05-15-2020, 02:07 PM
I recommend using new bolts, buttered up with wheel bearing grease.
Did you notice that, on a Blitz, the spindles are inside-out compared to most karts? That is, the "barrel" is on the frame, and the U-strap is on the spindle.
Two things to ponder, if you're the pondering type. (Otherwise, stop here and go get the grease!)
1. To make things fit, with the barrel on the frame, the kingpin bolts ended up being 1/2" instead of 5/8" as on most other karts. That makes everything a bit more prone to wear (slop).
2. If need be, you can always tighten things up by installing a bronze bushing into the barrel. However, with the barrel affixed to the frame, success will be more difficult. That's because you'd probably need four people to put the whole frame up on your drill press and keep the axis of the barrel OD aligned to drill press' spindle. Careful, your drill bit will obviously want to follow the wallowed out hole. If it does, your caster, camber and kingpin inclination will be whacked.
We have a couple of Blitz's with (somewhat) wobbly kingpins.
Maybe the "right" approach would be to use an adjustable reamer (or two) to gradually enlarge the barrel, without going crooked?
Hopefully somebody on here has a better way?
BTW, around 1965 when Wes Shoemaker took over making Blitz's (rebranding them "Outlaw") he cost-reduced a bunch of the things that made the Blitz special (and expensive). And he flipped the spindles around.
Did you notice that, on a Blitz, the spindles are inside-out compared to most karts? That is, the "barrel" is on the frame, and the U-strap is on the spindle.
Two things to ponder, if you're the pondering type. (Otherwise, stop here and go get the grease!)
1. To make things fit, with the barrel on the frame, the kingpin bolts ended up being 1/2" instead of 5/8" as on most other karts. That makes everything a bit more prone to wear (slop).
2. If need be, you can always tighten things up by installing a bronze bushing into the barrel. However, with the barrel affixed to the frame, success will be more difficult. That's because you'd probably need four people to put the whole frame up on your drill press and keep the axis of the barrel OD aligned to drill press' spindle. Careful, your drill bit will obviously want to follow the wallowed out hole. If it does, your caster, camber and kingpin inclination will be whacked.
We have a couple of Blitz's with (somewhat) wobbly kingpins.
Maybe the "right" approach would be to use an adjustable reamer (or two) to gradually enlarge the barrel, without going crooked?
Hopefully somebody on here has a better way?
BTW, around 1965 when Wes Shoemaker took over making Blitz's (rebranding them "Outlaw") he cost-reduced a bunch of the things that made the Blitz special (and expensive). And he flipped the spindles around.