Re: King Pin Thrust Bearing Clearance

Posted by Marco on Sep. 13, 1998 at 14:07:27

In Reply to: King Pin Thrust Bearing Clearance
posted by Roger Dean on September 13, 1998 at 09:49:34

I checked my Roadster which was assembled with all unused Ford parts in that area.I can get a .001 feeler between the spindle and the top of the axel.The car has been assembled for a few years but has less than 500 miles on it.There is paint on those surfaces but not much.
The only area that is typically subject to significant wear is the top of the spindle below the thrust bearing and only when left unlubed for some time.I didn't measure the axel before assembly but I'm 99% sure that the original thickness at the spindle bolt is 2.375".The wear on the spindle can easily be determined by measuring the machined surfaces beyond the wear area.If more shims are required than would be indicated my the measured wear then I would suspect imported thrust bearings or spindle bolts to be likely contributors to the problem.The metal cup should never be tight.
I'm also assuming you are measuring with the spindle bolt locking pins snug enough lock the spindle bolt in the proper position.I don't know how much excessive play would contribute to instability, but it make adjusting the front brakes much more difficult.Any movement here changes the effective length of the pushrod when raising the wheels of the ground.If you adjust the length of the brake pull rods for proper function you'll then need to measure how much the actuating lever moves forward when lowering the car to the floor and lengthen the pull rods by the same amount.