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Thu May 05, 2005 1:41 pm

Does anyone know if I need to take apart the spindle assembly to weld the spindle gussets on? Hibbard says to leave the king pin in during welding to prevent warping, but I don't know if you then have to pull it apart and replace the bushings and all, or if you can weld it fully assembled and go. If you do have to pull it apart, that would be a total pain because the bushings supposedly need to be pressed in and reamed to fit. I'd probably just run it til it broke.

Thu May 05, 2005 2:21 pm

i had mine fully assembled before i welded my gussets in. just dont weld them in while on the car, there should be an o-ring seal in all the adjusting shims

Thu May 05, 2005 2:32 pm

Cool...that's good news. I noticed those little o-rings and will pull them and the shims off first. I should probably also unscrew those zerk fittings as well, just to relieve any pressure and to let any melted grease come out. Thanks HB.

Thu May 05, 2005 3:27 pm

just take everything apart. it doesnt take that long. besides, its easier to weld then youre not all cramped up under a car

Thu May 05, 2005 3:37 pm

That's not really an issue for me. My avatar is basically my reality. I just didn't want to press out my brand new kingpins, if I didn't have to. But I also didn't want to melt something inside if it needed to some apart.

Thu May 05, 2005 3:43 pm

I was having my sons spindles done, New bushings etc and the guy who did them told me to weld them while they were apart and then reassemble with new bushings etc.

Fri May 06, 2005 12:02 am

Hmmmmmm,

I was always led to believe that the best way to do it was while the spindle and carrier were still together with the King pins installed. Otherwise the carrier can warp, making it impossible to re-assemble. I can see removing the link pins and taking the assembly off the car. BUUUT, I would not take everything apart and expect it to go back together after welding, just my opinion.

SHMO

Fri May 06, 2005 3:42 am

Hmm where does the O-ring go??
I didnt have any when I put my spindles back together...

Fri May 06, 2005 5:52 am

I found o-rings in between some of the caster shims in my original '64 beam, but not my new "made in brazil" beam. Everything welded up fine as a complete assembly. Thanks for the input.

Sat May 07, 2005 6:07 am

Cool.. got any piccies??

Sat May 07, 2005 7:03 am

hethen57 wrote: I found o-rings in between some of the caster shims in my original '64 beam, but not my new "made in brazil" beam. Everything welded up fine as a complete assembly. Thanks for the input.

On a link pin setup ... I believe the shim stacks are for adjusting camber. Caster shims (if used) are between the beam and the frame head.

Sat May 07, 2005 9:43 am

Sorry...wrong terminology. I think I meant "camber" shims. But anyway, I'm not sure how necessary those rubber o-rings are because..like I said..they were only in my wobbly 40 year old original beam..not the new one. I will post pics on Monday or Tuesday as soon as I get all the stuff back. I just tacked everything together and then took the parts to a friend's welding shop to get them welded up right. I don't think I would get good enough penetration on those thick cast parts with my 110 welder. One comment on the Empi kits is that they require alot of fitting to get them to work right. You really need to take your time. They are not a pull out of the package and weld up kit.

Sat May 07, 2005 10:30 am

Sorry Its been a couple years since I did them, I was wrong, Leave the carrier and spindle together , weld it and then replace the bushings. Or just get some combo spindles!!!

Sat May 07, 2005 10:39 am

hethen57 wrote: I don't think I would get good enough penetration on those thick cast parts with my 110 welder.
just turn up the heat and take your time

Sat May 07, 2005 8:00 pm

i took mine to a shop and had them tig welded....

Sat May 07, 2005 10:49 pm

isent the trick to weld a little at a time and let it cool well in between the mini-welds to prevent warping?

Thu May 12, 2005 10:57 am

Here is the finished product. You really need to fit this to your beam and line it up with the upper shock mount before you tack it up to get the right shock mount placement. Mine is different than what show in the Chirco photos, but similar to others I have seen. I'll keep you posted on the rest of the install, in case I run into any snags. Oh, and yes Ft. Irwin, you do need to weld in short increments to keep the metal from overheating and becoming brittle.

Thu May 12, 2005 11:03 am

you plan on running dual shocks, or will you be removing the stock mounting stud?

Thu May 12, 2005 11:51 am

I'm just running a single shocks up front. I just haven't removed it yet. Before I cut it off, I just want to make sure that I won't want to cut it down and re-thread it and use it for a limit strap. I haven't got that far yet.

Thu May 12, 2005 3:34 pm

Is the moved shock mount so the shock does not hit the upper arm with the stop removed?