Kingpin Punch Question

[Felton]

I have a metal lathe and am considering turning/making a punch to remove kingpins. I would like to remove the spindles from 4 early Ford axles so I thought a specific punch would be handy for this job. Any advice on the dimensions or experience making a punch would be appreciated.

I have removed kingpins with a large punch working my way around the kingpin as I drive it out, so maybe I should just continue to do that instead devoting time to this tool making task. Thanks

[Martinbuilt]

In my experience, they come right out. No punch or press needed.

[kenparker0703]

Kingpins, which the wheels/spindles turn on or spring perches????

[Synchro909]

The only place I can see you using a punch for the king pins is to remove the bushes. A stepped punch is about as simple as it gets. Small end slightly smaller tan the king pin itself, the larger diameter slightly smaller than the OD of the bush.
Is that what you need?

[Felton]

Seems like most of you are having a different experience than I am having. I added WD-40 periodically over a couple of weeks, and drove the kingpin (which the wheels/spindles turn on) out with a punch. There is no chance with what I am working with that they will just come out. I am learning from your collective experience that there is not much value in making a punch for this task. Synchro909 described what I was thinking of doing.

Thanks for everyone's advice/experience.

[Flathead Fever]

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Stroll on down through this KR Wilson catalog and you can see what Ford dealers used. A press that bolted to the backing plate holes which you could make yourself if you have a welder. I see originals come up for sale, maybe once a year on eBay. There are two different ones for the different year spindles. I've never had any kingpins that were so tight I could not knock them out with a brass punch. I pull the lock out. Remove the grease zerks and flood the holes with WD-40 while twisting the king pin back and forth. On mine it has been the hardened grease that just needed to de dissolved a little and then they slid out.

https://fordtoolcollector.org/k-r-wilson-1940/

If you are talking spring perches those can be a pain in the butt to get out and not damage the threads or bend them. I saw a lot of blue around the spring perch holes on axles at the LA Roadster show swap meet where people heated the axles red hot with a torch. That's really not a good idea because it changes the metallurgy but sometimes you have no choice but to use heat to try and save a part but that is always a last resort. On '32-'34 axles I take an extra-long nut and weld it to a piece of 1/4"thick metal, maybe 2" square. Screw the nut down on the threads until the metal plate hits the end of the perch. Hopefully when you beat on it with a heavy sledge the extra threads on the nut and end plate will protect those treads. Lay the axle over two pieces of solid metal like railroad track or I-beam and give it a good hit. I have small junk yard of metal and people always ask me why I keep that stuff. If they worked on old cars, they would know why. I'm always building some kind of tool out of scrap metal. If you can get a helper to help hold the axle and wishbone in a hydraulic press it will definitely pop them out. I have an old 40-ton press that pops that stuff right out. When you put them back together use anti seize on them for the next guy that has to take them apart.

[Bruce of MN]

Kroil or PB Blaster should work better than WD40.

[Felton]

Hello Flathead Fever,

Thanks for the thoughtful reply. I was wondering if I was doing something wrong, but if KR Wilson made a tool then some amount of force is required to remove the kingpins. I just watched a Youtube video on how to do it and the person had made a punch for the purpose too.

Also thanks for sharing your approach for perch pin removal. This is a project I have planned and will try your approach.

Also Bruce I will try Kroil or PB Blaster.

Thanks again everyone

[CT Jack]

Is it possible a piece of the locking pin broke off and is stuck in the pin groove? Are you having the same problem with both pins? If so I would try heating the area around the bushings followed with using a pin.

[Felton]

Hello CT Jack,

One side was lot harder than the other. I plan to disassemble some more early Ford frontends so the learning journey will continue. Thanks for offer some advice.

Ken

[bobbader]

Good idea. Those that have "never" had the task of removing frozen king pins are indeed fortunate. For the rest of us, a punch is a useful tool. As I do lots of Model A component rebuilding, I often try to make use of things like worn out original shafts to make new tools. Pedal shafts, clutch release shafts, water pump shafts, even distributor shafts can be repurposed to make handy tools at low cost ........... especially if you have a lathe. When using them as punches, especially with items like king pins, these shafts are great to use because, unlike the king pin itself, they are much softer and will not mushroom the king pin in the hole as you try to hammer tit out. Since the king pin has a hole running up its length, your punch should be stepped, with a stem that will "center" the tool inside the king pin while the larger diameter of the rest of the punch will rest upon the bottom rim of the king pin. This way, you can "wail" against the punch with some force without worrying you'll only make things worse in the process. Good luck.

[Keith True]

I have a hardened,stepped punch that was made to remove and install valve guides in a Kubota engine.It's one of the dozens of specialty tools I have acquired from working on tractors for over 40 years.It is an absolute perfect for the A kingpin.Living in the northeast the vast majority of kingpins I have done have been a fight all the way.A lot of them I've had to cut the head off with a wheel,then put the axle in the press to remove the rest.The one I just took out of my 28 was the easiest one I've ever done.

[Felton]

Thanks Bob Badder and Keith True (I live in MA). I like the idea of you using scrap parts from the car to make the tool. I will post a drawing of what I make. Maybe others will find it useful. Thanks