King Pin Help

[banjopicker66]

I need some expert help on king pins.
Situation: Upgrading to disc brakes on my '66 F-10, my Sweet Southern Comfort, using the spindles from a '76 F-150. I purchased a king pin kit for a '66 F-100, with bronze bushings. (I have all the rest of the parts, fortunately, I just need to have these questions answered.)

Question 1 details: The '66 king pins are about 1/8 of an inch shorter than the '76 king pins, overall. If I put them side to side and line up the banjo bolt cutouts, they are about 1/16th of an inch shorter on each end. (The cutouts look identical, by the way.)

Question 1: Can I still use them in the '76 spindles?

Question 2 details; The new king pins fit unlubricated into the original '76 bronze bushings tightly. They turn, but only with some force. (Of course, they turn much more easily with a little grease on them.) The original '76 bushings do not look scored or burned.

Question 2: Can I use the '66 king pins in the original bushings?

[cdherman]

You are doing more or less what I did, except that my spindles were 78, which take the same kings as I recall. So its really the same.

I ended up just re-using the 78 king pins. They fit tight and THATS ALL THAT MATTERS!!! Ergo, use the pins that fit. If they are sloppy (Ford Shop manual says 1/8" play of the TIRE at the rim, which isn't much), then you have a problem. If they are tight, then use them.

If nothing fits tight, then you have a problem. To the best of my knowledge, but not based on actual experience, you can put a 66 bushing set in a 78, but not a 78 in a 66, due to the length issues. So if you have to rebush, then use the year the of the spindle, not the axel. Most folks endup taking it to a machine shop where they hone the bushings out to match kings.

Ford had reamers to do the same -- I have a reamer for a 65, becuase dad had all manner of trouble with the nylon bushings that my 65 had originally. After 3 sets of nylon bushings, he ordered bronze bushings and a reamer. He used the reamer ONCE. Nuff said.

So my short answer to both your questions: Yes. But if the tire is sloppy (more that 1/8 deviation at the top/bottom) afterwards, then you need to rebush, in which case I'd get 76 bushings and kings and have a machine shop hone them to fit.

Totally unrelated: Your axel stops don't match anymore with a 66 axel and a 76 spindle do they? Someone told me that if you have the steering all the way to one side and then you hit a pothole or curb, you will ruin the steering gear. The stop is there to prevent that and also to prevent certain size tires from rubbing on the wheel wells. I have been running mine with no stops, though I think a person could weld a larger head on a bolt and make the 65-66 work. In any case, you might want to know......

[FORDBOYpete]

I concur with Dave,

If you have a clean, unbinding, free fit & get fly cut lock bolt holes alined & working so pin is tight in I Beam, and if you have snug yet free turning Spindles [you should be able to hand press fit them] then I agree & say YES to all my friend.
By All Means Assemble it.

During Assembly, slather it most generously w/ good grade grease too. Ol' anal me I use antisieze compound @ shaft, into I-Beam end, for ease of future disassembly if need be.

Glad to hear Southern Comfort is "getting some Brakes" for the future, BP. Some Brakes for the future, get it

FBp

[MadMaxetc]

This might be helpfull.

http://www.fordification.com/discbrakes01.htm

The 65 & 66 Beams and Spyndles are all the same.

I would say that it is OK to put them on But I would return the 66 kit and get the 76 kit. The 66 pin wil not ride on ALL of the bushing so it could wear out sooner.

[ivaf100]

What was problem with plastic bushings? I put a set in my '66 and ran for many years (over 100,000 miles) without any problems. They are much easier to install as they don't require reaming.

[cdherman]

If the nylon bushings have worked for you, then great. Ford went back away from the nylon because a lot of folks (perhaps vehicles driven on rough roads or with loads) had trouble and needed to replace them very frequently.

I know they came from the factory in 65 with nylon, but then later years came from factory with bronze. Don't know which year that started though. I think 66 still had nylon from factory.

If you are not putting a lot of hard miles on a truck, then it probably is no bad idea to try them. They are indeed easier to install.

I don't think its wrong to use 66 kings in the 76 spindles -- the difference in length is not that much, and think about it, the bearing surface on the 66 bushings was enough for all those years, so why would it now be too little.

[cdherman]

BANJO, READ THIS!!!!

I just checked my records and then had some memories.

I think you HAVE to use the 66 king pins becuase the keeper is in a different location on the later I beams.

My records indicate (I write stuff down usually) that I re-used the 65 pins that were in the truck with the drum spindles. And then I remembered why as well.

If you have both sets and the spindles and Ibeams in front of you, take a look and see if I am just dreamin.....

I still stick by my original assertion though, that what really matter is getting the play out, in terms of diameters etc.