Front Axle / Front Suspension: Front king pins on 54 Commander Regal

[Monte101]

I have a question...

In all the cars that I worked on the upper a-frame had Ball Joints.. So even though I helped my dad I was too young to remember everything....

So what I need to know is if the Pins and bushings look good and can be cleaned up and the grease fitting and seal replaced can they be reused (put back on the car)?

This is what mine look like I did not take pics of all of them but they are all in this good of shape.. They are not loose or warn to one side. They all fit with a little resentence..

I just need to know if they look good to you all... If I don't have to replace them it just saves a bit of money...



Thanks

[gordr]

What you have there in the picture is called a lower trunnion. There are also upper trunnions, which have a grooved center section that is eccentric, so that camber can be set. Also caster. The upper trunnion shaft has a recess for an Allen key in one end. Rotating the shaft one-half turn moves the king pin through the full range of camber adjustment. Caster settings are done the same way; caster changes as the shaft is turned through one or more turns. So you set caster first, and then rotate the shaft back or ahead a fractional turn to set camber. The bushings picture do not appear to be badly worn, but if they are all that dry of grease, it is concerning. Again, if you do not have a shop manual, get one.

One more thing: when reinstalling the upper and lower trunnions, you must obtain and use an A-arm spreader tool as described in the manual. If you fail to do this, the front suspension will be thrown into a bind, and those parts will wear out very quickly.

The king pin is the tall vertical piece that fits into that keyed hole you see in the lower trunnion. It has a lower Torrington roller bearing, and an upper bushing. There is also ball thrust bearing between the flange on the king pin and the top of the steering knuckle. That carries the entire weight of that corner of the car.

[JoeHall]

GO ahead and disassemble everything, including the king pin assembly, upper trunion, and upper and lower 'A' arms. The most dangerous part of the job is relieving the tension on the coil spring, in order to remove it. After disassembly, clean up everything and inspect for excess wear, especially the king pin upper bushings and lower needle bearings, and mating surfaces on the king pins. Replace the inner rubber bushings on the upper and lower arms and, while at it, inspect the frame for cracks, especially where the upper arm bolts onto the frame. Upon reassembly, use o'rings instead of the OEM cork gaskets inside the kingpins, below the bottom needle bearings. Grease everything, and it's OK if the upper and lower pivot pin end caps have a little slop in the inside threads, where they screw onto the pins, but no slop on the outside threads where they screw into the 'A' arms. It's a simple operation, but be careful with the coil springs, and review the Shop Manual first. Odds are, the only parts you'll need are the rubber bushings, and maybe the king pin bushings and needle bearings. The upper thrust bearings will usually loosen p with oil and a little coaxing. Grease the heck outa everything upon reassembly.

You can also search the archives here, for more details, to include adjusting caster & camber. It's been discussed here many times before.

[Monte101]

Got the New Kigpin parts today so I was able to get one side rebuilt:



Took everything apart and cleaned everything then installed the new pins and such.. everything is nice and tight fitting and moves very nicely. I cant feel any binding or ruff spots so I guess I got everything back together correctly... Of coarse I was using the Chassis book to make sure everything was in the right places.

I still have to get the upper inner and lower inner bushings... and then I still need to find the spreader tool.. Question though do you still need another tool to do the rubber bushings that are pressed in?

[gordr]

There are special-made spacers and receivers to change the rubber bushings, made to be used with an arbor press. To remove the old ones: use an electric drill and a small bit to cut up the rubber sleeve, and remove it piecemeal. Then the inner metal sleeve usually comes out pretty easily. Then the outer metal shell can be slit with a hacksaw or cutting torch, if you are deft with one. Once slit, it pops out readily. To drive the new bushings in, put the shaft in place, thread the new bushing over the shaft, and then, supporting the one side of the A-arm on open vise jaws, place a suitable-size socket on the bushing flange, and hammer on that to drive the bushing home to its stop.