C1 Kingpin Question

[Christopher R.]

Assembling new kingpins into the spindles and knuckles. How and where do the welch plugs go? Are "welch plugs" the dished plugs? The kit I got contained 4 thick dished plugs and 4 thin flat plugs. One of the manuals seems to show the dished plugs are to go under the spring rings - domed side out. But it appears that there isn't enough room for them to fit under the spring ring. And how do they go in? If domed side up, how do you pound them in the hole? The flat plugs go in with plenty of room to spare. What is the purpose of these plugs?

Then there's the 4 covers. Looks like a stiff breeze will cause them to fall off. If the purpose of these plugs and covers is to protect the kingpin, then I'm not too concerned. After all, the car is not going to see harsh conditions. I've got the thin flat plugs in there for protection. Any comments? (I'm a little worried that I've got parts leftover after doing a job.)

[Mark S. Lovejoy]

Re: C1 Kingpin Question

Hi Chris,

I seem to remember the same issue, the flat discs worked but the dished ones did not. I assembled with the flat ones.

BTW; Did you get your kit from Kanter Auto Products? That's where I got mine and the kit covered several other applications.

Try to stay warm!

Mark

[Theodore K.]

Re: C1 Kingpin Question

Chris,
Do you have the ST-12 service guide? On page 3-13 under front suspension there is a good figure 25 that gives an excellent picture and numbered reference to all the components in the kingpin area. If you don't have an ST-12 I can scan into a PDF file and email to you. I think this will answer you questions.

From this diagram the welch plugs are shown as the smaller flat slightly concaved disc that goes under the lockring and above the kingpin. There is a lower welch plug also. On the top is a dished piece called a upper bearing cover that goes on the top to keep dirt, etc out of the kingpin. There is no lower cover shown. That means you should have 4 welch plugs and two dished covers.

If unclear please email me.
Regards,
Ted von Kampen

[Christopher R.]

Re: C1 Kingpin Question

10 F is my cut off point. I'll work in the unheated garage until it hits 10 F.

I got the spindles and knuckles off a few weeks ago when the temps were in the 20s. Had to send the knuckles out to a machine shop to get the lower outer bushings out. I'm doing the upper and lower outer bushings too. Now I'm doing the kingpins in the relative comfort of my cellar. Girlfriend calls down, "Whaddya doon down there, honey?" I always answer, "Playing with my parts."

Gonna be balmy this weekend - in the 30s. Finish up the kingpins by Friday, and I'll be out in the garage in my shorts on Saturday, reinstalling them.

[Christopher R.]

Re: C1 Kingpin Question

The kit came with 12 things - 4 covers, 4 thin flat disks, and 4 thick concave disks.

Part of my confusion is over the use of the term, "welch plug." I always thought that welch plugs were concave. The ST-12 shows them as convex in the hole. Concave or convex, it doesn't look like they're going in there. So maybe I thought they meant the flat plugs. But I don't believe flat plugs are called welch plugs. And they leave too much room.

When you're a novice, and what you did doesn't look like the picture in the book, and you have parts leftover, you're concerned.

[Al C.]

Re: C1 Kingpin Question

Chris -
I seem to remember the same problem with my kit last year. The dish-shaped plugs wouldn't fit at all, and the flat ones were slightly too large in diameter - I gently reduced them by hand with coarse sandpaper til' they fit. My kit also had 4 "caps"; those didn't fit worth anything; I used a bit of epoxy to secure them. (I didn't find any such on the car initially).
Regards,
... Al '58 #378 245hp NCRS SACC

[Tom Parsons]

Re: C1 Kingpin Question

The welch plugs go in the top and bottom to cover the ends of the king pin. The plug is installed with the convex, or doomed side facing OUT. They fit, or are supposed to fit, into an area just below and above the ends of the king pin. Once installed, then use a hammer and blunt tool to strike and dimple the convex (or dome). This expands the welch plug and creates a seal over the ends of the king pin. Then install the snap ring and cover (sometimes the covers don't fit very tight!).