Spindle Bushing Replacement Issues

Loosewire

2006 Club Car Villager-6 with slack in the passenger-side spindle/kingpin.

I purchased two sets of bushings and a new kingpin. The first set taught me not to use a hammer to drive them in because they will mushroom and not accept the king pin. On my second set, I soaked the bushings in ice & water and heated the passenger-side spindle with a torch before attempting to seat the bushings into place with a rubber mallet. It took some work but I finally got the kingpin into the spindle assembly and now it is very tight...too tight and much harder to turn than the driver-side which got new bushings before I bought the cart in January.

Sooo, what is the trick to this job? Should I have them pressed in vs. using heat and a rubber mallet?? Good grief, I could understand for a car, but for a "golf cart"...

BGW

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cheapjeep2

You have to use a Reamer to ream the new bushings to the correct size. Has to be done, no way around it, and as far as removal of old ones, a punch and a hammer works, I have used a socket. If you have a vice they are easier to put in by clamping it in the vice with some cardboard, so you don't damage them. By far the easiest way is to use a press for removal and installation... smooth as silk then... either way, press, vice, mallet, gotta ream them out or they will not work.

The only place I have ever found to carry a reamer of the right size is Harbor Freight in their set. I have that set and it works well.

cheapjeep2

Step 10: Ream bushings to 19.05 to 19.10 millimeters (.750 to .752 inches) diameter. Reamer should be long enough to ream both bushing from one end.

Loosewire

Thanks for the advice!