King pin D60 experts

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So I put a D60 king pin in my truck a few years back, my tires always appeared to lean in and wear the tires unevenly. I replaced the upper plastic bushing and springs along with one lower a while back but it made no difference. Also when I jack the truck up I can see movement between the knuckles and axles.

I'm basically tired of looking at the tires leaning in. Do I maybe need to replace the king pins themselves? Worn knuckles?
 

Mixedbreed

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Measure it. It may be out of spec. Not much more it can be I don't think. There isn't an adjustment for inclination if I remember correctly.
 
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Bearings are good. It's been a ongoing issue since I've put the axle in. What's the best way to check the wobble? A long pry bad under the tire when it's jacked up ?
 

Mixedbreed

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Sorry no. You pull the tire, and lift the hub up while measuring the spindle top and bottom. Measure above the axle and below the axle. Gonna need a dial indicator to get precise but you will be able to see gross slop. You have about .015 play for top and bottom.

http://www2.dana.com/pdf/AXSM-0038.pdf

The link shows you what I am talking about.
 
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psduser1

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I've run the older d60s, with a kingpin, and there is a replacement "cup" that is seated in the knuckle? At one time I had found an eccentric assembly that corrected camber issues, but no clue who makes it now. Sorry about that.
I know a cup replacement helped camber a lot. May be able to press the cone out and replace that also?
 

backwoodsboy

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Replace the kingpins themselves, as well as the springs that preload the bushing.
I have never seen a kingpin knuckle 'worn out'. Cracked and bent, yes, but never wallowed out to allow the kind of slop you are experiencing.
 

m j

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Are these d60 kingpin axles anything like the axles in big trucks with kingpins?

nope, not even close.
they have a tapered lower bearing and race and the upper is a spring loaded nylon bushing that rides on a cone.
there will always be vertical movement when you take the weight off the tire as there is nothing in the design to prevent it other then a little spring

http://www2.dana.com/pdf/5309-3.pdf
that is the dana 60 manual, the 40° degree steering knuckle starts on pg 13 or 14 with the best image of the king pins around page 17
 
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Any ideas on what's causing the tires to lean in though? As stated earlier I've replaced everything but the actual king pin itself and the knuckles.
 
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m j

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I think they are designed that way. preloaded for heavy hauling maybe?
I hate that kingpin design and think the proliferation of 'springless' d60 arms and caps is a step in the right direction.

kingpin parts are not that pricey and there is a good thread on pirate showing the easiest way to remove the upper cone with an angle grinder and thin cutoff wheel
 
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I think they are designed that way. preloaded for heavy hauling maybe?
I hate that kingpin design and think the proliferation of 'springless' d60 arms and caps is a step in the right direction.

kingpin parts are not that pricey and there is a good thread on pirate showing the easiest way to remove the upper cone with an angle grinder and thin cutoff wheel

I have no issue changing it, the king pins looked fine when I did the bushing and spring. Im really just trying to figure out why the tires are leaning in. If that's just how they are then Oh well.
 

zarrinvz24

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I had a '93 Dodge W250 with a kingpin Dana 60 up front and when I bought it one of the front tires leaned in, the top of the tire was about .25" closer to the body and the bottom was .25" out. This caused some irregular tire wear. The fix is to replace the spring and bushing at the top of knuckle. All the parts are available as part of a kit, which is what I purchased: http://www.quad4x4.com/qk4512.html While you've got everything apart might as well change the bearing at the bottom as well. I would go that route and see if it fixes your issue.

Wow, just checked the price of that kit and it has really increased since I did the problem. If you want to start the cheaper way I would just replace the spring and bushing. Ultimate Cheap-skate way to fix this would be to open up the spring retainer and put a grade 8 washer on top of the spring. This will increase tension on the bushing and should help straighten out the knuckle. I don't like to use that fix because normally if the spring is weak the bushing is worn as well.



Just went back and re-read the OP's original post. Wow I see you've already tried some of the fixes, and I feel a little silly for re-hashing things you've already tried. Sorry about that.

I'd try putting one a fender washer under each cup on top of the springs and see if that helps a little bit. You could even stack two washers on top of a spring to increase the pressure on the bushing. I really think that your issue lies with the spring not applying enough pressure to the bushing. Did you use good quality springs? Were the parts new? If that still doesn't resolve the issue I would say it's time to change the kingpins. While it is rare they do wear out. Lots of heat is a must on this job. Quad 4x4 also sells a 3/4 drive impact socket with the hex needed to remove a kingpin. That will probably make removing them much easier. I've also seen some make a big allen key and use a 8' cheater pipe.
 
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JoeDaddy

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They all do that.......what?

Holy Crap....

They don't all do that and loaded unloaded doesn't make a difference. WOW.
You have a worn out cup.
 

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