Adjustable Kingpins for m1008?

[cjkeeliii]

I looked in the archives and this was not directly addressed. My '85 m1008's left front tire is wearing more than the other tires and the truck pulls to the right. The mechanic said the axle tubes can become bent over time and an adjustable kingpin should fix the problem. Any ideas? Also, the truck leans ever-so-slightly to the left. Could that lean be from the bent axle tube as opposed to worn leaf springs? The mechanic showed me on the alignment computer how the tire leaned toward the inside of the truck and said parts/labor will run about $300.00. Thanks for the help and this great website.

 

[Westech]

yes moog makes them. there really EZ to install and set. check with your auto parts store (not a punk kid get a guy who can look it up in a book)

 

[CCATLETT1984]

you can "shim" the kingpin slightly. i'd measure from the frame to the ground on both sides of the truck in a few points and compare side to side measurements. also measure the space from the frame to the spring directly over the axle on both sides and see if its the same.

 

[cjkeeliii]

Thanks. I don't know what "moog" means.

 

[doghead]

Moog, is a brand(manufacturer)

 

[CCATLETT1984]

Moog parts are TOP OF THE LINE.

 

[Westech]

DONT CHEAP OUT on the front end parts. you put in the cheap stuff be ready to do it over and over. there is a Huge amount of stress on the king pins and the "white box china poop" just dont cut it.

 

[cjkeeliii]

Thanks. Are shims a better solution than an adjustable kingpin? Is my problem fairly common?

 

[Westech]

Yeah after 20 years or 100K miles the top "washers" go bad. I have done at least 20 of them in the last 5 years in my shops. We would use the adjustable one because it was ezer to align after. Really thats all you need is the top half of the pins, just take off the lower bearings and clean them and repack them.

 

[1956_4x4]

Did your mechanic actually check to see if the axle tube is bent? It could just be time for a king pin rebuild kit. I'd recommend finding the problem before you start throwing parts at it, since that can get pretty expensive without a real solution.

Smitty

 

[cjkeeliii]

No, he just said the tubes get bent and showed me the alignment computer's picture which showed the tire leaning inward. My initial thoughts were that if the tube was bent that the drive axle would scrub the inside diameter of the tube. Is that right? I did ask him if just replacing the kingpins would suffice and he didn't think that it would. I looked at the link which showed how to replace the kingpins and it is more than I have time to undertake, because the truck is a daily driver.

 

[CCATLETT1984]

you can to the kingpins by yourself without any special tools. its a three hour tops project on a saturday.

the actual kingpins rarely ever need to be replaced, its the plastic bushing on the top that wears out, and the spring that holds it down.

 

[cjkeeliii]

I might try replacing the bushings and springs and see waht happens. I've read on other posts here that those two items also contribute to the much dreaded "death wobble" which my truck occasionally experiences.

 

[CCATLETT1984]

yup. if your gonna do it, to yourself a favor and do both sides.

 

[Croatan_Kid]

To add my $2 worth.

- Moog makes great parts!
- You can also shim the spindle itself
- I would get more warm fuzzies by using shims as opposed to adjustable king pins
- The adjustable ones "can" break, they usually don't though
- I highly doubt the axle tube is bent, if it was, something else would be broken too!
- I need to do my king pins too! Want to come help me and learn something?


On a side note: I told a guy that the inside of both my front tires were wearing and that they were leaning in slightly. He told me to replace the ball joints! He never did understand why I laughed at him!

 

[cjkeeliii]

I would come help you, but I tend to get grouchy when I work on vehicles and then my language goes down hill. Your neighbors might not appreciate how I express my frustration. Seriously, you guys have given me enough info that I'll try to remedy this myself before I throw away a bunch of money. I just remembered that the mechanic said the kingpins were tight. But in my experience, parts that have been within tolerance were still worn enough to cause trouble.