1949 Mercury Convertible Restoration Part 24 - Spindle Bushings
Submitted by Auto Restoration 101 Blog
It’s time to rebuild the spindles so we can start the assembly of the front suspension
. The king pin kit for this car was included in the front end rebuild kit that was purchased through Kanter.
The old king pin bushings needed to be removed first. I used a socket that had the same outer diameter as the bushing.
The bushing will come out by tapping on the socket with hammer.
To install the new bushings I used the flat side of a larger socket so that it would not damage the new bushing. I then squeezed the bushing into place using a large vice. This could also have been done using a press. It’s important that you do not damage the bushing during installation.
It’s very important that the hole in the bushing lines up with the grease zirk hole in the spindle. If they do not line up you will not be able to grease the pins and bushings.
The bushings that come with the king pins are undersized. Meaning that they have a smaller inside diameter than the diameter of the king pin. They have to be reamed to the same size as the king pin. I measured the king pin with some calipers and it measured .9375 which is 15/16. I didn’t have a reamer that size so I looked on eBay and found a brand new one for about $30.
You will need a reamer that is the same length as the king pin. Both bushings will need to be reamed at the same time to make them straight with each other. Clamp the spindle into a vise to hold it while you are doing the work. We used an adjustable wrench to turn the reamer. Also use a lot of oil and air to blow out the metal shavings as you go. Make sure when you remove the reamer that you keep turning it clockwise, the same way it cuts. If you don’t the metal shavings will dig into the new bushings and ruin them. When you are finished the king pin should fit very good with no play. You will probably want to install the bushings before you paint the parts. These photos were taken after all of the work had been finished.
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