FE King Pin Assemblies

[plumer46]

G'Day

I am restoring an FE Ute, body has been sandblasted and all repairs are completed, the car is in etch primer waiting for Hi Fill then I am going to paint it Sebring Orange (Monaro colour)

I am now restoring the running gear, Rare Spares have complete King Pin Assemblies in stock, however they list 2 versions.

1. FE, FC, FB, EK.

2. Early FE.

Chasis number on my car reflects 1958 manufacture.

Can anyone assist me with the correct King Pin assembly, what difference would I be looking for,
I believe the front suspension is original for my car.

Regards

John  

[mcl1959]

If you have a 1958 FE it will have late FE kingpins. Basically the dimensions of the axle were increased in 1956 to incorporate the "A" and "B" bearings used on most popular cars including Fords, Valiants etc.
The way to tell without pulling everything apart is to remove the wheel and drum and read the part number on the rim of the hub
If the number starts with 740 then it is an early hub, if it starts with 741 then it is a late hub.
The early FE had bearings the same as FX and FJ and this made them popular with the modified crowd since you could put the early FE hubs and brakes onto the FX/FJ and then run 13 inch wheels
Ken

[plumer46]

Thanks very much Ken.

I will check my Hubs tomorrow for the identification numbers.

Regards

John  

[RET]

Since the ute bodystyle wasn't introduced until early 1957, it will be the later type if it's the original front end.

cheers
RET

[plumer46]

Hi Ret,

I have checked the numbers on the hub rims that Ken advised and found that they start with 471, therefore the King Pin Assemblies are late FE.

I had my first visit to Rares today, gee they have some great gear, with the club card you get a good discount.

Thank you for your assistance

Happy New Year.

John G