tube axle kingpin fit

[Hackerbilt]

Hey guys...having what I thought was a weird problem with my T.
Had the axle jacked off the floor for oil change clearance and the tire felt loose. Rocked back and forth like the KP bushings were bad.
They are only 2 years old.
Had a closer look and the problem turned out to be KP slop in the axle end!
Ok great...so pulled everything apart to see what was happening to wallow out the hole and it seems perfect. The hole isn't wallowed out at all...its just big!
I believe the setscrew backed off and allowed the KP to simply flop around.

Seems very weird to me that the pin is so much smaller than the hole.
Shouldn't they be a push fit thru the axle hole?
I'd guess I have .010" clearance around the pin! It just drops right thru!
Is that normal?
Seems like a lot is being asked of a single setscrew to lock things up tight if thats the normal way....

 

[T-Test]

I had the same problem with a stock 1940 Ford axle and was to complicated for me to fix with my limited knowledge. Machine shop fixed for me with bronze bushings after milling the holes.

Another axle would be better.

 

[Neshkoro]

The king pin should be a slip fit or a light tap fit.

 

[Hackerbilt]

The king pin should be a slip fit or a light tap fit.

Yes...thats why I'm kinda hoping someone with aftermarket axle experience will respond. I'm wondering is this looseness normal in the aftermarket tube axles. It doesn't appear wallowed out, and in fact the looseness is in all directions...not just where the weight was bearing against the sides of the hole. Very odd...
I gotta have a look for my old kingpins and do a comparison measurement. Perhaps the new ones were a tad smaller!

 

[T-Test]

Gerry said what I did with my axle from the other tread. You need a new axle or get that one repaired. NIAB about it.

 

[old round fart]

It may be a good idea to measure the ID of the hole and see if it is round (not worn) and see if it has the correct king pin installed.

 

[Hackerbilt]

It may be a good idea to measure the ID of the hole and see if it is round (not worn) and see if it has the correct king pin installed.

I was messing with it again tonight and the axle hole seems fine...just a tiny bit bigger.
I can push the whole pin in and out towards the rad and also front to back equally. Doesn't appear oblonged.
The pin also seems a little loose in the spindle!
Wondering now if its a mismachined pin.
I was talking to a machinest friend who can make me a new pin to fit.
Gonna get him to drop up and get a measurement of the hole and go from there.
Most likely will need to hone the bushings a bit to make it all work but it seems do-able. Chevy spindles so hopefully the slip in bushings CAN be honed!

What a mess. We have a short summer and this one has been VERY slow coming. Now this!!!
Wish I hadda found it in October!

 

[RPM]

I was messing with it again tonight and the axle hole seems fine...just a tiny bit bigger.
I can push the whole pin in and out towards the rad and also front to back equally. Doesn't appear oblonged.
The pin also seems a little loose in the spindle!
Wondering now if its a mismachined pin.
I was talking to a machinest friend who can make me a new pin to fit.
Gonna get him to drop up and get a measurement of the hole and go from there.
Most likely will need to hone the bushings a bit to make it all work but it seems do-able. Chevy spindles so hopefully the slip in bushings CAN be honed!

What a mess. We have a short summer and this one has been VERY slow coming. Now this!!!
Wish I hadda found it in October!

You can locktite those bushings in the spindle if you decide to hone the bushings over size

 

[Hackerbilt]

Excellent idea on that Locktite...thanks!
Have you ever run into something like this before Ron?
Are those Chevy pins usually a tight fit or are some of them inconsistant?

 

[RPM]

Excellent idea on that Locktite...thanks!
Have you ever run into something like this before Ron?
Are those Chevy pins usually a tight fit or are some of them inconsistant?

Lots of inconsistency. The ends are made, then welded to the tube and the heat changes the hole sizes.