Need help finding parts so i can get an alignment 74 620

[Richie]

hey, I took my car in to get an alignment but they can do it because some parts need to be replaced. I need help finding:

 

1.  Steering knuckle bearing 

2. Sturt bearing, I think the mechanic meant the top hot...

 

Also if there is a like a bushing kit out there thatll be cool and some struts yall recommend just wondering. Thank you. 

[datzenmike]

1 hour ago, Richie said:

 

1.  Steering knuckle bearing 

2. Sturt bearing, I think the mechanic meant the top hot...

 

 

 

 

1/ have no idea what this is.  Could be the king pins? in the knuckle spindle??? The steering knuckle, between the tie rods and the spindle is solid and no replaceable parts in or on it.

 

2/ Strut??? bearing? (no struts in a 620) Better get a written description from the mechanic. 

[Richie]

24 minutes ago, datzenmike said:

 

 

1/ have no idea what this is.  Could be the king pins? in the knuckle spindle??? The steering knuckle, between the tie rods and the spindle is solid and no replaceable parts in or on it.

 

2/ Strut??? bearing? (no struts in a 620) Better get a written description from the mechanic. 

THANK YOU! I thought I was going crazy! I have a written description but i cant read the writing, so he told me what it says. Should i send a picture of the writing?

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Some kingpin suspensions use upper and lower "trunnions" which act like a balljoint. I wonder if this is what he means.

 

 

Datsuns don't use a trunnion like this. Maybe you simply need upper and lower fulcrum bushings.

 

https://www.carpartsmanual.com/datsun/pickup-1972-1979/axle/front-suspension/to-jul-77/links-shock-absorber

 

[Richie]

21 hours ago, Stoffregen Motorsports said:

Some kingpin suspensions use upper and lower "trunnions" which act like a balljoint. I wonder if this is what he means.

 

 

Datsuns don't use a trunnion like this. Maybe you simply need upper and lower fulcrum bushings.

 

https://www.carpartsmanual.com/datsun/pickup-1972-1979/axle/front-suspension/to-jul-77/links-shock-absorber

 

So i asked him to be more specific and he was like its the bushing on that holds the strut in the housing. Then i said what about the steering knuckle and he just said its the bearing attached to your steering knuckle housing....

[thisismatt]

No offense, but the dude sounds like an idiot and you should probably take it somewhere else. Follow the link Stoffregen Motorsports posted and you can see what Nissan calls all the various bushings. Probably a good deal idea to print out the picture of the exploded diagram and take it with you next time. I would look for someone that knows/specializes in kingpin suspension. You will probably want to get a king pin repair kit. Might be worth contacting @mklotz70as he makes some custom replacement parts and often stocks replacement parts.

[Richie]

15 minutes ago, thisismatt said:

No offense, but the dude sounds like an idiot and you should probably take it somewhere else. Follow the link Stoffregen Motorsports posted and you can see what Nissan calls all the various bushings. Probably a good deal idea to print out the picture of the exploded diagram and take it with you next time. I would look for someone that knows/specializes in kingpin suspension. You will probably want to get a king pin repair kit. Might be worth contacting @mklotz70as he makes some custom replacement parts and often stocks replacement parts.

No offense at all. He made me feel dumb because i thought the datsuns just have shock absorbers. I am looking at the link now and and for real i cant even imagine in my head what he is talking about. I google it but i am not even sure thats what he meant. I might print the manual out and have him circle the stuff he is talking about for steering and suspension. And i might use puppets if i need to.

[datzenmike]

A lot of Nissan nomenclature harkens back to when they got in bed with Austin of Great Britain. Shocks are dampers, gaskets (some) are called packings, sump is oil pan, shifter is a control lever and so on. Even in N America some parts have two or more different names for same part.

[thisismatt]

Yeah, but this mechanic seems to be using terms that are flatly incorrect...like saying struts when referring to anything on a kingpin suspension. Perhaps he's talking about the T/C rod bushings (radius rod bushings) when he says struts? Who knows?

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Strut rod could be the tension compression rods (T/C), but there is no other strut on this suspension.

 

If the T/C bushings were bad, I could see this affecting the alignment. And they do wear so...

 

A "bearing attached to the steering knuckle housing" would be a kingpin bushing, if his description is sufficient.

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Then again, he could be describing a tie rod end. It attaches to a steering arm, which attaches to the steering knuckle. And it would definitely affect alignment.

 

He does sound like a doofus. Curious what his age is and such. Does he seem educated or just some grease monkey?

[mklotz70]

The TC rod could also be called a strut rod......as previously mentioned.  There is a bearing on the king pin....it's between the dogbone and the spindle itself.....all the weight rides on it. It would make it harder to turn, but it shouldn't affect the alignment.  Worn king pins will affect it.....so will the TC rod bushings.  You can replace the TC rod bushings with sway bar bushings.  I don't remember if I put the part number in this clip, but the bushings are '87ish HB(d21) 4wd sway bar end links.  They're the same as the 2wd, but the bolts and spacer are shorter.  https://www.instagram.com/p/CfPU03KFQw9/

 

[Figbuck]

It took me six months to gather up all the parts to rebuild the front suspension & steering on my '73 620. I just took my truck to the front end shop to have a new carrier bearing and propeller shaft U-joints. My mechanic gave me the bad news. My steering box needs to be rebuilt. Yeah, after nearly 50 years of beating the shit outta my truck... not surprising.  Check out my thread here;  

  So for a couple grand I should have figured out a way to have coil overs and rack and pinion steering...

[Richie]

So after asking again what he meant, the shop wants to charge me another $50 for the inspection. So i am on the look for another shop. Is there any kits out there or anything that is accessible? 

 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

I can only imagine why they want more money.

 

A- they need to make money to keep the doors open.

B - they had their b team on it for the first go around and hoped you'd either have them do the work or go away.

C - now that you're back, they now realize you're not going to pay them to do the work, and are tired of giving out free advice, hence the $50.

 

Either way, a shop that makes money is usually not friendly to DIY Ratsun guys. Shops that are free with their advice work too many hours and don't bring much home. I used to be the second guy, but I have recently grown a thick skin and now turn people away if they aren't willing to do the job my way.

[68Datsun510]

On 7/27/2022 at 10:13 AM, Stoffregen Motorsports said:

I can only imagine why they want more money.

 

A- they need to make money to keep the doors open.

B - they had their b team on it for the first go around and hoped you'd either have them do the work or go away.

C - now that you're back, they now realize you're not going to pay them to do the work, and are tired of giving out free advice, hence the $50.

 

Either way, a shop that makes money is usually not friendly to DIY Ratsun guys. Shops that are free with their advice work too many hours and don't bring much home. I used to be the second guy, but I have recently grown a thick skin and now turn people away if they aren't willing to do the job my way.

 

When shops wont help they come to places like the Napa I work at and are annoyed that we don't have all the info lol

[Figbuck]

Hey Ritchie, I got your shaft kits right here!!!! hahaha  Good luck finding these somewhere in the world.

[Richie]

On 8/14/2022 at 10:41 PM, Figbuck said:

Hey Ritchie, I got your shaft kits right here!!!! hahaha  Good luck finding these somewhere in the world.

So i did some research and i found out what the guy meant. SWAY BAR END LINK BUSHING, and the tie rods... Ordered some bushings from MOOG and Bluehandsfab.com....will update you all on the quality when i get them. Looking from tie rods any suggestions?

[mklotz70]

The ones from me say they were delivered on the 19th.  I've got vids up on YT about making them, if you like seeing that kind of thing. 

 

There's a page, here on ratsun, from years ago when I first started making them.  So far, no one has worn a set out. :)

 

 

[Richie]

4 hours ago, mklotz70 said:

The ones from me say they were delivered on the 19th.  I've got vids up on YT about making them, if you like seeing that kind of thing. 

 

There's a page, here on ratsun, from years ago when I first started making them.  So far, no one has worn a set out. 🙂

 

 

Hey!

Yes I got your bushings. I havent had to install them yet but i can tell they are solid bushings! I really appreciate your replies and fast delivery. 

Thank you!

[mklotz70]

You're more than welcome! Thanks for buying them. :)

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

In retrospect, if you've got known issues with your suspension and steering, it's probably best to get in there and replace all of the bushings, tie rod ends, ball joints and possibly even the wheel bearings. Having a 100% new suspension and steering will give you another ten years of no issues.

 

Don't forget the have the truck aligned after you replace those parts though.

[Richie]

22 hours ago, Stoffregen Motorsports said:

In retrospect, if you've got known issues with your suspension and steering, it's probably best to get in there and replace all of the bushings, tie rod ends, ball joints and possibly even the wheel bearings. Having a 100% new suspension and steering will give you another ten years of no issues.

 

Don't forget the have the truck aligned after you replace those parts though.

So I am replacing like 6 bushings in the front. and i am getting original tie rods on friday (not happy about the price but whatever). I lowered in 3 inches. after the bushings, tie rods, and dropping the oil pan one last time i will get the alignment. 

 

[banzai510(hainz)]

5 hours ago, Richie said:

dropping the oil pan one last time i will get the alignment. 

 

why you need to drop the oil pan?

[Richie]

17 hours ago, banzai510(hainz) said:

why you need to drop the oil pan?

So when i was putting the engine in, I didnt hoist the engine correctly the first time and the rope rub against the gasket on the outside and ripped it. I also forgot to put the L bracket on the pan to prevent it from leaking from the rail. So basically gasket change and correctly put pan on.