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Direction of tapered bolts locking kingpins

Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2016 7:33 pm
by Richard Michell
Does it matter which direction the tapered bolts (cotter pins?) are inserted? I have just renewed the kingpins and bushes on my 48 TC. The tapered bolts were inserted from the front but I think I have read the correct direction is from the rear. They do not appear to play any part in limiting steering lock on my car. There are adjustable machine screws to do this.

Re: Direction of tapered bolts locking kingpins

Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2016 12:59 am
by antijam
The taper pins should be inserted from the rear. The steering lock is normally limited by the head of the pin contacting the head of the steering stop bolt in the stub axle.

Re: Direction of tapered bolts locking kingpins

Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2016 2:03 am
by Richard Michell
Thanks antijam

Re: Direction of tapered bolts locking kingpins

Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2016 11:03 pm
by Richard Michell
Further on this, what is the spec for steering lock? I need to reset my stop bolts on both hubs.

Re: Direction of tapered bolts locking kingpins

Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2016 12:36 am
by Richard Michell
I was unable to find any spec for the steering lock. I set it at 25 degrees turn in for the "outside" wheel - that is for the RH wheel when turning left and the LH wheel when turning right. I based this on a calculation from the wheel base (94 inches) and turning circle (37 feet, quoted in various sources), presuming Ackerman steering geometry. Had to dust off my trigonometry.

So far, seems fine.

Re: Direction of tapered bolts locking kingpins

Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 12:00 am
by Julian Evers
If I remember rightly, the hole in the axle is tapered, thus there is no option as to which way the taper pin goes. The question is which way does the axle go?

Best regards

Re: Direction of tapered bolts locking kingpins

Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 9:27 am
by Steve Simmons
Writing on axle toward rear of car.

Re: Direction of tapered bolts locking kingpins

Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2016 6:42 am
by antijam
Julian Evers wrote:If I remember rightly, the hole in the axle is tapered, thus there is no option as to which way the taper pin goes. The question is which way does the axle go?

Best regards
The hole in the axle is not tapered and nor is the pin - it has an inclined flat on the side which engages the flat on the kingpin.

However, Steve Simmons is correct, the axle should be installed with the lettering in the centre towards the rear. Get it the wrong way round and you'll have a strange caster angle!