FJ40 Knuckle Masters Needed (1 Viewer)

[aggiecruiser]

Please tell me I am not going to have to re-do this....

I took my steering knuckles to get them powdercoated. They came back looking really nice...but they had inadvertently coated the inboard most face of the knuckle, (where the felt sits.) They had also......coated the outboard most face, (where the spindle seats against common it's respective gasket.)

I am less worried about the inboard face common the felt than I am the outboard face where the gasket sits between the spindle. I will say that the counterbore feature on the knuckle that mates to the boss feature on the spindle remained uncaoted, but I don't know that I can rely on a cylindrical feature for sealing. It is definitely not as good as a nice machined flat surface...which I don't have anymore as a result of it being coated.

I set the knuckle on the bench outboard side up, and placed a straightedge on the caoted face, on edge. I put a light behind the straightedge, and pulled the straightedge across the outboard surface. I was trying to see if there were any large profile tolerance variations in the coated flat that would let light between the straightedge and the coated surface. None found, but I am still uneasy about the idea of placing a gasket on a powdercoated surface.

Thoughts?

Thanks for your helps guys - as always.
-Chris

 

[vtcruiser60]

if you are really concerned, I would take a flat file and take down the PC. You could also use sandpaper on that edge.

 

[aggiecruiser]

Yes. I agree. But should I? Given ya'lls experience with this particular interface, taking into account gasket seals in general - do you feel that this coated surface will present an additional risk of leaks?

-Chris

 

[dgangle]

No. Biggest possibility of leaks is at the inner axle seal. Buy/borrow/use the knuckle centering tool with Marlin HD IAS's and be done with it.