Projects How would you fix this? King pin bore

i installed can original Ford axle I had dropped in my 56 F100. I am buttoning it all up, but ran into a snag. The truck had a fresh king pin job and the pins slid out of the original axle no problem, on the dropped axle, they will not go in the axle. I think maybe the heat from dropping warped them a smidge. I honed and used a rat tail file in the boss on one side, but man that’s taking forever.

Has anyone ever ran into this problem? What did you do to fix it? The king pin is 7/8 of, was thinking of picking up a 7/8 drill bit and cleaning the holes up that way?

 

find the correct size ream.

nick

 

NOT a drill bit, use the proper sized reamer!

 

A rat tail file and/or a drill bit are not the sort of things that should be used on the front end of a hot rod..........maybe 60 yrs ago when the car could only be expected to get to 60mph with a tailwind you might have gotten away with it but..........not in 2019.........either get the proper sized ream and acquire the skills to do it your self or take it to the man..........andyd.

 

I know you are "do it myself rather than farm it out" but Sids repairs those as one of the processes when they drop an axle. That and set the camber to specs.
I doubt you can find someone who can set it up on a Sunnen Hone and hone it just because of the challange of keeping the axle straight with the hone when you hone it. Also I don't know of a similar portable hone off hand.

 

I have a King Pin Press Kit somewhere that has reamers for this operation-Damn thing has not been used in 30 years——Now What happened to that DAMN screwdriver?


Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Too small is an easy fix with the right reamer, as has been said. Be glad it’s not too big, that’s not so easy to fix.

You might try heating them a little to see if the pin will then slide it. Now before I get jumped onto , I said a “ little “ bit. You want the pin to be tight in the axle, before you have to buy a reamer.





Bones

 

Adjustable reamer and sneak up on it...........

 

What about the business that dropped it, can they rectify things since they did the original work. I would have thought that it'd be checked for quality control before it left the building?

 

Take is to a local machine shop, they will have a reamer in stock and it will be light work for them to do.

How small did the hole get? By lots or just a bit?

An adjustable reamer can be bought and used by hand to get the hole round again, slow light passes untill it all fits?

 

I think first you need to measure how much difference in the two. I think the king pin is .812. The adjustable reamer that you can sneak up on is a good plan.....

 

Did the hole shrink? Or is it undersized in one direction and oversize in another?

 

you said the original axle had just had a king pin replacement?are you sure the pins aren't oversize from that job?

 

^^^Yep, mic your pins, then ream to your needed size. Same as you would before you bore a block-the machinist should have to components on hand Pistons, etc. prior to machining.
Ream or hone is the only way to get this matched up so you don't have excess front end slop, which would make driving it a hand full.

It does bring up the question of having an axle dropped. Is this typical of having an axle dropped or did too much heat get applied on this one? Does the guy dropping the axle typically check/take care of this or is the expectation that the customer has work to address once he gets the axle back in his shop?

 

With as many old Fords that you build, you should buy an adjustable reamer to do spindle bushing jobs so you have it on hand. I got one (with the alignment attachment for two holes) from McMaster Carr 10-15 years that has more than paid for itself: https://www.mcmaster.com/adjustable-reamers
Get one. It will be well worth the $150. I have done multiple spindle bushings as well as cleaned up a few axles bosses.

 

My brother (see above) and I cleaned up the bores on a few axles this winter as we were assembling a chassis. I think they were slightly warped during the dropping process, like yours is. We used the same reamer he uses to ream the kingpin bushings, except we used a lot more oil. Didn't seem to harm the reamer blades. Every hot rodder (or their brother) should have a king pin reamer.

 

I bought a 1940 ford axle with the same issue. Someone had hammered the king pins out and mushroomed the hole in the axle. Filed the high spot and reamed it.

 

Thanks guys! Sounds like I will invest in a reamer. Funny thing, I have done quite a few dropped axles, this is the first one I have ever had this problem. The pin starts but only goes maybe a 1/16th ways down the hole and stops. I tried tapping it, and it's just way too tight. Popped the pin out and two sides of the bore had drag marks. So I think it is ever so slightly egg shaped. I tried a rat tail file and a wheel cylinder hone, just to see if it would clean up. But didn't make much progress. So I stopped.

For king pins, my dad has an engine building business and I usually use his Sunnen Hone to do king pin bushings. It's slow but works very well. I thought about taking the axle there and using it, but honestly you guys are right, I should have a reamer on hand.

Also to clarify, I am not sure on the pins and if they are oversized. I have a dial indicator but it is not digital, so it works about as good as a tape Another tool I need to invest in. But again, usually these things go together pretty easily for me in the past.

As far as the guy who dropped it, I am not slighting him at all. He may have checked it and it measured fine up top. Or maybe my pins are indeed oversized? Regardless, this is something I can fix, so no harm no foul

Thanks for the help.

 

I looked at McMaster Car, the bummer is, early Ford king pins are .812 diameter, and F-100's are .8595. The reamers for the early Ford size go up to .8438...meaning the reamer for the F-100 would not work for early Fords. It is what it is, but kind of a bummer to buy a reamer that may only be used once. If it fit early Fords, I may wear it out

 

Look at the adjustable reamers, they may have one that will work for both!

 

As the go-to-guy for old Effies in the Pacific NW I think you should own a reamer that fits them. Eventually you will own every single one of those trucks, and you can send them all down the road with fresh kingpins.

 

Unfortunately no, the two sizes I would like to have are for .812 and .8595 pins. The reamers are for:
.7813-.8438
.8438-.9375

So, I would need two reamers.

 

I am sure it would get used more then once

 

If you are patient you can probably get good old NOS reamers at a good price on the auction site. Avoid used ones unless you can see them in hand because most will be dulled to the point of being unusable.

I tried to order some replacement blades for Cleveland adjustable reamers a couple years ago with no luck, Cleveland may have stopped making them.

 

I bought a long pilot reamer for doing sprint car spindles here:

http://www.chadwickreamers.com/angle_blade_adj_lp.php?adjust_measure=fractional

I want to say it was roughly $125 for the correct size to do 0.859" pins. The pilot is nice because it ensures the reamer is going straight down the bore.

 

Mic your pins and I'll mic my reamer and if it's the right one I'll mail to to you and you can mail it back.....It's not adjustable.....I used it on my '55 years ago...

 

Now thats team work. Good job Mike.....

 

Chris, a quick search of the dreaded auction site , I found a guy selling a whole set of adjustable reamers , individually, for 19.99 apiece. Old, but never used. Had both your sizes still available. Might check there. Forty bucks, plus shipping... problem solved.
Contact Seller twojs .



Bones

 

I have a kingpin bushing reamer but it is .861 so obviously the bushing hole is a little larger than the axle hole. I also have one for the .812 and would give them to you for the postage, but don't know if it would help in your particular situation. PM if interested.

 

Thanks guys. I found an adjustable reamer at Granger here in town for 35.00 that goes .8438-.9375. I'll spend the big bucks on the early Ford version beings it would get used a heck of a lot more. So I ran out and grabbed it. I also picked up a digital caliper and guess what...these king pins are .010 over, (.8695) explaining my issue. I am glad @oldtom69 mentioned it, I know oversized king pins are made but I just didn't think about it last night. So, I will ream the bores and it should be like new again. Thank you everyone for the help, I truly appreciate it. Like Gene Winfield says: "every day is a school day"