Very helpful! Thanks. My 56 Chrysler looks similar so I hope it's as easy except Chrysler "floating" brakes are a PAIN to take apart and put back on just to get them out of the way compared to GM stuff..
A friend had a 55 Buick in HS. The right king pin froze one night so bad that he broke a tooth off the gear in the steering box trying to turn steering wheel. We towed the car to his house to disassemble the king pin. Even with heat and a hydraulic press we could not budge the king pin. Alas proved to be the demise of that car we ended up junking it. Moral of the story make sure you grease those regularly.
Great video.. you've given me the confidence to do my 50 Buick king pins now.. pulled them all apart today and am going to install the bushes and ream tomorrow.. just a thought.... do you think it would be better to press the bushes in from the inside/other side of the hole? This way once they are flush with the spindle housing there will still be the recess at the top and bottom for the expandable plug to fit in without further adjustment of the bush position.. also you wouldn't be pushing the bush past possible burrs from where people have previously punched the spindle housings to retain the plugs... Just a thought.. thank you for sharing with us..
I sure had a lot of folks stumped as well as me. Turns out the '54 Pontiac bushings are floating bushings. No pressing, pounding or reaming....explains why everything came apart so easy.
I also put a shim on the top like you did but now just reading the shop manual, it calls the shims "thrust bearing shims". Which sounds like it should be at the bottom. The shim might wear out on top as compared to the bottom where it wouldn't.
@@dyna1955 I see thanks for the tip. I did decide to tap and ad a zero there anyway. Because my pin and bushing were worn badly. I love the video it’s the only one I could find to help me on my 54. So thank you! 😊
I do not have power steering. It drives much better on bumpy roads. With the wide tires it is a bear to maneuver. I am planning on installing the original narrow bias ply on it.
If the spindle itself is damaged, you will have to find a good used one. Try the Buick Club of America website. The king pins and bushing are available from several sources. If you need help let me know. Mud
great videos! - are you still happy with the Kanter front end kit? I am going to be doing this soon and was looking for your thoughts on the COMPLETE kit! - thank you
I have driven about 400 miles. So far so good. If you have power steering and radials it makes them drive like a much newer car. The correct bias plys really made a difference on mine
In the 55 Buick King pin video I noticed that near the end of the video there seemed to be a chain wrapped around the bottom of the lower control arm is that necessary or is it because the next video they are replacing top control arm parts
I'm stumped at the retainer pin. I've been hammering at it and flattened it out. Ground it down and still hammering with a drift pin. I'm at a loss......
It only comes out one direction. If it won't come out one way try the other. I think they are opposite side to side as the spindle is the same on both sides.
I think I realized I was hitting the wrong side. By a closer look of the other side of the car. They are both in the same position. I've since mushroomed both sides of the pin now. Man, you made it look so easy. Wish the manual said more than "remove retaining pin." I'm thinking of trying to make a press out of my bottlejack this afternoon maybe chained around the housing.
I actually ended up drilling (carefully) and it hammered out. Just did the other side and went in hard and fast. 2 whacks with the mallet "in the right direction". Both kingpins slid right out. Time to thank you for your vids and comments. They really help when needed. Cheers!
Awesome video! Thank you! Your walking me right through my 1955 Buick I rescued from the woods!
Glad to help
Very helpful! Thanks. My 56 Chrysler looks similar so I hope it's as easy except Chrysler "floating" brakes are a PAIN to take apart and put back on just to get them out of the way compared to GM stuff..
Thank you for your video. I"m currently installing some Fatman Fab.drop uprights and this was very helpful, as well as all your other videos.👍
You are welcome!
I really enjoyed this video. Love watching the old stuff being repaired.
A friend had a 55 Buick in HS. The right king pin froze one night so bad that he broke a tooth off the gear in the steering box trying to turn steering wheel. We towed the car to his house to disassemble the king pin. Even with heat and a hydraulic press we could not budge the king pin. Alas proved to be the demise of that car we ended up junking it. Moral of the story make sure you grease those regularly.
Nice job, both my '36 and '49 buicks have slight up-down play...some day will replace!
In a perfect world you would have a Sunnen hone to hone both bushings for a perfect aligned fit.
Great video.. you've given me the confidence to do my 50 Buick king pins now.. pulled them all apart today and am going to install the bushes and ream tomorrow.. just a thought.... do you think it would be better to press the bushes in from the inside/other side of the hole? This way once they are flush with the spindle housing there will still be the recess at the top and bottom for the expandable plug to fit in without further adjustment of the bush position.. also you wouldn't be pushing the bush past possible burrs from where people have previously punched the spindle housings to retain the plugs... Just a thought.. thank you for sharing with us..
Sounds like a good idea. Try it and let me know how it works.
I sure had a lot of folks stumped as well as me. Turns out the '54 Pontiac bushings are floating bushings. No pressing, pounding or reaming....explains why everything came apart so easy.
I also put a shim on the top like you did but now just reading the shop manual, it calls the shims "thrust bearing shims". Which sounds like it should be at the bottom. The shim might wear out on top as compared to the bottom where it wouldn't.
Thanks nice vid....gotta tackle my '54 pontiac now
And my 53 Pontiac is waiting its turn. Probably 30 years since I last did them, so I enjoyed the refresher course. It is a very good video.
hi buddy, where did you purchase all of your parts from?
I believe it was Kanter Auto parts. www.kanter.com/
Why isn’t there a grease zerk at the bottom bushing of the spindle? Mine is the same and I’m thinking of adding one.
I found that if you jack it up to take the weight off and then grease it, it helps get the grease in all the areas.
@@dyna1955 I see thanks for the tip. I did decide to tap and ad a zero there anyway. Because my pin and bushing were worn badly.
I love the video it’s the only one I could find to help me on my 54. So thank you! 😊
How has steerability been? I just finished mine and one side is stiffer than the other. It's actually the side with the shim. You got power steering?
I do not have power steering. It drives much better on bumpy roads. With the wide tires it is a bear to maneuver. I am planning on installing the original narrow bias ply on it.
Where do u find a replacement spindle
If the spindle itself is damaged, you will have to find a good used one. Try the Buick Club of America website. The king pins and bushing are available from several sources. If you need help let me know. Mud
great videos! - are you still happy with the Kanter front end kit? I am going to be doing this soon and was looking for your thoughts on the COMPLETE kit! - thank you
I have driven about 400 miles. So far so good. If you have power steering and radials it makes them drive like a much newer car. The correct bias plys really made a difference on mine
@@dyna1955 THANKS! - great video.....say hi to the opossum
In the 55 Buick King pin video I noticed that near the end of the video there seemed to be a chain
wrapped around the bottom of the lower control arm is that necessary or is it because the
next video they are replacing top control arm parts
I did that when I replaced the upper spindle bushing for extra safety.
I know it's been a while but where did you buy your king pins from? Are you still happy with them?
Kanter auto parts. I have driven it about 400 miles and they seem fine.
Thanks!
hey, great video, where did you get the reamer tool from (uggh, i'm at that step ;)
We had some old reamers at the shop where I work. You should be able to find them online.
Excellent video
Thanks, I am sure repairs like this are going on somewhere every
weekend, I decided to take a little time and film it.
ugh. I pulled the axle on my '58 Chevy truck and took it to the machine shop!
I'm stumped at the retainer pin. I've been hammering at it and flattened it out. Ground it down and still hammering with a drift pin. I'm at a loss......
It only comes out one direction. If it won't come out one way try the other. I think they are opposite side to side as the spindle is the same on both sides.
I think I realized I was hitting the wrong side. By a closer look of the other side of the car. They are both in the same position. I've since mushroomed both sides of the pin now. Man, you made it look so easy. Wish the manual said more than "remove retaining pin." I'm thinking of trying to make a press out of my bottlejack this afternoon maybe chained around the housing.
Bottlejacks don't work sideways.......
If you put the plunger near the bottom it should work. Try grinding the mushroom flat and try again. (Don't heat it!)
I actually ended up drilling (carefully) and it hammered out. Just did the other side and went in hard and fast. 2 whacks with the mallet "in the right direction". Both kingpins slid right out. Time to thank you for your vids and comments. They really help when needed. Cheers!