Spindle Removal

[green68250]

Hey,
I have '69 I-beams and spindles and I want to remove the spindles. What tools do I need and are there any tricks to getting them off?

[flyboy2610]

Save yourself a lot of grief and cussing. Take them to a shop to have the king pins pressed out. It won't cost much.
You could try heating the I beam bosses with a torch and then use a BMFH, but I would just take them to a shop.

[green68250]

Thats what other people have been telling me too, so thats probably what I will do. Thanks for the help.

[bryantracing460]

What I did is grease them real good, and work them back and forth a few times. Then take your BFH and hit on both sides of the I-beam where it connects to the spindle a few times. Then take a punch and drive it right out. Mine started to move after only about 5 or 6 whacks.

[Jake11]

BFH!!!!!!! And a torch.

[3rdowner]

I removed my 66 spindles in about 20 minutes aside. Also removed 70's in about the same time. I live in Southern Ca. so Idont have the rust problem that they have in the midwest. If you have drum spindles it will be easier to knock the pins out from bootom up as the backing plate gets in the way. If you have disc you can knock them out from the top as the backing plate is more flexible.

Either way take the grease caps off top and bottom, remove cross bolt in I beam and spray pb penetrating oil on top of kingpin and in cross bolt hole and give it time to soak. Do this several times then take a hammer and brass drift or a ratchet extension and drive the king pin out being careful not to damage the threads for the grease caps.
If you do not have a serious rust problem in the Ibeam they will come out pretty easy, just dont forgrt the to take the cross bolt out before trying to drive out the kingpins

ED

[green68250]

You make it sound easy so I will try it. I don't really want to take them to a shop I would rather do it myself and from your explanation it seems like a pretty straight forward job.

Thanks for the help,
Corbin

[3rdowner]

Corbin

It realy is very simple unless the kingpin has rusted badley inside the I beam. Remeber when they put new kingpins in they press the bronze bushings in and then ream the bushings so you can slide the pins in by hand.
The bushings are only in the spindle ends not in the ibeam itself.
What happens to the ones that are hard to remove is generally water gets into the ibeam and the pin and ibeam start to rust together. I have never used a torch nor would I recommend it. However I live in a climate that is very mild. Whem you remove the cross bolts in the Ibeam pay attention to the side the nut is on as the cross bolt is tapered and meant to go in only one way and it may be differrent direction on each beam



ED

[green68250]

ED,

Thanks for the help. This is my first truck that im completely redoing so alomost everything is a first for me. I've worked one these trucks before but this is my first experience taking apart the suspension so I really appreciate the help. I'll let you know how it goes once I get home this weekend and get to work on it.

Thanks again,
Corbin

[bocheetus]

I live in Sacramento CA and mine is a 1969 from the Milpitas plant(San Jose, CA) and has spent its life here in Northern California. I removed my kingpins just last week by removing the grease fittings, removing the kingpin's locking pin nut and washer, drowning the whole business in PB Blaster and then waiting 24 hours. With a short 3/8 extension as a drift, I was able to drive the king pins out the bottom(I had previously removed the backing plate). Minimal hammering was required.

[FORDification]

...I was able to drive the king pins out the bottom(I had previously removed the backing plate). Minimal hammering was required.

Man, that story is like the barn-find of an all-original 4-spd Hemi 'Cuda convertible with only a couple thousand miles on it. It very rarely happens!

That simply means the previous owner(s) kept up with greasing them, which unfortunately very few did, and so it'll take a hydraulic press. Consider yourself very lucky.

[theskytoucher]

I've done three spindle removals and all of them came apart fairly easily!!! I love AZ

[MadMaxetc]

I broke my 5 ton press trying to get mine out. Desided $15 to have a shop do it was worth it.

I have never heard of anyone haveing an easy time getting them out here in the midwest.

[3rdowner]

Weather is a major contributing factor. Remember in southern Ca. we only have 7 to 10" of rain a year and no snow. No road salts. I have taken several apart in the pick apart and never had to hit them with a standard claw hammer more than ten or twelve times. I took one off a truck that was pure rust from top of frame down and it was very easy. I can only attribute this to noticing that the owner appeared to clean and coat the inside of the Ibeam with heavy grease so there was a rust barrier. When I took mine apart I saw that my dad had done the same thing. MY king pins had not been greased for at least 15 years. My dad was the last one to do it before he passed away. The truck was at he most driven 200 miles a year after that and some years never driven just started and put in gear occasionally.