1982 G1 J17 Jakes Lift Kit Front Spindle Kingpin mismatch?

[ckjj55]

Hi there!
My son and I are are rebuilding our "antique" golf cart and ran into a problem with the front lift kit.
The A arm holes for the kingpin are too large--see attached pictures.
Am I missing something or not understanding the install instructions (which don't mention the washers).
Just curious on how to best address this as the smaller kingpin would rattle around way to much in the sleeve.

The rear lift kit went in without any problems (just a small tiny notch had to be cut). We also "hammered" the frame in a touch so our clutch would clear it. We'll start a new thread with our pictures and lessons learned.


Thanks!
Chris (Dad) and John

[CAMPERCART2013]

Give them a call. I'm sure they'll help you

[smallblock450sl]

Did you take the king pin bushings out of the old A arms and install them int the Jakes A arms?

[ckjj55]

I'll give Jakes a call on Monday to see what they say.
I'll take a close look at the old A arms to see if there are bushing inside(I'm not currently home). From what I recall, the looked solid and I didn't think of the possibility of the old one having bushings. I do remember thinking the Jakes units were a lot thinner in that spot than the original--bushings could explain the difference. It'll be the first thing I do when I get home this evening. Will let you know what I find out.
John is priming the body today--I'm excited to see what it'll look like--fire engine red paint to follow once the body is sanded smooth fully prepped.
Thanks for the help and and insight so far.
Chris

[ckjj55]

Thanks to all who helped.
Yes--the old A arms had bushings in them, more easily visible when cleaned up.
They popped right out with a punch and hammer pretty easily after being doused with penetrating oil. Pics 1 and 2.
We got it installed! Pic 3
Thanks to all.
We've discovered that the 23" tires a bit large...so tomorrow we are doing a little bit of cutting and trimming---love the look with all tires on.
Thanks again.

Now, it seems that two washers that I posted earlier (1st post Pic 3) that might fit on the A-arm actually seemed designed to fit on the top front shock mounts--but it looks like the supplied bolt is about 6-8mm too short-Pic 4-looks like a trip to the hardware store tomorrow morning is next!

It's coming together a little bit at a time.

Chris and John

[smallblock450sl]

Glad you got it figured out. While the body's off.... take the top plate off the steering box, pack the box with grease and reinstall the cover. With the car jacked up, loosen the 10mm jam nut (on the pitman adjustment screw), turn the screw in a 1/4 turn and use your finger to turn the steering wheel lock to lock. Keep turning the screw in 1/4 turn till you feel a binding turning the wheel, when you feel a bind, back off the screw 1/4 turn and tighten the jam nut. That will be the tightest that steering system can get. I also recommend zero toe in.

[ckjj55]

I just want to say Thank you for the additional info.
My boy is cutting parts off so that the tires will clear.
We made a mistake and overlooked the maximum tire size and got 23" tires.
The front, I think, will be ok with a little bit of trimming.
The back tires will require a bit more. Rear bumper trim isn't hard, but the area front side looks a bit more challenging. Driver's side won't be too bad as there is quite a bit of clearance for the fuel tank, but the battery side is a bit tighter--will take a bit of thinking as I don't know anyone with a welder and have to make due to grinding, cutting, and bolting stuff.
Goal for today is to get the new engine mounts mounted, metal trimmed for tire clearance, and with any luck, through the body on to see if we need to do anything else before we paint.
I'll adjust the steering as you recommended--it is a bit loose.
Our rebuild is more about reliability and traction ( and looks) than speed. I'm more than happy with the 15mph we currently get on level ground (gps) at 7000 above sea level (The governor was removed before we got the cart).

Thanks again. THis is a fun project with my teenage son.
Chris

[Aquahunter]

Originally Posted by ckjj55

Thanks to all who helped.
Yes--the old A arms had bushings in them, more easily visible when cleaned up.
They popped right out with a punch and hammer pretty easily after being doused with penetrating oil. Pics 1 and 2.
We got it installed! Pic 3
Thanks to all.
We've discovered that the 23" tires a bit large...so tomorrow we are doing a little bit of cutting and trimming---love the look with all tires on.
Thanks again.

Now, it seems that two washers that I posted earlier (1st post Pic 3) that might fit on the A-arm actually seemed designed to fit on the top front shock mounts--but it looks like the supplied bolt is about 6-8mm too short-Pic 4-looks like a trip to the hardware store tomorrow morning is next!

It's coming together a little bit at a time.

Chris and John

Chris and John, thank you both so much for the pictures, now I know how to install the front much easier! As for the rear, can you post pictures so I can see what mount needed to be put it? Jake's instructions is not very clear for me, I'm a visual guy

[ckjj55]

Here are three pics that may help on the back. Note the small notch that had to be cut. I can take more pictures later for a better perspective.

Note that for a 1981, you may need new spindles (front)to make it work with the Jakes kit which, I believe, is designed for 1982 and later..
Heres the spindle/front steering knuckle you'll need for your 1981 to make it work with your 1982+ Jakes kit.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Yamaha-Golf-...XBQqtg&vxp=mtr
along with a new kingpin. I'd also get new bearings and then you'd have nothing to worry about on the front end for the next 20+ years.

If you download the Jakes instructions pdf file and zoom way in in on the back photo installation, you'll see they cut a notch too but don't mention it in their instructions.

[Aquahunter]

Originally Posted by ckjj55

Here are three pics that may help on the back. Note the small notch that had to be cut. I can take more pictures later for a better perspective.

Note that for a 1981, you may need new spindles (front)to make it work with the Jakes kit which, I believe, is designed for 1982 and later..
Heres the spindle/front steering knuckle you'll need for your 1981 to make it work with your 1982+ Jakes kit.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Yamaha-Golf-...XBQqtg&vxp=mtr
along with a new kingpin. I'd also get new bearings and then you'd have nothing to worry about on the front end for the next 20+ years.

If you download the Jakes instructions pdf file and zoom way in in on the back photo installation, you'll see they cut a notch too but don't mention it in their instructions.

Thank you. I finished my install, couldn't have done it without your pictures! If you ever come to San Diego, 6 pack on me