king pins and radius arms

[neandethal]

We have just replaced the king pin swizel pin and bush/shim set in our car and there is still loads of play in the wheel/kingpin. i really cant believe that is how it should be. we believe that the hole in the radius arm has either become oval or is just plain worn, as we can feel some play between the pin and the radius arm hole.
unless advised otherwise we are planning to remove the radius arm and have the hole machined out and press in a phosphur-bronze sleeve to suit the new swizel pin, is this what others have done or do we not understand 2cv`s?

if that is the right course of action, second question is does anybody have the special tool required to undo the radius arm that we can beg, borrow or hire?

any help gratefully received as i have now done my ards and want to get some track time in before the winter.

[Derek Coghill]

Where your hands are on the road wheel when you're checking for play will govern what play you're feeling. You might be feeling play in the steering arms, kingpin or wheel bearing. Where were your hands? (use a clock description - 10 to 4, 5 past 7 and so on). Was the driveshaft nut done up really tight?

[neandethal]

if we put our hands at 12 and 6 ie top and bottom there is no/little play but if at 3 and 9 we can see the top part of the kingpin physically move on the radius arm, the deflection at the wheel extreme must be genuinely 10mm. the unrebuilt side is extreme in its movement

[Ken Hanna]

Did the kingpin require a fair amount of 'persuasion' to drive it into the arm, or were you able to just tap it through?
It's supposed to be an interference fit in the arm and if that's been lost, it's sometimes possible to shrink the eye with a run of weld down its outside edge.
This won't work if the pin is a 'drop through' fit or if the bore is oval, as it's then time to find a serviceable replacement...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30132857@N06/5274455230/in/photostream
&
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30132857@N06/5274455394/in/photostream



   

if we put our hands at 12 and 6 ie top and bottom there is no/little play but if at 3 and 9 we can see the top part of the kingpin physically move on the radius arm, the deflection at the wheel extreme must be genuinely 10mm. the unrebuilt side is extreme in its movement

[Paul Robertson]

Ken is absolutely spot on,if the arm won't shrink they will require replacing.You should have the welsh/belgian arm mod done at the same time to help stop them killing the eyes so easily.

[neandethal]

thanks for all your comments, we are going down the route of oversize kingpins, which are 17.2mm not 17mm and reaming out the eyes to suit.
Belgium arms etc sound great until you get a quote for doing them, unless they "saw me coming", but £450+ is one heck of a lot of money!

[Paul Robertson]

If that include new kingpins and bearings then it's a fair price ,There's over £100 in bits without the labour of setting it all up.However it is possible to do the mods yourself if you have  access to welding,cutting and drilling equipment.Bare new arms are £180 each, without the belgian mod standard arms will be fubar by the end of 24hrs.

[Sean]

how bad can it get?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/42745680@N02/4069835684/in/photostream
and thats a new pin still with the sticky grease :o

[Paul Robertson]

Definitely fubared that sean. Classic.