Fun with Avanti king pins

[tluz]

Many thanks to all of you who answered my post about king pin bushings. One gentleman went as far as to send me one, for which I am very grateful and which confirms my impression that this is a club of unusually devoted enthusiasts. If I ever gain any expertise with these cars I will be sure to pay all of your kindnesses forward.

I have cleaned and reassembled the king pins according to the shop manual, everything in the right places. Needle bearings and bushings gently tapped into place with no visible damage. The fun began when I put the pin back into the knuckle. The fit was very tight and, despite the copious grease (Valvoline all-purpose suspension grease) I smeared all over everything I had to administer several hard smacks with a hammer to push the pins through.

The pins eventually went in, but the fit is so tight it's difficult to get the knuckle to rotate. Whereas before the knuckle rotated easily with a light push, now I need to grab the steering arm and wheel pin and jerk hard on both to get the knuckle to move. This doesn't seem right, but what do I know?

Have I gone wrong somewhere? Are these things supposed to be tight? If not, what should i do to loosen them?

All advice and opinions welcome.

[52 Ragtop]

Since you put in new bushings, did you have them reamed to size? I'm pretty sure that needs to be done, otherwise, as you have found, they will be too tight!

Jim

[tluz]

No, I didn't do that. The shop manual doesn't mention anything about reaming and neither does Stan Gundry in his supplement to the manual.

So, follow-up stupid question. How does one ream bushings? What tool is used? Do I have to pay a machinist? I could use a grinder attachment and grind off a couple of thousandths all around the bushing, but it won't be very precise. Are we talking NASA tolerances here or is the object just to open up the aperture enough to allow free movement?

[Tom Bredehoft]

We're talking NASA tolerances. Just like brakes, you want nearly perfect, your life depends on it. Most any suspension shop should be able to help you. Well, any OLD suspension shop.

[img=left]http://www.alink.com/personal/tbredehoft/Avatar1.jpg[/img=left]
Tom Bredehoft
'53 Commander Coupe (since 1959)
'55 President (6H Y6) State Sedan
(Under Construction 608 hrs.)
'05 Legacy Ltd Wagon
All Indiana built cars

[studeken]

any competent automotive machine shop should be able to ream those for you. they do truck pins all the time. KP

Ken Pyle

[64V-K7]

You can do this yourself, with a small brake cylinder hone and some patience. Of course a machine fit would be desirable.


Bob Johnstone

https://www.studebaker-info.org

64 GT Hawk
55 President State Sedan
70 Avanti (R3)

[rusty nut garage]

I've done probably 10 sets of these over the past 2 years. I've never had to ream the bushings, some cars do call for the KP bushings to be reamed to fit but to my knowledge not studebaker cars.
The idea of using a small cylinder hone would make the bushings larger but you'll never be able to keep it true, (i tried it on some steering box bushings and you just cant control the hone enough you'll egg shape it trust me)
I'd be tempted to go ahead and assemble the knuckles and liberally grease it drive it a few miles and check to see if it frees up. The only other alternative is to take it to a machine shop and have the bushings reamed to fit.
Russ

quote:Originally posted by tluz

Many thanks to all of you who answered my post about king pin bushings. One gentleman went as far as to send me one, for which I am very grateful and which confirms my impression that this is a club of unusually devoted enthusiasts. If I ever gain any expertise with these cars I will be sure to pay all of your kindnesses forward.

I have cleaned and reassembled the king pins according to the shop manual, everything in the right places. Needle bearings and bushings gently tapped into place with no visible damage. The fun began when I put the pin back into the knuckle. The fit was very tight and, despite the copious grease (Valvoline all-purpose suspension grease) I smeared all over everything I had to administer several hard smacks with a hammer to push the pins through.

The pins eventually went in, but the fit is so tight it's difficult to get the knuckle to rotate. Whereas before the knuckle rotated easily with a light push, now I need to grab the steering arm and wheel pin and jerk hard on both to get the knuckle to move. This doesn't seem right, but what do I know?

Have I gone wrong somewhere? Are these things supposed to be tight? If not, what should i do to loosen them?

All advice and opinions welcome.

Russ Shop Foreman "Rusty Nut Garage"
53 2R6 289 5SpdOD (driver)
57 SH (project)
60 Lark VIII 2dr sd (driver)

[showbizkid]

Geez, this is all news to me too. I got the kit from SI, had the new bearings pressed in, and the kingpins slid in like butter. but then I've only ever done this one, so maybe I got lucky? But nobody ever mentioned having to ream these before!


[img=left]http://members.cox.net/clarknovak/lark.gif[/img=left]

Clark in San Diego
'63 F2/Lark Standard

http://studeblogger.blogspot.com

https://www.studebakersandiego.com

[fmarshall]

I have a kit from SI, which I have not installed yet. But, it is my understanding that when you get rebuilt king pins, the pins and bushings are sized, meaning that either the pins are ground or the bushings are reamed to ensure a proper fit, with the correct clearances. If just the bushings are replaced, then they should be right, assuming they were made to the proper dimensions.

In other cars when I have experienced the problem that you state, something was bent and then the alignment isn't true. Maybe you need to have the pins looked at, if they weren't with the bushings in a kit.

========================
63 Avanti R2, 4-Speed, 3.73 TT
Martinez, CA

[tluz]

The developing consensus seems to be a machine shop. *sigh* Well, I'll need one to do the engine work so I might as well bite the bullet and find somebody good. Thanks, guys, good advice as always.

[StudeRich]

quote:Originally posted by tluz

The developing consensus seems to be a machine shop. *sigh* Well, I'll need one to do the engine work so I might as well bite the bullet and find somebody good. Thanks, guys, good advice as always.

Just so everyone can clearly understand what they may need to do: So you DID purchase only the Bushing, Seal & Bearing Kit, NOT the full kit with machined exchange King Pins already machined & fitted to the special undersize Bushing? [?]


StudeRich at Studebakers Northwest -Ferndale,WA

[tluz]

Correct. I bought the "minor king pin rebuild kit" from SI. Bushings, bearings, rubber seal (replacing the original cork seal}, thrust bearing, and shims, enough of each for two pins.

[unclemiltie]

If you do not use the correct size driver to install the bushings you can distort them enough to make them tight or worse yet, the pins will not fit. I thought I did everything right on a transtar a few years back and I had to ream them to get the pins in. If you have an old time parts store with a small machine shop they may rent you a reamer to keep from having to tear apart the suspension to take to a machine shop.

Milt

1947 Champion (owned since 1967)
1961 Hawk
1964 Convertable
1967 Avanti
1961 Lark 2 door
1950 Commander Starlight