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Old 08-21-2016, 12:14 PM   #1
Ian Curtis
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Default Spindle Arm Ball Stud Loose?

There is a little bit of play in the steering on my front right wheel. I've traced it back to a little bit of play in the in the spindle arm ball stud (I think that's what it's called?). Basically, if I tighten the castle nut pictured below to take out all the slop then the castles don't line up with the hole for the cotter pin. I've left it backed off enough such that I can get a cotter pin in it since I really don't want that nut backing off more while I'm driving. I don't really understand why it doesn't "just work", seems like all the geometry should be fixed by the parts so that it does "just work."


Should I shim it such that the castles line up, or just leave it alone, or?
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Old 08-21-2016, 12:48 PM   #2
J Franklin
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Default Re: Spindle Arm Ball Stud Loose?

Try a thin washer under the nut it then will tighten in a new spot. Or use a longer wrench to pull it around more. you could also take it apart and use a product such as shown on the taper if it is wallowed out some
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Old 08-21-2016, 12:53 PM   #3
western77
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Default Re: Spindle Arm Ball Stud Loose?

I tightened mine up yesterday, took a 12 inch pipe on the wrench to line up the cotter.
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Old 08-21-2016, 01:08 PM   #4
Charlie Stephens
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Default Re: Spindle Arm Ball Stud Loose?

How about trying another nut or using sandpaper on a pane of glass to take a little off of the nut?

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Old 08-21-2016, 01:48 PM   #5
Steve Plucker
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Default Re: Spindle Arm Ball Stud Loose?

You may not have the correct nut on there...I think there was one with a sholder that was somewhat thicker. I could be wrong on this and hope someone can correct me. Anyone?

OK...Here it is...The October 1, 1928 Parts Price List (PPL) shows the nut as being A-21878. This is the same part number for the Spindle Arm Nut all the way through production. HOWEVER...the October 1, 1928 PPL list it as being 9/16-18 S. A. E. (11/16 x 7/8) castle nut. Then somewhere between this point and the December 1, 1929 PPL there was a change in the nut itself as it went to 9/16-S.A.E. (5/8 x 1-1/16) castle nut (Special). This occured, I think, because of the "cut" in the Spindle Assembly where the hole is to accept the Spindle Arms Right and Left thus a thicker nut.

What you are experiencing here, I think, is that you have the deeper cut Spindle Assembly and using the early nut and that is why the holes are not lining up to insert the cotter key as the nut is the "thinner" one where you should be using the thicker later one. IF I have read your post correctly!

There were two styles of this "Special" nut. The 28-29 type with the "U" shape slots or cuts and the 30-31 type with the "square" shape slots or cuts in the nut.

Guess you could "farmer" fix it or get the correct nuts.

It could also be that the back side is not seating to its full potential to give you those extra threads that you need to get to the hole to install the cotter key!

This could work into a great article on using the correct nut as there were a few changes in assembly and applications, such as this, that if one were to use the wrong nut for a certain application, they will most surly end up like this.


Pluck

Last edited by Steve Plucker; 08-21-2016 at 04:03 PM.
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Old 08-21-2016, 03:06 PM   #6
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Default Re: Spindle Arm Ball Stud Loose?

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This is a common problem. When this happens on any castellated nut you simply grind a little off the nut using the SIDE of your grinding wheel. Do it carefully, grind a little, rotate the nut 90°, grind a little, etc. Trial and error. Take a little off and try it; it won't take much.
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Old 08-21-2016, 05:54 PM   #7
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Default Re: Spindle Arm Ball Stud Loose?

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Originally Posted by tbirdtbird View Post
This is a common problem. When this happens on any castellated nut you simply grind a little off the nut using the SIDE of your grinding wheel. Do it carefully, grind a little, rotate the nut 90°, grind a little, etc. Trial and error. Take a little off and try it; it won't take much.
I don't know what the pitch of that thread is but to give an example of how little you will need to remove, let's say it is 10 tpi. That is 0.1" per turn of the nut. If the nut is exactly half way between notched, that means it has to turn 1/12th of a turn. 0.1 divided by 12 means you will have to remove only 0.008" to get the notch lined up. * thou is not very much.
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Old 08-21-2016, 07:56 PM   #8
Barry B./ Ma.
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Default Re: Spindle Arm Ball Stud Loose?

All I can say is that nut must be TIGHT, the bore will get wallowed out if it isn't and you will end up with a shimmy and more tire wear. The clearance probably is .003 max. either the thin washers or careful grinding should suffice.
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Old 08-21-2016, 07:57 PM   #9
Ian Curtis
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Default Re: Spindle Arm Ball Stud Loose?

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Originally Posted by Steve Plucker View Post

Guess you could "farmer" fix it or get the correct nuts.

It could also be that the back side is not seating to its full potential to give you those extra threads that you need to get to the hole to install the cotter key!
Pluck,

Thanks! This is consistent with the history of the truck, which was put together from boxes o' parts in the mid '90s and has a little '28 here, a little '29 there, a little '30 here, etc. I believe the back side is seated correctly, I definitely cleaned all the crud of the front side in trying to get the stupid thing to seat. I'll just turn a few thou off the face so it seats right.
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Old 08-21-2016, 08:00 PM   #10
Ian Curtis
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Default Re: Spindle Arm Ball Stud Loose?

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Originally Posted by Barry B./ Ma. View Post
All I can say is that nut must be TIGHT, the bore will get wallowed out if it isn't and you will end up with a shimmy and more tire wear. The clearance probably is .003 max. either the thin washers or careful grinding should suffice.
At present I get a low speed wobble maybe one downtown trip out of 3. This is significantly better than the 1 to 1 ratio I had prior to tightening the Pitman arm.
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Old 08-21-2016, 09:46 PM   #11
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Default Re: Spindle Arm Ball Stud Loose?

the other issue with not having those nuts really tight is that you will have trouble greasing the kingpin....the grease will squirt by those threads and come out around the nut.
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