A7 Kingpins

[Viteran]

I was at an autojumble yesterday and picked up a copy of January’56 Practical  Motorist with this article in it which may be of interest

[Ivor Hawkins]

I like the use of the word “reamering”!

You would have to be able to file like a gunsmith to make your own reamer as described, but I won’t knock it until I’ve tried it.

Thanks for posting, the attachment is nice and easy to read too.

[Colin Wilks]

A word of warning. The text puts the spacing washer on top of the axle eye, when it should sit below the axle on top of the flange on the bottom bush, as in fig 1. I use a hardened thrust washer here, which I size on the lathe by soldering it to the old bush so I can turn it down square, and go for a gap at the top of the axle eye of < .002".

Also, he describes "driving in" the kingpins, which implies a degree of force being required. I was taught the lightly oiled pin should be a smooth sliding fit in the bushes, such that it can be inserted into the stub axle on the bench with your little finger.

[Dennis Nicholas]

Methinks written by a journalist with a little engineering knowledge?
He should have called the spacer washer the thrust washer and a spacer washer, if required, goes above the axle.   Hammering in the king pin would refer to getting it through the axle eye which should be a good tight fit........of course we would put pin in the freezer to shrink it nowadays.....but they didn't have such things in those days in the the average household.

Now we know why so many 7s can be found with many bodges.

Thanks Colin for the soldering washer tip for turning down..........I have been grappling with that "how to" frequently in the past.

Dennis

[Bob Culver]

Is there a prize fro the number of mistakes in that article? Hardening mild steel is not a process to be dismissed in one sentence and beyond the raw amateur. Can harden silver steel; I suppose in the days of fireplaces all had the means. Toolmakers D type reamers can be made and I have used old kingpins so modified although too tight.
Artilces like that must have led many into fits of frustration.