Hi all,
I had posted some time ago that I had a loose kingpin and wondered what to do. Finally had time to work on it today and it came right out with no problems!!! It turns out that the bushing had worn and that was the cause of the wobble in the front wheel.
But here is the concern/question: According to the manual the 2-Ton should have 3 washers as the thrust bearing, what I pulled out was a single piece ball bearing. Looking a bit deeper in the manual (last page of the front axle chapter) it looks like a couple of the lighter trucks have the same size kingpin but use the ball-bearing type for the thrust bearing. So, my question: would it be acceptable to use either type of bearing for the thrust bearing when I replace or should I look for the 3-washer type.
Second question: the other kingpin on the other side of the truck appears to be in good shape still with absolutely no wobble and it appears that the cap is still on top, so is it really necessary to change out?
I am assuming that all the other bits and pieces of the kingpin assembly check out first before I make a final decision on replacing the good one.
My goal is to get the truck road-worthy but I am not restoring it.
Thanks all, you have been great answering my newbie questions.
