When I rock my front wheels by the top of the tire I can feel a very slight movement between the brake drum and backing plate. How can I tell if it is loose bearings or kingpins?
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deliberately tighten up the castle nut to remove all lash. Not crazy hard, just snug. Do NOT rotate the tire right now, you can harm the bearing. Repeat your test to see if the play is gone.
I have also discovered backing plates to be loose.
When done with testing, return the castle nut to the correct lash -
I'm starting over as to not repeat Daves info...
If it is the bearing and they have not been serviced / repacked i would certainly do that.Comment
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About 8 years ago I worked on a Model A that had bad steering. The first thing I did was check the front bearings, and found the left side 2 1/2 turns loose, and the right side 1 1/2 turns loose. I set the bearings, and the car drove great. This simple fix was one of the reasons the owner sold the car.
After cleaning and repacking the bearings, I snug the nut, spin the wheel while lightly tightening the nut, then back off so the nut is no tighter than if a 10" adjustable wrench was on the nut in a horizontal position. This is the same as grabbing the nut with pliers sticking straight out (in line with the spindle) and snugging the nut, then insert the cotter pin.Comment
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Thanks guys, there is nothing like experience.Comment
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With the car on axle stands. To determine kingpins, you will see the play at the back of the hub, by pushing and pulling the wheel with your hands at 6 and 12 O'clock. To see the play between the backer plate and the drum, indicates the loose bearing. Hope this helps. Jeff
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When I went back to check the play in the front wheel I noticed the backing plate moving. God bless castellated nuts. Why on earth did they make them? They had to be more costly than a nut and lock washer.Comment
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Someone must not have had them tight enough when the cotters were installed, or someone used too thick of paint between the parts. Every time you hit the brakes the backing plates are trying to turn on those 4 bolts, then going backwards they try to turn the opposite direction, so the nuts need to be very tight before the cotters are installed.Originally posted by carolinamudwalker View PostComment
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I like Mr.Bill Williamson's method for adjusting front wheel bearings.
Hope he can address the bearing end play regarding this most delicate subject.
In my humble opinion, Mr. Bill's front wheel bearing adjustment method is the best!Comment
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FWIW:
Many years ago I called and spoke to Mr. Bill Williamson after returning from Europe.
For anyone that does not know the "real" Mr. Bill Williamson, this gentleman is a Walking Encyclopedia who has vast detailed knowledge about many different subjects..
His expertise is not limited to vehicle mechanics.
Thanks Mr. Bill for sharing your "Right-On" Model A opinions.Comment
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Front end loose!
Original Thread
With the car on the ground I can grab the top of a wheel (front) and rock it in and out and feel a slight maybe 8th inch play. Just replaced king pins and bushings but no change. I have changed front bearings in the past but do not remember if I changed the cups. If I tighten the axle nut very much the bearing will bind. Maybe I need some...07-24-2018, 08:02 AM -
With the car on the ground I can grab the top of a wheel (front) and rock it in and out and feel a slight maybe 8th inch play. Just replaced king pins and bushings but no change. I have changed front bearings in the past but do not remember if I changed the cups. If I tighten the axle nut very much the bearing will bind. Maybe I need some thin shims to get the cotter pin to line up with a little...07-24-2018, 08:02 AM
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There are no 8 slot front axel nuts. Called Bert's & they don't know where that photo came from in their catalog. "maybe as much as 30 years old" But guess what, the front spindle bearing shims are a perfect size. The other choice would be to grind down the back of the castle nut. Trying to snug up without binding.08-02-2018, 07:57 AM
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Spent some time searching "shimmy" and "wheel bearing" on the forum and found a lot of good info but not precisely my problem IMO.
Been pleasure driving my '31 Vicky for years but on a recent drive I began experiencing a left front wheel shimmy. Slowing down to a stop and starting again was a temp fix. Happened a couple more times during my 20mi drive. Got home, jacked...10-09-2020, 02:33 PM -
Never really thought about my front spring perches too much when building my car until I saw a thread here on them. I know they were in good shape in the beginning as theres not much to them. I went under and noticed one of the special castle nuts was really bad..like some of the nut was missing on the backside. So ordered two new special nuts. While I wait I decided I should remove the nut. The nut...09-22-2018, 01:14 PM -
At Branson I saw these machined lug nut washers. They fit the lug nut precisely and will not pull in cocked as the stamped SS washers do. They are made of aluminum. I tap them onto the lug nuts and then thread them as a pair finger tight all the way around while turning the wheel. They will not crack like the stamped washers and I feel that they help keep the wheel centered on the drum. I passed them...You do not have permission to view this gallery.
This gallery has 6 photos.08-15-2018, 01:38 PM -
Happy New Year VFF !!!!! I am trying to figure out if my engine has been gone through before......I took off the valve cover (if anyone wants a Winfield valve cover PM me) to reseal and inspect because of leaks. I noticed a pretty big nut behind the valves in the middle of the motor on the bottom of the valley this nut is a Ny-Lock....pretty sure they didnt have this back in the day. What is this...01-01-2018, 10:25 AM -
This newsletter tip was going along nicely, until it suggested to leave play in the bearings. I like to see them with 0 positive end play once the cotter is installed. There are those that like to leave them loose but i’m not one of them.
...12-22-2019, 06:31 PM -
Did you wonder how that happens?
How axle threads get damaged
One way that axle threads get damaged in the first place:
Rear axle: First ½ inch of threads stripped-
Here is One cause of this ...
For the benefit of others who may not know this:
One cause of stripped axle threads is described below:
It is common to see the...01-26-2020, 03:34 PM -
While I was lerking around under the front end of my car the other day I noticed a extreem difference in the amount of threads that protroued from my front spring perches where they are connected to the radius rod. Left side had about 1/4 inch of thread showing, right side had NONE showing in fact the threads stopped about 1/8 inch short (about 3/4 way thru the nut) of the end of the nut. I see no...09-20-2018, 08:51 AM
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