The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 53' 3600 King Pin Replacment

My front end has considerable play and I am looking into replacing the king pins. I called a truck shop and they quoted me 3 hours labor at $85 plus cost of the kingpins.

I know that the 3/4 tons require more work to change the king pins, but that seems excessive. How much have ya'll paid to have them replaced on your 3/4's?

A local machine shop did a one ton frontend for $50 plus parts took them less than a hour. I had the axle out while I was rebuilding the spring ends and rearching them made it simple and easy.

I would think that is a good price they can be very stubborn to get out , that is if the labor is 85 total the bushings on a 3/4 have to be reamed .

Pete

Nope, 3 hours at $85 an hour.

Ask around to a few shops .

Pete

If that is the going rate for shop time in your area its probably a fair price.

Remember the shop is paying the people doing the work, plus the benefits, plus the rent on the space, plus buying all the tools and equipment, plus paying taxes all hoping to make a little for the owner when they are done.

Being in business is expensive...

OldSub is right I talked to My son in law , He owns His shop Uptown Garage and thats what they are charging ,I do not go to shops and when I do now I go to His just have not keep up with the times I quess . It is a fair price .

Pete

I am going to check out another place today and see what they charge. Does 2 - 3 hours sound about right?

Mind you I am going to pull the axle from the truck.

The 3/4 ton and larger truck king-pin job takes more time than a job on a 1/2 ton truck. The 1/2 ton has floating bushings and they do not not have to be reamed. The larger trucks have press-fit bushings and they have to be reamed.

Napa machine shop did my 52 3/4 ton... I took them the entire axle. They gave me back the knuckles with new bushings and the axle separate so I could paint them.

Cost was either 110 or 120 including parts and labor.

Well, I got screwed. I dropped the axle off, got it back (2 weeks late) and just got the bill today (1 month after getting the axle back). $500 2-3 hours magically turned into 5.

Wonderful.

If I had a shop, I would not do the job for just 3 hours work. They have to dismatle the brakes etc. and then as mentioned the bushings are pressed and reamed. If you have had to pay for work on a new vehicle these days you know that three hours at $85/per is nothing.

That does seem a little bit high Fern, but unless you do the work your self I don’t think you can expect a heck of a lot less than that if you’re having a legitimate business do the work for you. I see you’re a student, most of us old timers here are still students in the “school of hard knocks.” Now after all when you finish your law degree, you won’t feel guilty about charging a few hundred dollars for an initial consultation will you??? Or maybe it’s medicine you’re into, $180 for a session on the couch or $80 for a 10-minute office visit, makes that repair bill look like a bargain.

Like Fred said if you just took the axle to them and they had to do all of the work. The disassembly, clean up and add to that getting them apart can be a bear sometimes, enter in the cost of the parts, then if it was done properly they had to ream (line bore) the bushings to fit the pins and re-assemble the whole works, the cost is close to correct.

I did all the work on mine myself including pressing the new bushings in the spindles. Then I had the automotive machine shop fit the pins by reaming the bushings on their Sunnen Hone for twenty bucks. Kingpin parts kit ran about $75 with the shipping so it totaled out to around a hundred bucks plus all my labor.

Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

The part that gets me is I was quoted 2-3 hours, 3 if they were really rusted in place. The axle was bare, no brakes, backing plates, nothing. Just an axle with two spindles.

The dust caps were out, as were both lock pins. I'm having a hard time seeing how pressing out and installing / reaming new bushings take 5 hours. And that cost doesn't include the parts, I supplied those.

Sorry, I must have mixed this thread up with another one. I thought the quote was for doing it from a complete truck. For a bare axle that may be a little steep.

Ask them is they use standard book rate for time.
I think I have a time book from the 50s.

Although you all may be making valid points about doctors and lawyers he is dealing with an unethical mechanic. The man said 2-3 hours and should not have exceeded his estimate by more than 10% without prior authorization. I would call the guy and say hey you said 2-3 hours at $____.