Go Back   The Ford Barn > General Discussion > Model A (1928-31)

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 01-08-2021, 02:27 PM   #1
bucket-o-rust
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: visalia calif
Posts: 257
Default King pin replace

Will the king pin reamer that Snyder's catalog has for sale work ok for a do it youself at home mechanic. I have a new old stock king pin set that I will be using?
bucket-o-rust is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-08-2021, 02:33 PM   #2
aermotor
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Greenville, SC
Posts: 1,099
Default Re: King pin replace

Quote:
Originally Posted by bucket-o-rust View Post
Will the king pin reamer that Snyder's catalog has for sale work ok for a do it youself at home mechanic. I have a new old stock king pin set that I will be using?
I would have it hone fitted at a local machine shop. John
aermotor is offline   Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)
Old 01-08-2021, 03:22 PM   #3
Charlie Stephens
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Southern California
Posts: 7,017
Default Re: King pin replace

I would take it to a local machine shop and have it honed. It will be better and if you are doing one it might even be less expensive.

Charles Stephens
Charlie Stephens is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-08-2021, 03:54 PM   #4
Mulletwagon
Senior Member
 
Mulletwagon's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Florida Panhandle
Posts: 585
Default Re: King pin replace

Yes, did it. Be sure to replace the bushings in a sequence. After pressing in one new bushing, run the reamer through the old bushing into the new bushing so the bore is centered. After pressing in the remaining bushing run the reamer through the "just reamed" bushing to ensure the remaining bushing is reamed true. Take your time, use cutting fluid, and keep the reamer free of chips to the max possible (make the cut in steps and clean the reamer in between cuts). Should have a nice fit afterwards. Good luck.
Mulletwagon is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-08-2021, 04:27 PM   #5
Ed in Maine
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Washington Cty., ME or Flagler Cty., FL
Posts: 1,106
Default Re: King pin replace

I agree with all the suggestions above. There is nothing worse than going thru a lot of work only to find that you have kings pins that are slightly loose and you haven't even used them yet. Years ago I did this job at home and I borrowed an adjustable reamer. You would turn an adjuster to advance the knives and then lock them in place before use. If I knew what I was doing, it should have done a good job. I also found that the pins can be poorly manufactured, being out of round. You end up taking too much material out of the bushings when in fact you are chasing high spots on the pins. It is best to let a professional do the job. Ed
Ed in Maine is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-08-2021, 04:40 PM   #6
JayJay
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 1,044
Default Re: King pin replace

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)
To consolidate a lot of what's above and maybe add in some additional thoughts: what you want to end up with is kingpins and bushings that are concentric but differ in diameter by a very small clearance amount. By using the reamer you are assuming that the kingpins are straight, smooth and concentric, and at the reamer size is appropriate. Yes, you're using NOS, so the quality of the kingpins makes at least their dimensions more reliable. But by having these honed in by a machine shop you are not only avoiding spending $150+ for a reamer you may use on only one or two projects, you are betting that all the dimensions and alignment are proper. Last time I rebuilt a Model A front end was in 1970, and I reamed the bushings and everything fit fine. Now faced with doing it again (for likely the last time in my life!) I'll likely sub that out.

JayJay
__________________
JayJay
San Francisco Bay Area

------------------------
1930 Murray Town Sedan
1931 Briggs S/W Town Sedan
JayJay is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-08-2021, 05:06 PM   #7
Jacksonlll
Senior Member
 
Jacksonlll's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Michigan-- Member of Oakleaf of MARC
Posts: 1,686
Send a message via ICQ to Jacksonlll
Default Re: King pin replace

If you do use a reamer, be sure you never turn it counterclockwise. You can ruin it with one little twist backwards.
Jacksonlll is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-08-2021, 05:15 PM   #8
J Franklin
Senior Member
 
J Franklin's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Oregon
Posts: 5,947
Default Re: King pin replace

A good machinist can do the job and give you peace of mind. Most likely at less cost than the reamer.
J Franklin is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 01-08-2021, 05:24 PM   #9
Synchro909
Senior Member
 
Synchro909's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 7,472
Default Re: King pin replace

Whenever this topic comes up, people chime in saying the bushes should be honed. NO! we are looking for a ROUND hole on size. Honing will not make an oval shaped hole round. A ream will.
I ream till they are still a bit tight, then use the part of an old king pin that was in the axle and some lapping paste to burnish them to a good fit. I end up with contact all the way around the bush, not just on the tops of ridges left by the ream. A thorough clean before assembly is a must
__________________
I'm part of the only ever generation with an analogue childhood and a digital adulthood.
Synchro909 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-08-2021, 09:18 PM   #10
bbrocksr
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Yakima Washington
Posts: 913
Default Re: King pin replace

Quote:
Originally Posted by bucket-o-rust View Post
Will the king pin reamer that Snyder's catalog has for sale work ok for a do it youself at home mechanic. I have a new old stock king pin set that I will be using?
Yes! That is a precision reamer, It will give you a perfectly round hole of the correct size.
All the stories about ridges and chatter were done with adjustable and straight blade reamers.
They were reamed at the factory.

Bill
bbrocksr is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-08-2021, 09:38 PM   #11
Pete
Senior Member
 
Pete's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Wa.
Posts: 5,374
Default Re: King pin replace

Quote:
Originally Posted by Synchro909 View Post
Whenever this topic comes up, people chime in saying the bushes should be honed. NO! we are looking for a ROUND hole on size. Honing will not make an oval shaped hole round.
You better go back to school on that one.
Pete is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 01-08-2021, 09:39 PM   #12
J Franklin
Senior Member
 
J Franklin's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Oregon
Posts: 5,947
Default Re: King pin replace

Quote:
Originally Posted by J Franklin View Post
A good machinist can do the job and give you peace of mind. Most likely at less cost than the reamer.
Emphasis on a GOOD machinist. He will give you a good final fit. I don't know how cheap the reamers are or your skill, but when I had mine done it was cheaper than buying the reamer and he placed the bushes also. I supplied the parts.
J Franklin is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 01-08-2021, 09:53 PM   #13
J Franklin
Senior Member
 
J Franklin's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Oregon
Posts: 5,947
Default Re: King pin replace

Quote:
Originally Posted by Synchro909 View Post
Whenever this topic comes up, people chime in saying the bushes should be honed. NO! we are looking for a ROUND hole on size. Honing will not make an oval shaped hole round. A ream will.
I ream till they are still a bit tight, then use the part of an old king pin that was in the axle and some lapping paste to burnish them to a good fit. I end up with contact all the way around the bush, not just on the tops of ridges left by the ream. A thorough clean before assembly is a must
You are getting a good fit by being slow and precise in your work. I'm sure you would agree that many are not that careful. I let work out my door when it makes sense. I have saved parts that others didn't want to touch, but I am happy letting a shop do my machine work. My machining experience ended in High school. But as a trade off I am a reasonably good mechanic and do my own paint too.
J Franklin is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 01-09-2021, 01:29 AM   #14
Synchro909
Senior Member
 
Synchro909's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 7,472
Default Re: King pin replace

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pete View Post
You better go back to school on that one.
You don't want a round hole????
__________________
I'm part of the only ever generation with an analogue childhood and a digital adulthood.
Synchro909 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-09-2021, 01:51 AM   #15
rich b
Senior Member
 
rich b's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 1,813
Default Re: King pin replace

Are you saying a Sonnen pin hone does not make round holes in kingpin bushings?
rich b is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-09-2021, 03:00 AM   #16
Synchro909
Senior Member
 
Synchro909's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 7,472
Default Re: King pin replace

Quote:
Originally Posted by rich b View Post
Are you saying a Sonnen pin hone does not make round holes in kingpin bushings?
I had to google to see what a Sonnen Pin Hone was was. This is what I found https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5UqmpMME88 which looks VERY agricultural to me. Those big end bearings are not likely to be square to the axis of the con rod nor round nor parallel. Hand held is not good enough.
Apart from the difficulty keeping square and parallel, the hole may be round if it was round before using that machine. As I said, a hone will not make an oval hole round. It will only follow the shape that was there before the hone was used.
__________________
I'm part of the only ever generation with an analogue childhood and a digital adulthood.

Last edited by Synchro909; 01-09-2021 at 03:35 AM.
Synchro909 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-09-2021, 03:39 AM   #17
bbrocksr
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Yakima Washington
Posts: 913
Default Re: King pin replace

Quote:
Originally Posted by Synchro909 View Post
I had to google to see what a Sonnen Pin Hone was was. This is what I found https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5UqmpMME88 which looks VERY agricultural to me. Those big end bearings are not likely to be square to the axis of the con rod nor round nor parallel. Hand held is not good enough.
Wrist pin bushings are reamed with a precision reamer in a fixture to maintain alignment in aircraft engines.
if precision reaming is good enough for aircraft wrist pin bushings it's good enough for king pin bushings.

Bill
bbrocksr is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-09-2021, 05:31 AM   #18
Synchro909
Senior Member
 
Synchro909's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 7,472
Default Re: King pin replace

Reaming is fine, especially precision reaming but honing has limitations as I have described.
__________________
I'm part of the only ever generation with an analogue childhood and a digital adulthood.
Synchro909 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-09-2021, 06:04 AM   #19
Fordafan
Junior Member
 
Fordafan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2020
Location: Manchester Michigan
Posts: 5
Default Re: King pin replace

My kingpins are the original and a bit worn to about .810 diameter. I bought a 13/16 reamer off eBay (.8125 diameter). I replaced the most worn bearing first and used the other one as a guide, then replaced the other bearing using the first one as the guide. The reamer flutes are long enough to go through both bearings at the same time. The reamer in good condition cost me 35.00 + shipping. Worked for me.
Fordafan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-09-2021, 09:44 AM   #20
rickd
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: Grand Forks, ND
Posts: 9
Default Re: King pin replace

I just did my king pins using the Snyders reamer on my first Model A. Long time Model T guy (30 years) enjoying my new 28 Roadster. I followed the Les Andrews book. I pressed in both new bushings first, then did the reaming. The reamer has a smaller front end that does a preliminary reaming and keeps the reamer in line with both bushings as the second wider part of the reamer passes through the bushing. Flip the spindle over and do it again. Nice results, king pin fits nicely without play.
rickd is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:30 PM.