HOW TO
On the Beam: Old-Time Front Axle Restoration - Page 4
Our mechanic friend measured the diameter of the king pin with a micrometer and brought what he thought was the proper size reamer over to the shop. At first, it seemed like the tool didn't fit, but he couldn't "buy" that because he had measured carefully. First, he disassembled the tool and carefully cleaned up all of the cutting blades. Then, he used a rat-tail file to clean up the bearings a tiny bit. Almost like magic, the tool then seemed to fit perfectly into the hole.
We thought the reaming would take a long time, but it didn't. Actually, the phone rang and we went to get it. By the time we got back into the shop mechanic Vince Sauberlich had reamed all four bushings to the proper size. Now, we are ready to take the parts to the powder coater. Since this project is moving slowly according to customer wants, the final king pin install and axle/steering/brake re-assembly won't take place for quite awhile. When that day comes, perhaps we'll revisit the topic of old-time front axle restoration.