The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Is this the Kingpin Plug ??????

I'm trying to replace the kingpins on my '50 3100. Per the link below, am I pointing to the kingpin Plug stake ? If so, how do you remove it ? Tomorrow I'm having a kingpin replacement kit arrive from ChevyDuty which cover both wheels. Does their kit normally have new plugs so I shouldn't care about being very careful with mine ? Once the plug is removed do you simply drive the upper kingpin down allowing it to push the lower kingpin out ?

http://www.cmaynard.com/IMG_0576.JPG

Yes, you take a sharp pointed tool such as a sharp punch or chisel and cut a hole in the soft plug then pry it up out. Now remove the tapered bolt that holds the king pin in the axle by removing the nut and driving it back out. Now suport the bottom of the steering knuckle with a jack or something very solid and drive the pin out. If that doesn't work, remove the bottom soft plug like you did the top one, find a short piece of shafting about the same diameter as the king pin. Put this between the jack and the bottom of the king pin, jack it up enough to where the weight of the vehicle is on the jack. Get a 10 lb. sledge hammer and hit the top of the axle downward. Hopefully this will drive the king pin up and out. Good Luck!!

cmayna:

First off, do you have a Chevrolet Truck Shop Manual 1948 to 1951 Includes 1952 Supplement? If not, I would encourage you to get one. There are perfect instructions on how to replace you king pins, and everything else in that book. If you don't yet have one. They advise to drill a hole in either plug, then pry it out with a drift or punch. I just went through this process myself. You may need to press the bushings out with a shop press. Fortunately my good friend Ken had such a press. We used it to get them out. Any more questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

I hope this helps. Good Luck....

Rugo
53 3100
Smokem if you gottem, if you haven't gottem, I know where you can gettem.

Here's what the '54 manual says:

Remove king pin lock pin nut, washer, and steering stop. Replace nut on lock pin far enough to protect threads. Strike nut with hammer to loosen lock pin. Remove nut, then drive pin out with brass drift and hammer. With a small chisel, break king pin plug stakes (the thing you're pointing to) loose. Remove either top or botton plug by drilling through plug, and then driving plug out with a drift. Drive king pin out of axle with a drift. This will also remove other king pin plug.

Your rig may be different, but on mine the lock pins are different sizes for top and bottom, and they go in a specific way.

Rugo,
Yes I do have the infamous 48 to 51 includes 52 supplement manual, but in particular case I think they could have added at leat one picture. On page 3-2 they have a cut away but does not identify the plug. Then on page 3-8, they say "remove either top or bottom plug". I'm sure that I am not the only 1st timer in kingpin replacing that would question just what is the plug.

It's much cheaper to ask a question than to had wished you had done so before ruining a part.

Overall the manual is fantastic. My pages are starting to fall apart due to usage

cmayna,

Stake refers to a procedure that is used to hold the plug in place. i.e. after replacing the plug, you "Stake" the metal around the perimeter of the plug to retain the plug in position. This is done by using a small diameter punch and displacing the metal of the steering knuckle so that it folds over the edge of the plug. It is easier said than done - I have found that a drift pin with a slight point ground in it works best for this.

Just completed my front end with everyone's help.
Thanks.

Craig

Sure, just "tap" everything out!! :mad: My one-ton required beating with 4lb mini-maul, heat, penetrating oil, busting off the taper pin nut, driving on that till blue in face, and finally drilling it out with bigger and bigger bits. It held on till the very last 1/8" or less and still had to split it and drive em out! One on other side had lower bearing gone, upper cap gone, pin sticking out top, I just pulled it out with my big pliers! BUT, that darn pin was really stuck, same way. it had been sheared off my the pin passing by it, too. It's fare easier to pull the axle out from truck and work on bench or use press to push out. I've done that way too.

Forgot to mention...the heck with "staking", I just set plug in hole, squeeze past old stake marks and hit in center with round end of ballpeen to "set" the plug. Uses old stake marks to hold it in then.