Beating the dead horse-Centering knuckles w/out SST

[beechnut]

I'm assembling my knuckles and am trying to center them. I've read much about the SST from toyota by searching the archives but there has gotta be a better hillbilly trick to centering them. I was looking at the back of the knuckles and why couldn't they be centered by measuring the distance between the recess off the knuckle (that i have the arrow pointing to in the crappy picture) and the corresponding lip of the trunion bearing cone? I wouldn't think that the knuckle has to be EXACTLY centered but more like really close maybe (+/- .5mm?). The reason i'm going through this is the FJ60 outers i got from a junkyard didn't have the steering arms/shims with them. I'm using Marlin hysteer arms, i measured the bottom shims at 1mm and put 1mm shims in the top to start with. Anybody ever done this or has a method that doesn't require the Special Service Tool?

 

[cardinal fang]

Using the SST is the ideal way to setup the birfs to be in the center of the knuckle, but most people start just by putting the same thickness of shims on the bottom and on the top of the knuckle, assuming the ball is machined correctly. Assemble the knuckle and check the preload with a 'fish' scale. If it is out of tolerance, 5-14lbs, IIRC? Disassimble the knuckle and add or remove shims to compensate for the preload. Hopefully, it will only take maybe a couple of attempts to get it correct. If you really want to use the SST, there are a few people on this board that have that tool, that might loan it out. I have never used it. There also is a write up somewhere, here or on pirate, how to make your own SST for center the birf.

 

[Waorani]

One thing I was uncertain about was measuring the preload - is that with or without the rubber/felt seals in place. FSM wasn't clear on that if I remember correctly.

 

[yzftaco]

Using the SST is the ideal way to setup the birfs to be in the center of the knuckle, but most people start just by putting the same thickness of shims on the bottom and on the top of the knuckle, assuming the ball is machined correctly. Assemble the knuckle and check the preload with a 'fish' scale. If it is out of tolerance, 5-14lbs, IIRC? Disassimble the knuckle and add or remove shims to compensate for the preload. Hopefully, it will only take maybe a couple of attempts to get it correct. If you really want to use the SST, there are a few people on this board that have that tool, that might loan it out. I have never used it. There also is a write up somewhere, here or on pirate, how to make your own SST for center the birf.

He's stating that he's starting from scratch....... no old shims to reuse.

I'm wondering this same thing.... (wanna go hysteer) I bought a pair of mini knuckles (Larger bolt pattern) that need to be put on and am wondering how to center them also!!

Is it best to take the shims from the old knuckles and use the same thickness on the new??

 

[Pin_Head]

The purpose of the SST is to center the bore of the seal with the bore of the spindle to ensure that the seal doesn't leak. I'm not sure than anything you can see from the back side of the knuckle has anything to do with that. Bite the bullet and borrow, rent or buy the SST if you don't know what shims it needs or take your chances with it leaking.

 

[peesalot]

After you install check for back and forth movement of birf , 1/8 to 1/4 .
Then check the tension when turning knuckle , should be stiff like the grease is frozen.
Then rotate birf by hand with knuckle in all positions , pulling out and pushing in on birf in each spot.
If all clear then you golden.

 

[beechnut]

The purpose of the SST is to center the bore of the seal with the bore of the spindle to ensure that the seal doesn't leak. I'm not sure than anything you can see from the back side of the knuckle has anything to do with that. Bite the bullet and borrow, rent or buy the SST if you don't know what shims it needs or take your chances with it leaking.

I was trying to find spots to measure from to find where the knuckle (and hopefully the spindle) was in relation to the housing, the area i mentioned on the back of the knuckle seemed like a good spot as the measurments could be consistantly taken. This assuming (we all know what that stands for) that the knuckle was cast in a manner that the spindle is in its centerline when bolted up and not offset in some way? I dunno, i'm on my way to the garage right now to fiddle with it some more.

 

[Pin_Head]

I was trying to find spots to measure from to find where the knuckle (and hopefully the spindle) was in relation to the housing, the area i mentioned on the back of the knuckle seemed like a good spot as the measurments could be consistantly taken. This assuming (we all know what that stands for) that the knuckle was cast in a manner that the spindle is in its centerline when bolted up and not offset in some way? I dunno, i'm on my way to the garage right now to fiddle with it some more.

If the manufacturing tolerances on the kuckle casting and the ball ends of the housing were tight enough, then Toyota wouldn't have needed a SST to fit the individual knuckles on individual housings. While external measurements at the back of the knuckle would be consistent for that particular combination, they don't have an obvious and consistent relationship between the seal and spindle bores. My guess is that external measurements would probably not be consistent enough in other combinations to center the spindle bore with the seal bore, which is what the SST does. In other words, if there was an easier way to accomplish it, Toyota would have done it.

 

[AATLAS1X]

Dumb question, where would one rent such SST tool?

 

[AZkick-n40]

Does this help?

https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=97181

Brian

 

[beechnut]

If the manufacturing tolerances on the kuckle casting and the ball ends of the housing were tight enough, then Toyota wouldn't have needed a SST to fit the individual knuckles on individual housings. While external measurements at the back of the knuckle would be consistent for that particular combination, they don't have an obvious and consistent relationship between the seal and spindle bores. My guess is that external measurements would probably not be consistent enough in other combinations to center the spindle bore with the seal bore, which is what the SST does. In other words, if there was an easier way to accomplish it, Toyota would have done it.

Damn good point, i'm going to try to rent the tool locally from a parts shop. The instructor of the basic machine shop class i took a few years ago put it simply "short cuts are long cuts". Good pun too.

 

[Pin_Head]

Damn good point, i'm going to try to rent the tool locally from a parts shop. The instructor of the basic machine shop class i took a few years ago put it simply "short cuts are long cuts". Good pun too.

Put out a shout on this board and maybe someone will make you a deal or even loan it to youl.