QK4617 Dana Axle Small Knuckle Bearing and Shim Kit

QK4617 Dana Closed Knuckle and 1966-1971 Ford Open Knuckle Dana Axle Small Knuckle Bearing and Shim Kit includes 4 Timken® QU50628 Knuckle Bearings, 4 Timken® QU50627 Knuckle Bearing Cups, and 2 TKA4939 Premium Torque King® Rectangular Knuckle Shim Sets. Fits Chevy, Ford, GMC, International Scout, Jeep, and Studebaker Dana Spicer 25, 27, 30, and standard 44 closed knuckle front drive axles all of which use QU40188 8 bolt knuckle seal. QK4617 Also fits 1966-1971 Ford Bronco Dana 30 and F-100 Dana 44 Open Knuckle Front Axles. 

Also see QU20091 Drivers Side Upper King Pin Shims for vehicles with combination drivers side steering arm/king pin with a trapezoid bolt pattern.

Need More Info? Use the handy Links below to access over 40 years of Dan's product and vehicle specific Tech Notes to easily get the information you need for your vehicle's repair, maintenance, or upgrade project!

Dan the Gear Man® Tech Notes:
Kit Components
Dodge and IHC Truck Upper Bushings
Does Not Fit Dana 44HD Axles
Ford Open Knuckle Dampeners and Seals
Pack Bearings
Lubrication 1
Lubrication 2
Shims and Preload 1
Shims and Preload 2
Bearing Cup Installer
Matching Parts
Applications

Tech Note 1: Kit Components
QK4617 Small Knuckle Bearing and Shim Kit Includes:
(2) TKA4939 Premium Knuckle Shim Kit
(1) TK50784 King Pin Knuckle Bearing Kit

Tech Note 2: Dodge and IHC Truck Upper Bushings 
1960-1971 Dodge and IHC 4x4 trucks with standard Dana 44 Closed Knuckle Front Axles use either Keyed (1960-1964/1965) or Splined 1964/1965-1971 Bronze Upper Bushings instead of Bearings. The Bronze Bushings are more resistant to impact damage. Both GM and Jeep also had part numbers for the Keyed Upper Bushing, but we have not found a production civilian model that used them.
Dodge and IHC with bronze splined upper king pin bushings, also see: QU40569.
Dodge and IHC with bronze keyed upper king pin bushings, also see: QU40564.

Tech Note 3: Does Not Fit Dana 44HD Axles
If you have a Dana 44HD front axle with 12 bolt ball seals, see QK4616 and QK4618.

Tech Note 4: Ford Open Knuckle Dampeners and Seals
1966-1971 Ford Axles with King Pins may have issues with "Death Wobble" an uncontrollable shaking of the steering wheel unless QU20096 3-piece Dampener Kits are installed for the upper King Pin Bearings in addition to the preload shims. You will also need to use the seal caps from QU20096 Kits for for the lower King Bearing cups. Order 4 QU20096 Kits per vehicle, but only use the dampener Bushing and Washer for the upper King Pins. Ford Open Knuckle Axles also require a QU20231 Seal for each King Pin Bearing (4 Total).

Tech Note 5: Pack Bearings
You must pack your knuckle bearings with a suitable lubricant such as QU90018 Pyroplex® Protection ES Synthetic Grease before installation to provide initial lubrication.

Tech Note 6: Lubrication 1
In service, the knuckle bearings are designed to be bathed in a semi-liquid Closed Knuckle Lubricant inside the enclosed steering knuckle. If your 4x4 has lockout hubs, you should drive the vehicle with the hubs engaged at least once monthly so the axle shaft will fling lube to the upper knuckle bearing.

Tech Note 7: Lubrication 2
We recommend our Closed Knuckle Lube for lubricating your Knuckle Bearings and Axle U-Joints. You can also use whatever lubricant specified in your original Operators Manual. If the vehicle manufacturer recommended steering knuckle lubricant is not available, Dana recommends SAE 140 grade gear lubricant for the knuckles. However, straight gear lube will almost always seep past the knuckle seal which covers the inside of the tires with oil, stains the garage floor and is unacceptable for current environmental standards. What I used to do, was mix SAE 250 weight gear lube with grease to make a semi-liquid lubricant which will flow into the bearings and u-joints, but not seep significantly past the seals.

Tech Note 8: Shims & Preload 1 
Shims are used between the King Pin Caps and Steering Knuckles to set your Knuckle Bearing/Bushing turning preload. More shims decreases preload, less shims increases preload. King Pin Caps are shimmed to put the specified turning preload on the bearings. The amount of turning preload on varies by vehicle and year but the value is measured by a beam or dial type torque wrench (refer to the vehicle manufacturer Service Manual for your specific model specification or if a manual is unavailable, see Tech Note 7). Too loose can cause poor steering or "Death Wobble", too tight will lead to rapid bearing failure, broken parts, and possible steering loss.

Tech Note 9: Shims and Preload 2 
The Knuckle Bearings MUST be shimmed to provide correct knuckle turning preload. The critical measurement is the amount of force required to move the steering knuckle through the turning arc. The measurement is taken by attaching a beam or dial type torque wrench to one of the King Pin Cap screws. Do NOT install the knuckle seal, axle shaft, or tie rod before setting turning preload. Dana recommends the following turning preload for Dana 25, Dana 27, Dana 30, and standard Dana 44 steering knuckles:
5-10 lbs. ft. for axles with tapered roller bearings top and bottom
10-20 lbs. ft. for axles with upper bronze bushings

Tech Note 10: Bearing Cup Installer 
The small size of the bearing cups makes them a bit tricky to install. I recommend you also order optional QT1819 Bearing Cup Installer separately.

Tech Note 11: Matching Parts
Matching Parts for King Pin Bearing Kit:
TK50784 Knuckle Bearing Only Kit
QU40564 Keyed Upper King Pin Bushing for Early Dodge and IHC Dana 44
QU40569 Splined Upper King Pin Bushing for Dodge and IHC Dana 44
TKA4939 and QU40773 Rectangular Knuckle Shim Kits
QU20091 Trapezoid Knuckle Shim
QU40188 8 Bolt Knuckle Ball Seal Kit Premium Genuine Dana
QU40025 Spindle Bushing for Axle Shaft 
QA40507 Axle Universal Joint 
QU20096 King Pin Dampener Kit for Ford Open Knuckle Axles
QU20231 Seal, For Ford Open Knuckle King Pin Bearings
QT1819 Bearing Cup Installer
Closed Knuckle Lube
Chevy & GMC Shop Manuals
Dodge & Ram Shop Manuals
Ford Shop Manuals
Jeep Shop Manuals

Applications

Chevrolet/GMC:
Closed Knuckle standard Dana 44
K10/K15, K20/K25: 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969

Dodge:
Closed Knuckle standard Dana 44
W100, W200: 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971

Ford:
Closed Knuckle Dana 25:
GPW military: 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945
Closed Knuckle Standard Dana 44:
F-100: 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965
F-250 with standard Model 44 Front Axle: 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975
Open Knuckle Dana 30:
Bronco: 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971
Open Knuckle Standard Dana 44:
F-100: 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971

International:
Closed Knuckle Dana 27, 30, 44:
Scout: 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971
1/2 ton and light 3/4 ton: 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972

Jeep 
Closed Knuckle Dana 25, 27, 30, and 44:
Military models MB, M38, M38A1, M170: 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957
All civilian Jeeps: 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971
Jeep J-Series full size 4x4s: 1972, 1973

QU50627