The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Play in front wheels

Ok folks,

I jacked up the front of the truck to check for king pin wear. Definite play when I grabbed the wheel top and bottom. I'm also getting play when I grab the wheel side to side and was wondering if this was also likely to be from the king pins or from loose wheel bearings.

Thanks

Bob

My guess: loose or worn wheel bearings. Swap 'em out and see what happens. ;-)

If you suspect the wheel bearings are loose, adjust them and try again. You need to know what is worn and what isn't.

Have someone grab the wheel for you & watch where the play is. Pay attention to the tie rod ends on side to side play.

How does it drive? I think there should be some play. I remember a "20-20" TV show expose where front-end shops would lift a car and show the "terrified" owner the loose play in the front end. 20-20's expert mechanics said that was OK. I go by how it drives out on my '48. Radial tires made a ton of difference.

Thanks guys,

The bearings were repacked a couple of months ago, but I'll recheck those to start with and move on from there. There is a slight wander that wasn't there before. I've just hurt my back so it'll be a few days before I get round to it. Thanks again everyone.

Bob

While some play might be ok in a ball joint front end, it sure isn't for king pins. Speaking from experience, they will show play both ways. Also check the spring shackles and pivot bolt. They also get worn after a while and contribute to wander, especially when braking or hitting a bump.

Mozzie,

I think you are driving a 41-46? I adjusted my tie rod ends per the shop manual (mine are the original). Adjustment made a big change in my truck. It does not wander all over the road anymore. I put off my Kingpin project because it worked so well. Kingpins are still on the list for next winter tho.

Josiah and 46 thanks guys. I'll go over everything once this knackered back of mine improves a bit It's giving me time for plenty of light reading ( workshop manual ).

Cheers


Bob

Just an update folks,

I adjusted the wheel bearing and that took away most of the side play and then adjusted the tie rods. Doing these two things made a huge difference to the sideways play. Still the same amount of vertical play coming from the king pins. When putting the wheel back on a couple of the lug bolts were loose and I knocked them back into the brake drum trying to get the wheel on. The splines on the bolts were pretty worn. The other surprising thing is that the plate inside the drum was loose. Looks like I'll have to source some new lug bolts that are a tighter fit. I could build everything up from the brake drum out and then fit the whole lot on but that doesn't solve the problem of the loose studs if I get a flat tyre and have to change the wheel.

Life wasn't meant to be easy.

Thanks everyone for the help.

Bob

I get quite a lot of wander but luckily so far only in my brain.

If you have a good parts man,you could take one of the wheel studs to him/her and have the splines miked;then use the picture interchange books to locate studs that are like the originals but with slightly bigger splines. That's what I did on a '53 half ton I owned,but it was years ago,and I can't remember what I found that worked.Seems like the splines were a little longer,so I had to put two flat washers on the studs before I pulled them into the hub,but then they worked great.
James

ohpants. Aye you have to watch that wandering brain. Mind you a wandering eye can get you in more trouble.

James. Thanks mate. I found studs from an old Holden that are a good match. The splined section is a bit shorter but a few thou thicker so they have worked well and are a good solid fit on the hub.

Cheers

Bob