The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline '55 1st 3600 Thrust Bearing Question

I am in the process of replacing the steering knuckles on my wife's 55 3600. We took everything off, cleaned it up, got new bushings and a new kingpin set, got the bushings reamed properly, everything looks great. Slipped the kingpin in and it presses in tightly and nicely, no worries until I come to the thrust washers. The 3/4 tons didn't have thrust bearings, so I'm left with those bronze washers.

Here's the problem: I took off the washers and found that the opening on the thrust washers is too narrow by what I would surmise (by eye) is about 1/32 to 1/16" diameter. Thus, here's my question:

Do the bronze/steel combo thrust washers have to be reamed to fit, or do you set them there and then press the kingpin through?

I would assume that pressing the kingpin through would damage it, but I don't know how these old systems work and don't want to mess this up and have been unable to find anything on the internet.

To make matters worse, I am under a lot of time pressure, since I have to get this moved this weekend and I need the wheels on to do so.. Our landlord is getting foreclosed on and we have to move. Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Hy Grover, If I am understanding your problem the holes in the center of the thrust washers are too small to allow the kingpins to pass through? If that is the case then you will have to enlarge the holes until the kingpins have clearance. Did the thrust washers in question come with the kingpin kit? If so I would say they are the wrong washers for that kit. Being that you are under the gun to get the truck back together just modify the thrust washers to fit. I would take some before and after pictures of the thrust washers with some kind of a measuring device in the picture to show the kit supplier what you had to do to make things fit and hopefully get the correct washers supplied or a rebate on the partial cost of the kingpin kit, hope that helps.

Correct, the thrust washers are too small for the kingpin. I'll measure the diameter difference once I find my calipers (moving sucks).

Yes, these are the thrust washers that came with the kit. That's why I didn't know if they were a press fit or if they were supposed to be reamed. There's a lot on reaming bushings but nothing about the washers. The old washers look like they may have been press fit due to the lip on them but they are 60 years old and worn as hell, so it could have been from anything.

I think in the absence of any hard evidence to the contrary, I'm going to modify the thrust washers to fit as you suggested since I see that being the least damaging if I get it wrong. I'm hoping Grigg comes along and has some experience one way or the other with this.

Thanks!

For anyone who is following this, I had the washers reamed out to 0.001" over and everything fits nicely now. Hopefully this was the way to go but I think for the short tow to the new house it will be OK. If anyone had experience, I would love to hear what the proper way to do this is.