The hubs had 5/8" id bearings in them and I thought It was a little large for an axle so I squished some 1/2"id bushings into them with a bolt.
I got a couple 1/2 x 12" bolts for the kingpin/axles. You can barely see a castle nut on the backside of the hub. Tightened it up all the way by hand then welded washer on.
To bend the kingpin I thought I'd make a holder to keep it straight except for the bend. Below bore out a 3/8" pipe nipple with a half inch drill bit.
Below you can see the nipple in a pipe vise.
The axle fits in perfectly.
Below you can see the pipe nipple clamped below a small plate and I heated the kingpin up with the torch and bent it upward. The white board in the background is clamped to be 15 degrees and I just bent the bolt up until it lined up with the board by eye. Got perty darned close I'd say.
Below you can see the tubing I cut for the axle and how the kingpin angle matches up.
1/2" pipe for the kingpin bushing/axle ends.
Squeeze some bronze bushings into them.
I have to work on the steering gear but for the most part there's the front axle.
Holy Crap!!!
My whole world view has just been El-kabonged!!! Check this web site out I just found. Changed my whole design approach. Well, I have no other option but to continue with this bike and then I guess I'll have to make another one later. Learning is fun…