, depending on my skill and tooling :P) Just trying to pool together everything that I can before this goes down in the next two weeks.

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hey mike nice info

check out mrbigtanker 521 with new wilwood brakes is the first truck with that set up hope i can sell more

keep in touch.

 

Me like the setup. Maybe willing to purchase a set, but does the setup push the wheels out any over the drums? I'm trying to keep everything inside the fender wells.

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Mike is Mr. Lotz70? I dont mind doing the work and learn something new, I just hate being under prepared, if it weren't a last minute die grinder purchase I would have never gotten my rear trailing arm bushings (in my Integra) done.

 

The front axle section starts at pg 94(pdf page). They show how to do it on the vehicle. If they're stuck really badly, they make have to be put in a shop press, but you can try it on the rig.

 

http://www.davidcmur...is_and_Body.pdf

 

 

I'll be back to working on these again fairly soon. One set is Wayno's...the other set will go up for sale.

 

As for the ream.....

http://www.use-enco....;PMAKA=334-1112

...and a pic if the link doesn't work...

 

KingpinReam.jpg

 

 

this one should work. You'll want to double check the math, but I'm pretty sure the desire dimension listed in the FSM is withing the range of this ream.

 

Other than that, you need a way to push the bushings out and then push the new ones in without banging them up. I'm assuming you have hammers and drifts to get the kingpin out.

 

If you take the dogbone off the lower control arm, be extremely careful with the cotter bolt....last I heard, they are NLA!

 

 

 

Me like the setup. Maybe willing to purchase a set, but does the setup push the wheels out any over the drums? I'm trying to keep everything inside the fender wells.

 

He's got a nice setup, but maybe you could connect with him in one of his threads or a disc brake thread since this is kingpins. Would have been better if he had just pm'd me that notice.

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Now that the Z'd arms are finished, I started work on the kingpins again. Right now, the vids are all fairly short. I think when I've finished with all the rebuilds, I'll try to make one edited video, now that youtube says I can upload vids longer than 15 min :)

 

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBpodFPlCZ0

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BA68s52cJc

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thanks :)

 

I'll see how well the tube and bolt work on another spindle or two. If it works just as slick, then I may cut some tubes, buy some bolts....put them up for sale. If the brake hone ends up working....that would make for a really cheap, fairly easy way for guys to rebuild their kingpins. If it doesn't, the ream is only $20 or so anyway. Guys could get the tools and do it themselves for about $50...not counting the kingpin kit.

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