Can king pins be drilled and tapped?

[choppinczech]

Or is the steel too hard.

I want to finish mine with some turned stainless caps and a counter sunk machine screws.

 

[Golly]

I would say yes , they are probably case hardened which means they have a hard outer surface but a good quality steel underneath. You may have to grind the end first to get thru the hardening, then drill slowly with a new, sharp, drill bit and plenty of cutting oil. Do a test hole on the bottom end first in case it doesn't work out, possibly?

 

[T-Test]

Cobalt bit will probably work best with that hard of material.

 

[choppinczech]

Back when I use to do metal stitching we would use these short solid carbide drill bits in hard castings.

Maybe I'll try that.

 

[PotvinGuy]

My caps are glued on:

 

[fordsbyjay]

Mine have an o-ring inside and it just pops on there.

 

[choppinczech]

Both good ideas.

I guess a recessed screw would just hold water and road grime anyway.

 

[benT]

I have some finned ones that were machined with a small recess which allows you to JB weld them to the top of the kingpin for a clean look.

 

[fletcherson]

Back when I use to do metal stitching we would use these short solid carbide drill bits in hard castings.

Maybe I'll try that.

I bet some sylicone would hold them and prevent moisture from entering.

 

[fordsbyjay]

Here are the ones I believe are on my car. I would try one of the vendors to see if they have something similar.

http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Garage-Sale-Total-Performance-King-Pin-Caps,105033.html