OEM Pinto spindle vs IMCA stamped one

[Elam Budmore]

I've been told the factory ford ones are stronger than the IMCA ones.is there any truth to that? is anyone using the pinto spindle savers?

[stock car driver]

much much stronger no comparison

The oem are much harder as youll see when you go to drill or ream them.

[Elam Budmore]

So with the harder OEM spindle, will i still be able to ream ball joint holes with the standard reamer that places like speedway sells and a small drillpress, or does this turn into some sort of machine shop only type of thing?...any tips?

[stock car driver]

I sent mine to grt after switching to oem. I went thru several drill bits trying to drill the arm it just wasn't worth the hassle for the 10-15 they charge to drill and ream them. I sent them a few sets and spares.

[Anonymous24]

Hard stuff to cut....OEM that is. When drilling and reaming, pay close attention to the angle of the upper ball joint hole. You can ruin the built in SAI. The SAI is not the greatest anyway for pinto spindles, but I strongly recommend paying real close attention to the cutting being performed.

[Elam Budmore]

So if the SAI is not all that great to begin with, is there a way or direction to try and take this hole to during the reaming process?

[Anonymous24]

To improve the spindle, there isn't much you can do with it. If you alter the spindles, that's a whole different situation.

[Lizardracing]

To improve the spindle, there isn't much you can do with it. If you alter the spindles, that's a whole different situation.

Are you a part time Politician cause this had a lot of words that said nothing!

Anyway, the Speedway Motors reamers are just fine for cutting the BJ. A drill press works but your better off using a reamer by hand or a cordless drill. Most stand up drill presses are made for wood and only go down to 300 rpm which is still a little too fast for the reamers. You need lots of cutting oil and stop and check your work very often. Getting the spindle safely mounted to the table can be a concern too be cause you lose control over it if you do it's prolly gonna break something. That might be the reamer or that might be your arm. Using a cordless drill; most can go pretty slow (100 rpm) and you have the clutch that can be helpful in keeping it under control. You also have certain amount feel that comes with it when the spindle is mounted in a good vise and at a comfortable working height.
It also easier to stop and check your progress cause you don't need to remove much and going over requires a new spindle or Tapered Spacers to compensate. Doing it by hand takes time, has the maximum amount of control. Again use a quality Cutting Fluid like Rapid Tap or Tap Magic. WD40 is a poor substitute because it's a better solvent than anything else.

On a final note I have a local general machine shop that Charges me $20 for both or a case of beer on Fridays. He uses the cordless drill method because it's accurate enough and there no set up time on mill.

[let-r-eat]

Good advice Lizard. Slow speed only. Hand is what I always do with cordless.

[Anonymous24]

Are you a part time Politician cause this had a lot of words that said nothing!Anyway, the Speedway Motors reamers are just fine for cutting the BJ. A drill press works but your better off using a reamer by hand or a cordless drill. Most stand up drill presses are made for wood and only go down to 300 rpm which is still a little too fast for the reamers. You need lots of cutting oil and stop and check your work very often. Getting the spindle safely mounted to the table can be a concern too be cause you lose control over it if you do it's prolly gonna break something. That might be the reamer or that might be your arm. Using a cordless drill; most can go pretty slow (100 rpm) and you have the clutch that can be helpful in keeping it under control. You also have certain amount feel that comes with it when the spindle is mounted in a good vise and at a comfortable working height. It also easier to stop and check your progress cause you don't need to remove much and going over requires a new spindle or Tapered Spacers to compensate. Doing it by hand takes time, has the maximum amount of control. Again use a quality Cutting Fluid like Rapid Tap or Tap Magic. WD40 is a poor substitute because it's a better solvent than anything else. On a final note I have a local general machine shop that Charges me $20 for both or a case of beer on Fridays. He uses the cordless drill method because it's accurate enough and there no set up time on mill.The SAI is horrible on pinto spindles. The average inclination is 10 degrees. Less SAI will improve several aspects of the front suspension geometry. For example, a spindle with 6 degrees of SAI produces much less camber change than the spindle with 10 degrees SAI. SAI has profound effects on several aspects including caster change, chassis roll, weight jacking, dynamic weight transfer, scrub radius....there is so much more. If you are just reaming the ball joint stud holes, I personally recommend doing this by hand with a t-handle automotive taper. If you are interested in well confingured spindles for your specific needs, I might just know a guy. Just drop me a message.