1941 spindles, kingpins, and steering arms

[hueyhoolihan]

just purchased a 1941 ford super deluxe and found a set of brand new, still in the unopened boxes, spindles and kingpins. look to be the standard set from Speedway. might be these:

https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Speed...ins,34489.html

the steering is kind of wonky, and i'm going to assume (although i will be pulling the wheels and checking if they are needed or not) that they were to be installed to remedy that.

anyway...there are no steering arms on the new spindles and the steering arms on the car are part of the spindle casting, meaning that if and when i replace the old spindles i will have no steering arms and so will need to purchase a couple arms that with fit the new spindles and the old tie-rod ends. Speedway does offer a few choices. but...

the question i have is do i need to buy something along the lines of these?

https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Ford-...gnid=199249975

BTW, it's not mandatory, but i would like to make use of the new spindles and kingpins in the trunk and like the idea that the bushing are already installed and reamed to fit.

[cas3]

Your original Ford spindles are way mo better. Jack the car up, grab the tire and try tip it in and out to see if the bushings are bad. Side to side, checks the tie rod ends if you are by yourself. A team could wiggle the steering wheel while one watches to see what is all loose.

[hueyhoolihan]

Originally Posted by cas3

Your original Ford spindles are way mo better. Jack the car up, grab the tire and try tip it in and out to see if the bushings are bad. Side to side, checks the tie rod ends if you are by yourself. A team could wiggle the steering wheel while one watches to see what is all loose.

i'm still in the researching stage, but as i noted, i plan to verify if i really need them. my suspicion is that i do, as the steering is unpredictable more than sloppym as it would be if there was excess lash.

and secondly, it looks as though someone had a plan to replace them but never got around to it...probably the previous owner (and restorer) that showed the car and recently passed away (or so i'm told).

just a little bit confused with the absence of the steering arms on the reproductions vs the originals. and research to the affect that the original spindles on a 1941 had bolt-on steering arms.

and i'll bet that the bolt-in steering arms will be offered with multiple geometries and i'll be having to research that too if i end up using the ones in the trunk.

[Angledrive]

Repair the originals, whatever it takes.

[tubman]

Original Ford steel suspension components are the last thing you should replace with an inferior part that is most likely imported. If they are damaged, see what it would take to get them repaired properly before considering replacement.

[alchemy]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Do you need another guy to tell you to use the original spindles? Let it be me.

[hueyhoolihan]

not really an option for me to reuse old spindles and kingpins if it turns out they need to be serviced as i have no facilities to do that, nor have i found even one mech, and i've spent days trying to find one, in the central california area that still services these old ford engines or suspensions.

i agree that it's all well and good to reuse parts if possible, but i've got to be realistic. so let's be. i'm old, the car's old and if i'm even able to drive a car in ten years i'll be lucky. and i have little doubt that my survivors will immediately sell or give the car away upon my demise and that will be that.

bottom line is the car will never be driven more than 10,000 miles while i'm still living, so longevity is not a real concern.

anyway...to service them, they would need to have the old bushings punched out, new bushings of the right dimensions to be pressed in. and then they would need to be reamed to the proper dimensions such that new kingpins, of the proper dimensions (and there were various dimensions over the years) would fit. then they might have to be shimmed with the proper material.

like i said, finding someone to do this these days is practically impossible. and i want to drive this car across the country in the next six months, so there's that.

what i would really like know is if anyone has experience with aftermarket spindles and steering arms for a 1941 ford. specifically with the ones from Speedway.

i'm guessing...probably not.

[tcom]

Adding another voice to the subject. First off you haven't described what the car is doing. Shimmying at all speeds, at a particular speed, hard steering, wandering, pulling? or a combination of a couple of the conditions.

If your kingpin bushings are worn the spindles can be rebushed, reamed to size and new pins fitted. All you need is a king pin set and the ability to press in and ream the bushings or have a machine shop do it. It's not theoretical astrophysics.

No way would I remove original easily rebuilt front end parts and replace them with might fits from Speedway.

THere are many more components in the front end that affect the steering than the king pins. I'd check the tie rod ends first and go from there.

tony

[cas3]

even if you want to use the new ones, you still have to get the old ones off. Thats the hardest part of the job

[tubman]

When I was a teenager, we had a "older" (late '20's) guy who lived in the neighborhood and worked for the local Chevrolet dealer and kind of took us under his wing. I Installed my first set of Ford kingpin bushings under his tutelage using a vise, various large sockets, and a brake hone. A little care and they came out perfect.

[rich b]

Like everybody is saying; stick with your original spindles.

While worn pins & bushings can create trouble; they would have to be really bad to cause "wonky" steering. I'd look at tie rod and draglink ends, steering box adjustment, wishbone ball, spring shackles, etc. Check that the axle isn't bent from someone pulling on it.

Another '41 specific thing; the drag link connection on your spindle is from the top, aftermarket bolt on arm will be from the bottom; so plan on a new drag link too.

Seriously; you can't find anyone to service your original spindles?

Most any decent truck spring/suspension shop will have a Sunnen hone and can perform the work.

[corvette8n]

Check with your local NAPA and see if they have a machine shop, or work with one, our local one has a machine shop about 15 minutes from me. I talked with the guy who runs ours and he rebuilds about 4 flatheads a year and also does king pins.

[TJ]

Along with others you just need to rebuild the existing spindles if they are the problem. Then check all the other components. A little wear in all the steering components can multiply into some bad steering symptoms. I have no idea where you live in California, but we have a shop in Napa that has experience in old Ford suspension and steering.

[deuce lover]

Originally Posted by hueyhoolihan

i'm still in the researching stage, but as i noted, i plan to verify if i really need them. my suspicion is that i do, as the steering is unpredictable more than sloppym as it would be if there was excess lash.

and secondly, it looks as though someone had a plan to replace them but never got around to it...probably the previous owner (and restorer) that showed the car and recently passed away (or so i'm told).

just a little bit confused with the absence of the steering arms on the reproductions vs the originals. and research to the affect that the original spindles on a 1941 had bolt-on steering arms.

and i'll bet that the bolt-in steering arms will be offered with multiple geometries and i'll be having to research that too if i end up using the ones in the trunk.

TMK Ford did not have bolt on steering arms in light trucks and pass cars from 1932-48. Speedway offers 3 styles of those bold on arms to work with cross steering. 2 are for a dropped axle application. Those who purchase those spindles requires those arms so the tie rod will clear the wishbone. They offer a plain flat style(part # 91632029) that works with cross steering but you have to use heim ends on the tie rod. That can get complicated for you.
When I put in a dropped axle in a 36 coupe I had a few yrs ago I had to use the deep drop arms.The spindles I used were original 41's that had the arms cut off . I also replaced the 1936 steering unit with a 1937 unit that I rebuilt.
One other thing you might want to check is your steering gear. It might just need to be adjusted to take the "slop" out of it. At this point in time most steering gears are worn out unless they were rebuilt.

[Karl Wolf]

Use the originals, make sure your machine shop has the Sunnen hone fixture to hone both top and lower bushing at the same time. My choice for the fit is so that you can just move the king pin by hand, that is- tight.

If you decide to use off the shelf aftermarket parts, it has been my experience to meet a compromise with a complicated series of further compromises.

Let me know via this site if you have difficulty finding a machine shop...

Karl

[itslow]

Originally Posted by hueyhoolihan

what i would really like know is if anyone has experience with aftermarket spindles and steering arms for a 1941 ford. specifically with the ones from Speedway.

The Speedway steering arms to which you linked are for a vehicle with a side steer steering box. Your '41 will have a cross-steer steering box, which requires the use of a RH arm that has two holes: one for the tie rod and one for the drag link.

The Speedway spindles may or may not need to have their bushings replaced and re-reamed. Speedway is known to have dubious quality control. Sometimes things fit as they're supposed to, other times they do not.

Being in California, you are in the mecca of old cars. There are numerous shops that can refit bushings into your original spindles.

[nickthebandit]

I can't believe that you can't find anyone in mid-state California to take care of your spindles. Go to the HAMB board, ask for help, and you will get many answers as to who can help you.

[Tony, NY]

I'm using the Speedway spindles with king pins and the dropped arms. No problems.

[Flathead Fever]

I have a KRW spindle bushing hone that was my dad's, I could have used it on a pair of '39-'41 round spindles going on a '40s style '32 hot rod but instead I had a local engine shop friend, l decided to let him fit the kingpin bushings using his Sunnen piston pin fitter. If they can fit piston pins, they can certainly fit kingpin bushings. I'm a big believer in using "FORD" parts.

[Ggmac]

Originally Posted by hueyhoolihan

not really an option for me to reuse old spindles and kingpins if it turns out they need to be serviced as i have no facilities to do that, nor have i found even one mech, and i've spent days trying to find one, in the central california area that still services these old ford engines or suspensions.

i agree that it's all well and good to reuse parts if possible, but i've got to be realistic. so let's be. i'm old, the car's old and if i'm even able to drive a car in ten years i'll be lucky. and i have little doubt that my survivors will immediately sell or give the car away upon my demise and that will be that.

bottom line is the car will never be driven more than 10,000 miles while i'm still living, so longevity is not a real concern.

anyway...to service them, they would need to have the old bushings punched out, new bushings of the right dimensions to be pressed in. and then they would need to be reamed to the proper dimensions such that new kingpins, of the proper dimensions (and there were various dimensions over the years) would fit. then they might have to be shimmed with the proper material.

like i said, finding someone to do this these days is practically impossible. and i want to drive this car across the country in the next six months, so there's that.

what i would really like know is if anyone has experience with aftermarket spindles and steering arms for a 1941 ford. specifically with the ones from Speedway.

i'm guessing...probably not.

I’ve got a set that came with the 41 coupe . Speedway round spindles , bolt on arms and new king pins . Previous owner just threw money at it and never got it moving .
I just rebuilt the original. You can do it . Just ask alot of questions and take pictures. Speedway does sell a set of bearings that replace the bushings and require no reaming . I never tried them so I cant comment on them.