King Pin Rebuild Questions

[PACKERBACKER]

This will sound like strange questions .... is the core charge of $150 for a king pin rebuild kit just for the actual king pins in case they would need to have sleeves installed over them due to wear or scoring? Do they just provide the bearings and bushings so you can have them pressed in to the knuckles (spindle assembly) by your own machine shop? If you look in SI's catalog that is what it looks like. If this is the case, could you not have the machine shop just sleeve the king pins for you too?

[sweetolbob]

This will sound like strange questions .... is the core charge of $150 for a king pin rebuild kit just for the actual king pins in case they would need to have sleeves installed over them due to wear or scoring? Do they just provide the bearings and bushings so you can have them pressed in to the knuckles (spindle assembly) by your own machine shop? If you look in SI's catalog that is what it looks like. If this is the case, could you not have the machine shop just sleeve the king pins for you too?

I just rebuilt the front suspension on my 83 Avanti with the SI kit and the $150 core charge covers the rebuilt king pins included in the kit. You paid $XXX dollars for the rebuilt king pins and $150 more to assure you'll send back your old ones.

The rebuild kit contains both bearings and bushings along with the shims, gaskets and thrust bearings necessary to reassemble the king pin/spindle assembly. Yes both the bearings and spindles need to be pressed into the spindle and be sure to follow the manual on the relief necessary for the seals.
Here is my post on the tools and procedure to press in the bearings and bushings http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.c...l-Replacements

No reason you could not have the machine shop sleeve the kingpins. In fact it might be less expensive and you need only to buy the rebuild bearing, bushing, thrust bearing and shim kit.

Bob

[PACKERBACKER]

That was what I suspected but wanted to make sure before I purchased the parts. I read your thread on how to press the bushings when you first posted it and found it very informative and was impressed by your ingenuity. Thank you Bob for the info.

[Jeff_H]

I asked this question in another similar thread and never got a answer....

Are the rebuilt kingpins turned down to a smaller OD and the bushings/bearings oversize or are they turned down and then sleaved and the bushings/bearings are standard? This would be important if for some reason a person attempted to mix and match parts.

If they sleave these, wonder how thick it is? Those pins are forged and probably surface heat treated to harden just the surface for wear.

[sweetolbob]

Jeff, The kingpins are turned and sleeved to standard size. The original centers to locate them in a lathe are still present from manufacturing.

They are forged (I'd say from looking at them) but I cut one to make the installing tools and they are not hardened.

Bob