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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Reaming tool.

Hello all.

The time is near when I need to replace the king pins.

Anyone know where I can get a reaming tool please?

Gavin
Gavin Rowles

I get reamers from eBay. Beware 2 things:

1. Adjustable ones are often crappy.
2. They are very hard work used by hand - which is the only option I have as my lathe is very small.

I have not reamed kingpin bushes, I have only done rockers, small ends, and valve guides.

Oh, just remembered that you have to ream both bushes in line, so an ordinary reamer won't do AFAIK. There is a special tool for it.
Les Rose

Gavin

What car is it.The drum braked cars have a smaller kingpin. I have a reamer for the disc braked car which you can borrow if you wish.

Alternaltively Orhard Restorations near Horam have both sizes and will do it for you
Bob Beaumont

It can be done in a suitably accurately aligned lathe with individual reamers of the correct size BTDT. IIRC the special reamer gives about 0.001" clearance and the standard size reamers, 25/32" and 5/8" IIRC for disc cars, will be slightly tighter but I never found it an issue. I have them in the drawer for when I get round to that job.

I did once have a set 'reamed' by a local engineering company after checking they had the reamer which they said they did. I knew their reputation for engine work was not the best but didn't see how they could mess up a reaming job but I recently found they had actually ground the kingpin journals to suit the bushes and as a result the new kingpin was a poorer fit in the new bushes than the old bushes I had done myself so I'd only entrust the job to someone that I knew had the correct reamer or was recommended by someone that knew they did.
David Billington

I do remember reading online of someone who had cut 'flutes' into an old king pin and successfully reamed new bushes with that. I am not an engineer by any stretch of imagination so cannot comment on how this was achieved or if it was practical, but there's the thought.

It may have been on the Chicagoland MG site
GuyW

Guy,

I've seen that post as well and it's quite doable as the kingpin forms a nice accurately machined blank. I've not done a kingpin reamer this way but have done similar with making a set of valve seat cutters, the basic blank was machined on a lathe but all flutes cut with an angle grinder and finished with a needle file and stone before hardening. I expect the kingpin would be worked in its hardened state so grinder and stone. It was pointed out to me that they would be less prone to chattering compared to most cutters with evenly spaced flutes because of the more random flute spacing.
David Billington

I would recommend finding a local engineering company that will ream them for you.

James Paul

Thanks for all the replies.

As my workshop skill are nominanal will seak the advice from my local mechanic and that of Hardy Enginering in Leatherhead.

Thanks for the loan offer though Bob. Also your mention of Orchard Restorations.

Regards Gavin.
Gavin Rowles

Hope all goes well. Bill McDonagh who runs Hardy Engineering is a mate of Robert Law at Orchard Restorations. Orchard's do most classic cars but specialise in Austin Healeys.
Bob Beaumont

This thread was discussed between 21/06/2022 and 22/06/2022

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