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MG MGB Technical - Swivel Axle / Kingpin Rebuild

Another post got me thinking... swivel axle rebuilding is a subject I've never seen covered on any of the forums over the past 10-15 years. Anybody want to take a swing at a how-to? Tips? Tricks? Warnings?
Steve Simmons

Well, I've never done it myself....yet, but the trick is getting the old bushes out of the stub-axle, then getting the new ones in. You do need a stepped reamer, of course, to ream them to size and concentricly (?) - which I have managed to acquire.

It should be a challenge!
Dave O'Neill 2

Steve

Biggest issue I had was in getting the right thickness for the upper thrust washers. They have a nuumber of sizes and you have to keep playing until it feels right. Still not quite sure how you measure the play. Tought to do when you get the unit installed and the top bolt tightened.
Bruce-C

Steve.

Put the car up on jack stands, preferably with one of the three legged jack stands under the spring pan.

Pull the wheel off.

Remove the caliper and move it out of the way. Support it so it is not hanging by the flex line.

Remove the hub assembly.

Loosen the upper kingpin nut.

Remove the upper trunion cross bolt.

Remove the lower trunion cross bolt.

Remove the stub axle and the king pin.

Disassemble the stub axle from the kingpin and remove the kingpin. Remove the dust covers from the stub axle.

Clean everything very well.

Inspect the parts for wear, damage, or cracks.

To remove the upper and lower bushings from the stub axle, use a piloted driver that will fit inside the hole and is just slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the bushing, along with a hydraulic press to drive the bushings out. Clean the inner surface where the bushings set.

Install the new bushings using the hydraulic press and the bushing drivers. The bushings should be flush with the top and bottom and project slightly into the center part of the stub axle.

Ream the bushings, using a lot of cutting oil and removing the reamer frequently for cleaning and re-oiling.

Assemble the seals and dust covers. Install the kingpins.

Set up of the kingpin float is per the factory workshop manual. Make sure you get the trunions correctly oriented or your front end will look funny--I know. Good reason to only do one side at a time.

Les
Les Bengtson

I'm currently rebuilding a set from my '65 but I don't plan to press the bushings in and out myself. That's a job for the machinist later this week. First I need to scrub and sandblast 42 years of road grime from the parts! They're soaking in solvent at the moment.
Steve Simmons

Steve,
All details given by Les Bengston are relevant. Just a check to add on, when really worn out, you need replace the king pin as an assy because of corrosive action of dust+grease that destroys the lower journal surface. Unless you could machine in line the two journals which is a big job, I would suggest ie MGOC complete high quality renewal kit intended for this and not that expensive.
Regards.
Renou

I would never bother with trying to rebuild, too much faffing about, exchange replacement with a rebuilt unit is a doddle. The only extra is reshimming the wheel bearings fo the new stub axle, but it makes sense to replace the wheel bearings anyway (unless they are nearly new) and so reshimming even with the same axle would be required.
Paul Hunt 2

Dave O'Neill may i ask you where you got your king pin reamer from is it proper a one 18G597 and do you have the rest of kit to go with it as i would be interested in buying one, many thanks A.T
andy tilney

This thread was discussed between 08/01/2008 and 11/01/2008

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