my 38 Nash's front axel is still decent, but king pins are starting to get a little sloppy... I can occasionally find NOS rebuild kits, but am curious if I'd be better off using newer tool steel alloys & having parts made ( as far as longevity ) ??? I have a very good local bearing supply store, & a buddy that's up on all the best alloys... just wondering if I could really improve on a 1938 kit ??? if it would be worth the trouble ???
In many cases older steels are very good. Sometimes even better. You are searching to improve something that does not require improvement but is MORE then adequate as is. On a Nash I would be more concerned about repairing permenantly the crack that comes in the block around the centre head bolt boss . That is something that needs improvement. Don
I think this is a good question, but I would go with the NOS parts. I have terrible luck with modern day replacement parts. The parts whorehouses should be ashamed to sell most if that crap, but the focus is on low cost, not durability.
I scored some NOS Western Auto king pins for my Model A. I would suspect the steel they are made of is better than the new stuff you can buy. One things for sure, on a fenderless car where you can see them, they look right. Not like they came from a catalog.
Thanks for the replys... I keep looking at king pin sets, when I find them on E-Bay... I guess I'll just pick one up one of these days... I'm not familiar with the crack you mention, but hope to have a good local machinist rebuild the original six in the next couple years... after I get a couple outer quirks taken care of... last year I pulled the water pump, & machined the insides to take modern sealed bearings, & a modern water seal, eliminating the need for packings & greasing the water pump ( still looks "right" )... over this next winter I hope to replace the fan oiler with a sealed bearing set up that will still look stock, & buy one of those $pendy 6 volt positive ground Energen alternators that look like a generator, & have the back face opened up, & the shaft extended to be able to drive the water pump, like the stock generator does... hopefully then next year I can do a rebuild on the internals... this is the 1st I've heard about the "crack" could that be why they have a tendency to run hot ??? BTW... I can have parts made in heat treatable alloys, that I'm sure might be harder / better than the 30's steel, but could open up a can of worms, by wearing parts that are not easily replaceable, instead of having the easy to replace parts softer, & thus wear more, than some of the not so easy to replace parts ???
Go with NOS from the original mfgr. They knew exactly what they were doing back then, they knew all about alloying different types of steel etcetc they were veryvery smart. The kingpin set you have in the car can't be the original is it? Maybe the 2nd set in 70ish years? You can't ask for better than that. I certanly would not trust an aftermarket kinpin made in some Cambodian village from some space age metal - you and i might call it recycled materials but the guys doing the marketing will have a different term. Nice Car, i like it.
Thanks... I really love it... my car only has 38,000 original miles... so, I don't think they wear all that great... original tires were 4" bias... mine now "looks" stock with the smoothies, dog dishes & trim rings, but running 7" wide radials is likely easier on the components, but the Minnesota roads have been nasty around here lately, but also likely better than the North Dakota gravel roads in the 30's ( this is a non overdrive car, & had the optional gravel guards, so it's safe to assume it was a country road car, not a highway cruiser )... I do cruise the car a lot now, however it's also unlikely I'll put another 40,000 miles on it in the next 10 - 15 years??? BTW... I was not thinking about a "new" replacement set, was thinking about putting it together myself, with newer modern "industrial" bearings, & new modern heat treatable alloys machined locally
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