MTFCA Forum

Our "T" club has assigned me the job of finding an adjustable kingpin reamer and bushing facer to add to the clubs tool box. All I can find is a non adjustable at .50"..... anybody out there know who sells an adjustable one?

David

You will never find an adjustable king-pin reamer that easily does the job on a T. They don't exist unless you spend a very large sum of money and also make a custom pilot bushing to fit a standard pilot (some will come with the pilot).

Let's define what a kingpin reamer is: it is a special reamer with a long pilot which align's the reamer through both ends of the spindle and allows for line-reaming the bushings through a single axis. This is what you should look for.

Snyders offers T-2713-R as .504, which will ream early .502 kingpins to a slightly loose fit and later .4995 kingpins to a very loose fit.
Lang's offers 2713RM as .500 which will ream .4995 kingpins to a snug fit which probably would benefit from a quick hone afterwards to effect a more reasonable fit. These custom line-reamers are made to work with the bushings sold for spindles and typically require no additional bushing or fixtures

Now, let's define what a (plain old) reamer is: a reamer made to slightly enlarge an existing hole, and by itself, is not made to align with anything other than a single bushing, and that, only as accurately as it is fixtured relative to the reamer. These reamers come as fixed-diameter reamers as well as adjustable reamers. As an aside, if you want to do a particularly bad job of it, use an adjustable reamer. If you are or know a machinist, you can buy the exact reamer you want all the way down to 4 decimal places, and make a solid conical pilot to turn the regular reamer into one which will line-ream two bushings.

Used correctly, a fixed reamer will cut a perfectly accurate and repeatable hole, whereas an adjustable reamer will invariably have a "large spot" (good luck finding it BEFORE use) and often will have one pair of blades slightly "off". Chatter and unexpected hole size is very common. Use by multiple persons of varying degree of care, caution, and skill will lead to short useful life (if ever there is a case where they are really useful).

I own a piloted specialty king-pin reamer, and also a marching army of various sized reamers and a custom pilot on those few occasions the real tool doesn't fit the task. I also own some adjustable reamers, because there are some jobs where a lousy tool is all you need, but those opportunities become rarer as the stable of "real" reamers grows.

I bought a top quality adjustable reamer, with pilot and cone around 30 years ago. Treated with care , it does a fine job on T kingpin bushes. I can custom ream the bushes for the closest fit for whatever kingpins I find. I would not contemplate using a cheap, modern adjustable reamer made in who-knows-where.

Allan from down under.

Can you "set" an adjustable reamer with a very accurate "set up" ring? What is the specification for the ID of the bushings? I have seen .502" and .504"?

Allan

I will confess that there were at one time quality adjustable reamers. I used one when I was a kid. I was, I suppose, too dour in my assessment of them. My experience with modern tools on the market drove my comments.

Eric

If you're using the generic kingpins that take the drive-in oilers (which is correct style oiler for 1918 and up), you can call them .500 and use a .502 reamer.

The older quality adjustable reamer sets can sometimes be found at farm or older garage auctions.
I got lucky and found a set at an equipment sell out auction 10 years ago. I wasn’t looking for one but nobody bid on it but me and I got it for 20.00. One of the best lucky buys I ever made.

Here's my two cents, which nobody usually wants, but again on this subject I have to say, the best way to "mate" the kingpin with the spindle bushings is to have them HONED by a competent machine shop. That's what I do, doesn't cost much, and never ever any troubles with the bushings. Best fit you can ever ask for.

Twrenn: Best advice yet. I use my Sunnen hone on everyone I do. Best way to do it. Dan

A hone is great, especially for high speed bearings such as the transmission drums, but if you want a kingpin reamer, here is what I have and use. The early (later '09 through later '14) spindle bolts that I make are exactly to Ford specs, except for the added oil groove, and they need the 0.504" reamer. Mine was made by Chadwick & Trefethen, who have been in business since the late 1800s I believe. It has a proper pilot and is the proper length for the job. Seems to me I paid about $125 for it 6 or 7 years ago, not cheap but I didn't have to mortgage the farm to get it. Should be well within the means of a club for its tool crib.

www.chadwickreamers.com

RV

that is precisely the reamer I use when I install your Kingpins. Both the reamer and your product are excellent. You're right...the pilot is the perfect size for "as installed" bushings, to bring them to correct final size.

As far as honing, if you have the equipment or access to it, or just have the extra $$ you wish to spend with someone, Sunnen or Sunnen-type do a lovely job. The problem is, you cannot tell the difference between that and a properly reamed job, either in fitting to the car, or in driving the car. My reamers are cheaper than a hone and are a one-time investment. I spent the bulk of my career lapping/honing and super-finishing gas bearings to straightness and roundness to millionths of an inch...I have no bias against hones. In fact when you need it, they do far superior work to reamers...it's just that you don't NEED it to do kingpins. If they're your tool of choice, have at it with no beef from me.

The spindle reamer from Lang’s is .502”, and there is no need to hone the hole a little more. It is not the .500” stated in the “Q&A”... I have no idea where that “answer” came from.

It is made to do a good job of properly fitting the .500” common kingpins most of the large vendors sell, and to be quite a bit less expensive than the the very long style reamer. It will do a good job of reaming the bushings in any properly manufactured T spindle.

Occasionally, some T spindles do have bores that are off center with each other. This is where the little tapered pilot that Lang’s sells is helpful. It is insurance against mis-aligned spindle bores in incorrectly manufactured spindles AND still allows you to get a well aligned perfectly cylindrical hole in BOTH bushings.

I’ve been manufacturing these particular reamers for several years. They are available from some other vendors too. Every one has my instruction sheet and my phone number on it and I haven’t heard from anyone with any issues. One large bonus with my reamer is that it can be sent to me for re-sharpening for a fraction of its original price if it ever gets dull. Something that is unlikely but might be helpful if it’s a “club” tool used by a lot of people.

These style reamers can be special ordered from me in any size for the same price.

This reamer was designed to produce the same end result as the longer style reamers and be quite a bit less expensive.

By the way; I also have a Sunnen Honing Machine in my shop, but when I ream spindle bushings for my customers, I always use one of the reamers I manufacture because it does similar quality work in less time.

Adam

that "answer" was quoted from the Lang's website when I gave their part number...the honing advice also came from their website. It may well be different, but I am not in Massechusetts to measure one off of their shelf. Perhaps you can take it up with them. I'm not sure where my standard
reamer came from, as I've owned it for years, but if finishes to correct size just like my larger reamer finishes to correct size on RV's product, and like you, I do not hone. If it was from you via some supplier many years ago, then thanks.

Eric asked if there is an accurate 'set up ring' for an adjustable reamer. I suspect not. The adjustable reamer is not set to a specific size at the start. I set mine to take a light cut first, and then try the pin. The reamer is adjusted to take subsequent light cuts until the pin fits neatly. This process allows for tighter pressed fits for the bushes, and variations in kingpin diameters, so each is a custom fit. Trying to take too much material at once results in chattering and increases the likelihood of deeper cut producing a hole larger than is optimal because the cut was larger than needed.

Re honing the bushes, it is certainly an accurate process. How do the honing machines keep the two bushes some 5" apart in perfect alignment? I have watched them used on piston pin bushes, but do T model kingpins demand a longer arbour and stones?

Allan from down under.

Adam and Scott:
Sorry for the outdated information on our website. Adam is correct and the reamers we sell are the .502 size to fit the 2710SA and 2710SB bolts sets that we sell. The reamer is still too small to work with the 2711E bolts that we sell that RV Anderson is the supplier of. The website has been correct

To the original questions Sorry I don't know of any adjustable reamer long enough to handle the double bushing arrangement of the spindle bolts.
Reamers are a good way to go as long as you match it to the spindles bolts because there are both .499-.500" bolts and .503" bolts on the market.
And as others have also said, Honing the bushings to size works great if you have access to the machines.

Steve
Langs Old Car Parts

Steve

Kudos to responding and clarifying for all. I'm guessing it is a lot of work to keep a website 100% accurate, with as many parts as you carry.

Years ago used this USA made Critchley type adj. reamer with pilot to do spindle bushings, and an old used one-piece too.
These did only fair work. Are kept in the remembrance tool drawer.


Now....the very best results are from Lang's offering, this tool is just made for fun task of a correct and satisfactory job well done.