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Steering Question? Looks like Kingpin... Chiltons says only Ball Joints! Help!

TheFixer

4
0
This is what I have:
1987 Ford F-250 Diesel... 2 wheel drive...

I've been running into a problem. I hope I have the terminology correct (been doing a lot of reading today).

The Chilton's manual for this truck says all 2 wheel drive models have an upper and lower ball joint on the front wheels connecting the spindle assemblies to the front axles.

However I am pretty sure that is NOT what I have. Everything else in the manual's diagrams looks the same. Radius arm, twin I-beam front axles, springs, tie-rod, etc. all look the same in the manual as what is on my truck.

However the spindle assemblies are attached to the twin I-beam axles using kingpins (I think that is what it is called, correct me if I am wrong) and not ball joints...


I thought maybe the Chilton’s manual is incorrect and left out some info, however I have not even been able to find parts online for kingpin assemblies. The Ford dealership in my area is closed at the moment and I can not call them.


Has anyone seen kingpin steering on a 1987 F-250 before? Did the Chilton’s manual just leave out some info? I am kinda worried cause when I tried looking up parts for this online I couldn’t find anything about replacement parts for a kingpin.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.


BTW the original problem I have is the wheel on the passenger side. There is a VERY LOUD grinding noise when steering coming from the passenger side. I put the truck on jack stands and removed the tie-rods and I can easily move the driver wheel along the steering axis by hand. However the passenger side won’t budge.

Thanks in advance.
 
flareside_thunder

flareside_thunder

Florida Chapter member
7,812
246
Last time they used kingpins on the 2wd's was I think 83........it may not be your balljoints unless you can sit there and watch them move with the tire...you may have crapped a bearing......
 

TheFixer

4
0
Here is a picture of the back of the spindle

spindle.jpg
 
Old_Paint

Old_Paint

Old guy with old cars
225
29
Alabama
That's definitely a kingpin. IIRC, on a 1964 Custom 100 axle [no F-series back then], there were bronze bushings pressed into the ends of the axle that the kingpins went through. I was 14 when I helped replace them, so remembering something from 37 years ago might be a stretch. I remember something about it, though, because we used a gigantic C-Clamp to press the new bushings in. May not have been on that truck, though. What I do remember very vividly, though, is once there's any slop in that bushing or the pin, it will only get worse. Replacement is the only option I know about on that setup. (Pin and bushings). Those things have to be greased regularly, or sand/grit works it's way up through the grease and wreaks havoc on those things. The worst symptom with the solid axle front on the old '64 was that it would get speed wobbles really bad in the front (Some calls it shimmies, I calls it speed wobbles. Mmmmm [using my best Carl Childers impersonation]) Dunno if the Twin I with pins is as bad as the solid axel was, though. TIB seems to have more caster and camber, which would probably help reduce the wobbles.
 
Old_Paint

Old_Paint

Old guy with old cars
225
29
Alabama
No question about it. That's a king pin. There would be more offset in two separate ball joints, not to mention, there would be a castle nut on each one, turned toward the center of the axle. I.E. the ball joints turn OUTWARD and are pressed into the spindle. That is one continous pin through spindle and axle. Look at a TIB front axle from a 150, and you'll see the big difference. No way that's ball joints.
 
flareside_thunder

flareside_thunder

Florida Chapter member
7,812
246
Definitely a kingpin man......Maybe the truck had a body swap at one point cause like I said I think the last year that Ford did KP fronts on the 2wd F350's was 83.....
 

95F350XL

Master Junk Tech
3,000
49
Belle Mead NJ
If you had ball joints, it would look like this(for future refrence.
IMG_0395.jpg

A 2wd will be the same, without the axle shaft in the middle. Blue Boots are Ball Joints
IMG_0396.jpg

You should have ball joints on that year, someone might have swapped axles or something before you had it.
 

TheFixer

4
0
Good news is I was able to find a machine shop that is pretty sure they can find out what size kingpin to use.

I just pulled the I-beam axle and spindle off and will be taking the whole thing to them tomorrow. They say labor should only be around $50 since I pulled everything myself.

Thanks everyone for the help.
 

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