King Pin Reamer Needed
 

Gentlemen,
Do any of you have the long reamer used to properly ream the bushings for the king pins? If so, would you be willing to lend it to me? I figure I could pay for shipping from here to Mars and back more cheaply than paying the $150+tax+shipping that Snyders is asking.
If not, it's okay. I can pay for the tool. I do have two A's and may use it again someday.

Just to give you fellows something to read:
I decided to try to tighten the steering on my '28 Coupe. Bought the parts to redo the kingpins after detecting an ever-so-slight bit of play. The kit came with new bushings which, without a reamer, I decided I would NOT replace. I mean, who knows how easily the old ones would come out or whether I could press the new ones in or what other can of worms I might open in the process. But this morning I was tinkering around and, well just couldn't help myself. I gave the bushings a little tap, then another and before I could stop myself they more or less just popped out Then the new ones went in well also. So here I am like a coyote with his foot in a trap. Gotta have a reamer.

Re: King Pin Reamer Needed
 

take the spindles and pins to your local machine shop and have them honed to fit...

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Should you have the axle done, at the same time ?

Re: King Pin Reamer Needed
 

i used a brake slave cylinder rebuild hone, worked pretty well just went very slowly
John

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There are no bushings in the axle so no need. the bushing are only in the spindle.

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X2 for taking them to a machine shop and having them honed.

Bob

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Yep, what Mitch said. Thats easier and cheaper.
Both bushings need to be done together.

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I have a friend that is an ex-mechanic that swears his 1950 F1 has 8 king pin bushings. He insists that king pins have bushings in the spindle and the axle. And, there just ain't no convincing him otherwise.

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How did you align upper and lower bushes

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The time it takes to have it honed at a machine shop will be well worth it.

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Okay, thanks, Guys.
Just trying to borrow a tool. I like to do things myself, if possible. There's plenty out there I can't do. Went down to the Harley shop and was able to learn to use a hone to do the job. Left side turned out brilliant. Tomorrow, I'll tackle the other.

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Patric L if there are bushings in the axle then it was repaired at one time. I've done a few in the past but made steel bushings to fit the king pin.

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admire your 'can do' spirit .. for me half the fun of the journey ... and god knows plenty of folks have "paid it forward" to me!:D

happy to loan my original reamer. how time sensitive is it? VA to CA would take some time and xmas shipping could be a nightmare. wanna wait till new year so they can loose it at their normal pace? :eek:

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He is convinced this is how Henry built them. No convincing him otherwise.

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This video shows how it is done the right way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-LlAAwnFcA

Bob

Re: King Pin Reamer Needed
 

There was a very interesting article in the Restorer many many yrs ago. The writer had somehow stumbled onto the machinist who had machined up the first Model A prototype rear end for Henry to use as a springboard for production. Henry recognized the superb skills the guy had and gave him a roadster off the line fairly early on. The guy was very moved by this and never drove the car. The writer wanted to do kingpin bushings and wanted to borrow a long reamer for this. The guy said he didn't have one. He told him to just remove one bushing from the spindle. The upper wears more than the lower, so he said remove the upper. Press in the new bushing. Ream with a regular reamer, the lower bushing acting as a guide. Then go ahead with the other bushing. While this method may not be 1000% accurate, it has always worked for me, surprisingly well.

I have long since misplaced this article, but those of you with an extensive library of Restorer magazines will be able to find it. It would go back approx 25-35 yrs ago. The entire story made for a very good read. Maybe one of you will be able to locate it and post the issue.

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You know, Charles, there is NO time sensitivity on this one. Send it when you wish. I'm currently driving my "31 pickup to work while I have the coupe front end apart. How cool will it be to borrow a tool from the other side of the country! I'll PM you with my address and when I return your tool, I'll include the cash for postage both ways. How's that?
Look for my PM.

Blessings,
Brian

Re: King Pin Reamer Needed
 

Some years ago the reamers sold for this job were too large. It was only about 0.002 inches too large, but that is too much. That is why so many are recommending honing.

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Fellowship, camaraderie, respect, trust, and a sense of humor are key to life...
So it takes a bit of time to get it done... but the story is the best part of it all...
I also appreciate the machine shop video presentation, the way to go if you can..
This begs a question to you who have seen them, "Royal King Pin Kits" for $$$
Seems one can fit needle bearings into an original axil set up with special pins...
Anybody seen one of these installed, worth additional cost, clever idea & maker.
~"T"~

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This is a first. tbirdtbird and I have disagreed on several occasions in the past, but this time I agree with him. Must be Christmas or something. I used the same technique several times when renewing the bushes in a Velocette motorcycle swinging arm. (Velocettes were one of the few to use phosphor bronze bushes in this way.)

All the best of the season to all.

Ian

Re: King Pin Reamer Needed
 

Our club has a reamer in the club tool kit for the members to use.

If you mail anything, be sure to use Fed Ex or UPS if you don't want the tool to get lost or damaged. The post office has lost two of my recent purchaces, and damaged a third. Either I'm on their hit list, or they have an extremely bad track record.:mad::mad::mad:

Re: King Pin Reamer Needed
 

I just finished replacing these bushings on my 30 coupe. The reamer from Snyders did a perfect job and is was very easy. The finished job has absolutely no play. Steering is much improved with the shims under the king pin bearing. I didn't know to do this 20 years ago.

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Where does the tracking # say it is?

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Isn't owning a Model A basically an excuse to buy more tools?:D

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Re: King Pin Reamer Needed
 

That's exactly the case with the wire terminals I ordered a month ago.:mad:

I know I'll never see the taillight I bought on ebay 3 months ago, that the mailman dropped off in the neighbor's mailbox. Too bad the neighbor was dumb enough to stick it back in the mail. Too mistakes sure has it lost forever now.:mad:

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And parts!

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I have a Reamer, used on two spindles.
I live in Northridge. Me and E-Mail with your phone #.
GrandPaJohn

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Thank you, GrandPaJohn, Charles is sending me one from, well, somewhere on the far side of the country. I'll keep you in mind if something happens.

I agree, Gentlemen, a Model A is a great excuse to acquire tools and parts! Every time a delivery truck rolls down our street I get excited and ask myself if I've ordered any parts.

Not sure why I choose to ask to borrow one this time, but I still think it's cool to be sharing this tool with someone clear across the continent, just because we both are A men.

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posted just now. FedEx tracking #780163210320 .... now cross our fingers!! :)

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Charles,
Wow, that was quick! Thank you. Maybe I will be able to do the right side before I have to go back to work.

By the way, is the pickup in your avatar yours? I looked at your profile but didn't find any pics of your A.

I too looked at the video of the guy honing the spindle. That's how we did it in the Chopper Place yesterday. Our hone was not long enough to do both bushings at once, but with a little care it turned out perfectly.

I'm looking forward to using the reamer. Since I have two A's now, and will likely have my Dad's too at some point, it'll be nice to compare the techniques. Before I took it to the Harley shop, I tried two different machine shops. One guy wanted $50 for each spindle, the other one wouldn't touch it. Seems most shops these days are either completely dedicated to engine rebuilding, or are big production shops uninterested in little tasks like this.

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Hello Brian,
We are both in the same Boat, looking for this reamer.
I too live in Riverside. I'm new to Model A's but have been around Muscle Cars and Drag Racing all my Life. I do have many tools along with a Lathe and a Mill. Let me know if you think you may need to make something. If you want to swap Model A stories sometime PM me.
Do you ever make the "Old Farts Car Club" first Friday of the Month Car Show at the Farmer Boys on Van Buren? I had my 1928 Model A Roadster Pick up there last November.

Re: King Pin Reamer Needed
 

still in original packaging, which appears to be at least as old as me :rolleyes:, states 13/15" ... 'for Model A ...." on box. Hopefully this will meet his needs.:)

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People have been reaming the spindle bushings for years and years now we must hone them or all is lost! The spindle only turns a few degrees each way, it's not a shaft turning in the bushing. I'll just keep reaming them with original period reamers.
(My OP)If you don't have a stepped reamer then doing one side at a time is the way to go. If it's stepped then both bushing can be replaced then reamed.

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I think that should be 13/16 that would .812

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Got the steering column and the spindle reassembled today. Tight as a tick. Can't wait to finish up and see if the wobble is eliminated. I do love to drive this car.

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OK, OK busted!!:) between bifocals and fat fingers, missed the '6' ... should read 13/16" ... now folks can sleep better :cool: