Evansline
Registered User
Can’t get anyone to believe me that the kingpin is threaded
1989 F350 4x4 front lower ball joints
- Thread starter Evansline
- Start date
To be fair, most dealers, at least from my experience, their techs don't know how to work on anything older than 15 years, let alone 30.
I just followed the steps on two separate places, a long lost post on bronco graveyard and torque specs on AllData. It's not that hard, just make sure you get the D60 spindle socket.
I just followed the steps on two separate places, a long lost post on bronco graveyard and torque specs on AllData. It's not that hard, just make sure you get the D60 spindle socket.
Black dawg
Registered User
If the "mechanic" isnt smart enough to use google do you want him working on your truck? Sounds like
Also, if that upper cone is in decent shape it isnt worth the fight to get it out.
Most of the time a spring and a bushing is all that is needed to tighten these up.
Old Goat
Full Access Member
Here is a good thread from Jalopy Journal about King Pins.
www.jalopyjournal.com
I had a shop replace the front end parts on my 86. He said he had to do some searching to find a shop that knew and had the tools to ream the bushings.
In a way it is like honing the cylinders to have the proper fit for the Rings.
Goat
Technical - When replacing King Pins
F1 front axle I'm picking up this weekend, trying get some parts here to keep me busy. I'm assuming if the spindle wiggles (like a old ball joint)...
www.jalopyjournal.com
I had a shop replace the front end parts on my 86. He said he had to do some searching to find a shop that knew and had the tools to ream the bushings.
In a way it is like honing the cylinders to have the proper fit for the Rings.
Goat
u2slow
bilge rat
The shop is confusing i-beam kingpins (true kingpins) with the dana 60 kingpins (perhaps technically trunnions).
Imho, DIY this job, or find a 4wd shop that understands them.
Imho, DIY this job, or find a 4wd shop that understands them.
TNBrett
Full Access Member
No offense here, but if a mechanic has to google a job like this, I don’t want to have to pay him. I think the real reason though is that shops are in the business to make money. They see an issue with an axle that hasn’t been made in 30+ years, and they just see problems. What if the tech mis quotes the job and it takes twice as long. Is the tech going to ask for more money? Who’s going to do the jobs that the tech was supposed to be starting on instead of finishing the king pins. What if they find more work is needed than they initially figured on. Is the owner of this 30+yr old truck going to pay up when the final bill is twice what the original quote was? And lastly in todays social media world what if the shop takes on the job, and two weeks later there’s an issue because they weren’t sure what to look out for, and the owner of the truck blasts them online. In todays world online reviews and ratings can make or break a company. A wise service manager will know when to take a hard pass on jobs like that if they aren’t 100% sure of their capabilities.
Black dawg
Registered User
My point wasnt about needing google to do the job or not, just sounded like he wanted to argue and he had no idea what he was looking at....quick search would answer some questions for him.
My thoughts have always been if they want to argue about something like that I need to go elsewhere. I completely understand that I don't know everything, but you have to trust your gut. If it's glaringly obvious that they don't know what the project entails, I don't want them screwing it up.
I would bet the front axle was swapped at sometime. Since a 1989 truck is 33 years old and the ball joint front axle is a bolt in. If the front axle came out of a 92 or 93 the front brakes are the same as a 1989. Ford changed the front brakes in 1994 so something to look out for when doing the front brakes.
As an old (70) retired ASE certified master auto tech I have noticed that young mechanics seem to have no knowledge of anything older then 20 years. Don’t ask them how to set the gap on a point ignition system. Lol
IDIBRONCO
IDIBRONCO
Now that's the absolute truth right there!
Old Goat
Full Access Member
IDIBRONCO
IDIBRONCO
I was told that too.
TNBrett
Full Access Member
I was also told to use a matchbook to set the stack height for clutches in an automatic transmission. All these jobs must have been tricky for mechanics that didn’t smoke.
Old Goat
Full Access Member
All businesses use to give out free Feller Gauges with their business name on it...er I mean match Books...till it became pollitically uncorrect.
Now they give out Ink Pins.
Talk about mechanics that don`t know...Back in 66 when I got out of the Navy, I had a 64 International Harvester (Corn Binder) 1/2 ton Step Side PU. Put in new plugs Points etc... Took it down to a local shop to have them check the Timing.
When i picked it up, the guy said I don`t know how you drove it in here, the timing is so far off you are going to do internal damage to the engine. I wouldn`t drive it very far.
I went down to the International Dealer and they had no problem setting it.
Mechanic said the guy probably tried to set it using #1 cylinder, on these you use #8.
I never went back to the first guy... ever...
Goat
Now they give out Ink Pins.
Talk about mechanics that don`t know...Back in 66 when I got out of the Navy, I had a 64 International Harvester (Corn Binder) 1/2 ton Step Side PU. Put in new plugs Points etc... Took it down to a local shop to have them check the Timing.
When i picked it up, the guy said I don`t know how you drove it in here, the timing is so far off you are going to do internal damage to the engine. I wouldn`t drive it very far.
I went down to the International Dealer and they had no problem setting it.
Mechanic said the guy probably tried to set it using #1 cylinder, on these you use #8.
I never went back to the first guy... ever...
Goat
