Has anyone used the needle bearing king pin kits in the Speedway catalog? If so, comments criticism, etc. I have to replace the right lower king pin bushing, have no access to the correct reamer and want to tighten the whole front end up of each side.
Back in 1976, the owner of F100 Parts Unlimited, Preston Ledbetter had some of those kits engineered to fit '53-'56 F100s. He said you'd never appreciate needle bearings for the bushings...No discernible difference. When at Concord Safety Center, I had a small fleet of Chevy/GMC dump trucks I serviced (late '60s) with Teflon king pin bushings! No press, machine work, honing, nothing! Just replace them and go. Crazy. I think the 'roller bearing King Pin thought process originated with some old aftermarket Ford Idler arm kits that had needle bearings. A customer brought one in for his 'Shoebox' Ford, I installed it. "LIFETIME GUARANTEE!" The 'up-and-down' syndrome of those danged arms after rolling a couple thousand miles was enough to warrant some serious consideration of replacing a 7" arm that pivoted in a coarse threaded 'coupler-nut' that began wearing out as soon as it was installed... Typically, the guy returned after a short time, the needles were broken and pieces were falling out of the rubber seal. One set of 1" needles. Leverage (weight of the whole front end, and 'leverage' of the weight of front tires gyroscoping when in motion overcame the tiny needles, crushing them to pieces.) Now, if that turning shaft had been double-rowed with a set on top AND bottom, it would have worked. I think. But I'm not extending anything 'lifetime'.
Bearings love to spin. The limited movement of the needle bearings of the king pin causes premature failure. No need to reinvent the wheel, go with the bushings.
The Jalopy Journal
