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Kingpin to ball joint suspension conversion?

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  • #16
    Originally posted by erik64 View Post
    Speaking of shocks; What do you guys use? I'll be doing that soon.
    This is Nate's interchange page. http://www.georgiastudebaker.com/Interchange.pdf I'm running KYB's on my Avanti, nice shocks.

    Bob

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    • #17
      That center bell crank would be the first to rebuild. My 51 was hard to turn with the wheels off thr ground.

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      • #18
        Start with a good thorough grease job.
        SPECIALLY the thrust bearing on the kingpin.
        Grease needs to come out the TOP of the bearing.
        Not just to the bottom of it.
        Do a search for all the ways people have come up with to do that.
        Heat, clamps around the bottom of the bearing, drill a hole and use a needle, etc, etc.
        Old grease gets hard and cakes up in the bearing.
        South Lompoc Studebaker

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        • #19
          "Thanks for the tips ! I now have the 59 Silver Hawk in my garage, and I now know that it drives like a bus! So, if we forget the kingpin conversion, do I need to also live with it "as is"? Or are there other things in the steering that I could change to make it more of a "modern feeling" car?"

          "Start with a good thorough grease job.
          SPECIALLY the thrust bearing on the kingpin.
          Grease needs to come out the TOP of the bearing.
          Not just to the bottom of it.
          Do a search for all the ways people have come up with to do that.
          Heat, clamps around the bottom of the bearing, drill a hole and use a needle, etc, etc.
          Old grease gets hard and cakes up in the bearing."

          Try the above suggestions first. Thats not to say that some or much of the front suspension may be in need of rebuild, but for now, this will ease the steering and drivability of the car. Even if you focus on just the king pins, this will loosen up the steering and road feel considerably. Be careful with the torch if you're going to heat up the kingpins as a lot of stuff under there is flammable.

          My 54 Coupe has a Stude V8 and 4 speed and the steering feels light and is easy to parallel par using just my finger in the steering wheel. It does not have power steering and I would NOT recommend adding the original power steering to your car. That system is heavy, cumbersome and will make your under hood forays a nightmare when doing maintenance.
          sals54

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          • #20
            What Sal said!

            When I got my Lark, it drove, not just like a truck, but like a Mack AB! Everything needed replacement, and I replaced it all. Myself! And when I was done, the difference was astounding. Steering is light and pretty accurate (considering I'm running radials, have an undersize steering wheel, and oversize tires), even with the V8.

            I know you're anxious to improve things and get your car on the road! But take things logically. Lube everything; get the old grease out and new in. Make sure the steering box is full, and adjusted properly. Take it to a good alignment shop and get it pointed straight. If, after all of these low cost items have been done, you still have a hard time -- then rebuild. But there's no sense throwing dollars at it when a little patience and elbow grease will save you money and add to your satisfaction at having done the job all your ownself

            Clark in San Diego | '63 Standard (F2) "Barney" | http://studeblogger.blogspot.com

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            • #21
              One more thing about front-end lube: the factory recommended greasing the front suspension every 1000 miles. Likely yours hasn't been done for many times that. I bet you'll be astounded at the difference a good lube will make.

              Clark in San Diego | '63 Standard (F2) "Barney" | http://studeblogger.blogspot.com

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              • #22
                Couple of ideas: There should be a minute amount of play in the bellcrank so it doesn't bind. There are thin shims that keep the nut from being tightened too much, causing tight steering. Check to make sure this isn't a problem. The bellcrank has a grease zerk inside a little hole in the rear of the front cross member, it is usually never found by the Iffy Lube zombies and may need some attention. For lube service, find a shop that can find the twenty-something grease zerks on Studebakers. Check for excessive kingpin looseness by raising the front wheels off the ground and shaking the tire at 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock. If it moves more than 1/8", either kingpins or wheel bearings are bad. If grease comes out of the bottom of the kingpin, that means the seals (could be "O" rings or cork seals) are probably damaged or missing and need to be replaced, along with kingpin bearings/bushings. Have you checked your tire pressure?

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                • #23
                  All of the above plus replace the springs with NEW ones, not used. What happens is as these cars get older the front springs collapse somewhat. The front fender wheel opening should stand tall enough to get your fist, with your thumb on the top or bottom, to go between the edge of the fender opening and the tire tread with an original sized tire, if you can't then your springs have sagged. What happens then is the tire/wheel assy. instead of pivoting on the center(?) of the tread is 'plowing thru turns because the top of the tire/wheel is leaning in towards the center of the car and is usually wearing off the inside of the tire treads.

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                  • #24
                    Originally posted by autoradiotech View Post
                    the tire/wheel assy. instead of pivoting on the center(?) of the tread is 'plowing thru turns because the top of the tire/wheel is leaning in towards the center of the car and is usually wearing off the inside of the tire treads.
                    Right. Here's a pic of my front tire before the rebuild (which included new springs):



                    You can easily see how splayed-out the front tires are; totally running on the inside edge.

                    Here's how it looked after the rebuild, and front-end alignment:

                    Click image for larger version

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                    You can easily see the difference.

                    Clark in San Diego | '63 Standard (F2) "Barney" | http://studeblogger.blogspot.com

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                    • #25
                      Showbizkid...That's a pretty dramatic difference. Must 'feel' much better driving this Studebaker now!

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                      • #26
                        BTW, just to update...

                        Thanks very much for all the excellent advice on this.

                        I lubed everything and just left it pretty much as is (The exception is brakes - Turner discs and dual master)

                        The car runs down the road nice and straight, and I have no problem with it at highway speeds (even at an occasional foray to 80mph)

                        Thanks for talking me out of making wholesale changes - when properly adjusted and lubed, it is very acceptable!!

                        Although I'm still thinking about power steering. My increased radial footprints make it a bear to turn at very low speeds! (i.e. parking)

                        thanks again for all the input!

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                        • #27
                          Maybe a trip or two to the gym...!
                          Kidding, but it shouldn't be that difficult. My 59 Lark, 259, original iron trans., radial tires (no power steering) and a small steering wheel, I can steer it easilly enough, parallel parking etc.

                          Just drive it more...get used to it. Stude power steering is an ugly snake pit of hoses.

                          Mike

                          P.s. - I'm 63.

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                          • #28
                            Actually I'm pretty OK with manual steering, but every time my wife watches me parking and vigorously yanking the big ol' wheel round many, many times to go lock to lock she says "you need to get power steering".

                            If I could figure out an easy way to do it, it would be worth the dollars to make Mama happy! (and then maybe she would drive it too!)

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                            • #29
                              Just remember, don't try to turn the steering wheel while setting dead still. Always have the car moving when turning the wheel. No matter how slow it's moving as long as it's moving.

                              Originally posted by pbrown View Post
                              Actually I'm pretty OK with manual steering, but every time my wife watches me parking and vigorously yanking the big ol' wheel round many, many times to go lock to lock she says "you need to get power steering".

                              If I could figure out an easy way to do it, it would be worth the dollars to make Mama happy! (and then maybe she would drive it too!)
                              Jerry Forrester
                              Forrester's Chrome
                              Douglasville, Georgia

                              See all of Buttercup's pictures at https://imgur.com/a/tBjGzTk

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