'68 F100 King Pins

[tulsawalk]

OK, just a few questions here:

I have never done king pins but think I have a warm fuzzy. I know brass is the way to go but my son wants to get the truck on the road, 17th B-Day yesterday and it's his truck and the nylons will allow us to do it without pulling the beams and taking it in. RIGHT?????

Looking at the job it appears that drums and backplate must be removed, a locking pin driven out of the pin/I-beam and then the king pin driven out the bottom. The truck has worn out nylon bushings in it already, they are sticking out the top so getting those out should be easy.

Given there appears to be nylon bushings in both sides, how hard is it to drive the king pin out of the beam? Any suggestions besides a big hammer? I don't have an oxy/acetlene torch but do have a MAP gas torch for brazing if that would help?

Can I just beat them out or do I HAVE to heat the beam?

How hard is it to align the pin slot (it looks like it has one) in the new king pin with the hole in the beam? Is it my imagination and there is no pin but that is just a casting and the pin is held in by cir clips?

Any help, very basic, start to finish would be much appreciated.

Mike Moffatt

[flyboy2610]

If they have nylon bushings in them now, they will come out fairly easily. Just use a punch and a hammer.
You won't have to heat the I-beams.

[tulsawalk]

Is there a bushing in the beam at all or does the pin just slide into it. If there is no bushing it seems that would be where it would bind/rust and be tough to get out.

[FORDification]

The kinpin bushings are only in the spindle, not the I-beam.

http://www.fordification.com/images/kin ... ematic.jpg

[tulsawalk]

Thanks for the illustration, it helps a bunch. Where do you find things like that?

What's the possibility of being lazy and changing them out without removing the drums and backplates?

[FORDification]

Factory shop manual.

You might think you're going to be lazy not removing the brake hardware, but trust me, you're going to be working a lot harder by leaving them there.

[cdeal28078]

Great illustration Keith, looking at that what parts get reamed when using the brass bushings?
Does the I-beam itself have to be reamer for the fit of the king pin or do they just press in the bushings and ream them to fit the pin?
I replaced mine about 3 years ago with nylon and they are wore out bad already. Next time I do this will be brass and the last time I hope.

[boots]

no, the i-beam does not have to go to the shop to get reamed. Just bring the kingpins, bushings, and spindle into a machine shop, they will press your bushings into the spindle, and ream them out.

[flyboy2610]

True, but when I have mine done I will have them press the install the spindles onto the I-beams. Just cause I dont want to have to pull it all apart, myself!