Front Axle Shims

C

CatMan1

Senior Member
I've been doing some research on here, but thought I'd ask..... Is there a type of shim that would be used in the front axle where the king pin goes? I have a some light 'play' and looseness there. Or do I just have to look for another axle someday? Are there oversized king pins?
 
Yes, there are shims that go under the spindle. They're available from the vendors. They come with the new king pins. When the kingpins get loose (death wobble) the bushings in the spindle get replaced. There are two to a side, upper and lower. The king pins are .812-.813 and after the new bushings are pushed into place, they must be reamed or honed to a close fit. I prefer an .812 adjustable reamer. Don't try to get it all out in one pass. These reamers are NOT meant to take a heavy cut. Put the reamer with the square end into a vise and rotate the spindle down to it.
Terry
 
I wish I could post pictures and videos. Anyway..... When we jacked the car up and checked it we had movement in all four directions. I found that the nut that (passenger side wheel) held the tie rod to the spindle was loose and that took up some slack after being tightened up. The wheel bearing was tight....maybe too tight. so, that left king pin looseness. Pulling up and down on the spindle produced a bit of a wiggle. Now I have it all apart and the king pin just slips out without and force or tools. Is it supposed to come out that easy? Just the king pin by itself in the axle hole will wiggle a bit. Is that normal? So, that brings me back to my original question, are there thin shims that can go in the axle hole around the king pin to take up that slack? There was also no grease present when we took the king pin out. I'm assuming the original owner didn't do any maintenance after the full restoration.....?
 
Post #3 ! Install the locking pin, tighten the nut, tap the pin opposite side of the nut, retighten the nut, should remove movement of the king pin.
 
How much play is in the king pins ? This has been addressed.

But, since you took it apart, might as well have new pins and bushings installed.
 
Patrick L. said:
How much play is in the king pins ? This has been addressed.

But, since you took it apart, might as well have new pins and bushings installed.
Click to expand...


I don't really have a good way to measure it. Perhaps.....the thickness of aluminum foil, if I was to guess. You don't need any tools, just pull it out.
 
CatMan1 said:
I don't really have a good way to measure it. Perhaps.....the thickness of aluminum foil, if I was to guess. You don't need any tools, just pull it out.
Click to expand...



Are talking bearing shims or pin bushings. The bushing tolerance has been previously addressed. As for the bearing shims, most stopped worrying about that decades ago. I still like to use them, but, they are not going to cause a wobble issue.
 
Patrick L. said:
Are talking bearing shims or pin bushings. The bushing tolerance has been previously addressed. As for the bearing shims, most stopped worrying about that decades ago. I still like to use them, but, they are not going to cause a wobble issue.
Click to expand...


I really wish I could post a picture. :( I have some extra clearance or wiggle were the king pin drops into the axle. Just that, no spindle added. Maybe they don't fit that snug? I don't know. Just picture a bare, no parts added, fresh axle and you drop the king pin or spindle bolt in. It wiggles. Bad or good?
 
Those axle holes can be sleeved back to standard. The king pin should be a hard hand push or light tap fit.
 
I had bad wear in the axle as well, and I ended up replacing the axle. I’ve heard pro and cons on repairing the axle kink pin hole.
 
There should not be any slop, play, looseness in the king pins! Period! It should be a "tap Fit" into the bushings. In other words, you should have to very lightly tap the king pin into place. They should not fall into the bushings. Can you see any scrapes or scoring on them? They are suppose to measure 13/16ths or .812 -.813 dia. If they are scored up or under size, replace them. Then check the fit again . Usually the bushings go first and you'll have to replace both.
Good Luck!
Terry
 
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