Bottom trunions - big job or little job?

[nslocomotive2]

HI Guys

I am appealing to get some info on trunions on a 4 door saloon, Ive seen the kits on suppliers websites @ around the 13 squid mark for each side. The minor im picking up next week, is intended to be used as my everyday car, it had a few things highlighted on its MOT that needed attention, and the trunions apparently have a little slack in them, do they need replacing or can they be adjusted? If its replacing them , my only concern is how long it takes and what's involved in making sure the car is set-up correctly afterwards, as this is going to be my daily driver, I don't what to mess it up.

Obviously i am new to suspension / steering things... I have a haynes manual and things look straight forward, but as with all these things they always do and there is never any substitute for the wealth of experience

[aupickup]

hi

trunnions can not be adjusted, but it may also be the thread in the kingpin or swivel leg
sometimes grease will help in the short term but best to get it right

you will need to take the wheel and brake drum off and the hub

to redo the bottom trunnion it is necessary to take the lower wishbones apart
you needc jack to jack up the thicker wishbone arm to get the other side thin one off

you also to need to take the brake backplaie off and swing it out of the way

you can then unwind the old trunnion, replace with the new one
grease it up and put everything back

should not take any longer than a couple of hours, if new to it maybe allow 4 hours

easier to do than explain

[Dean]

If it's a new swivel that's needed you'll be lucky to get one. If you give the MMOC club spares guy a ring he can recon your existing ones which includes new undersize trunnions for £60 per side. Postage is about £9.50 to send your two existing swivel pins to him. It's a good service, I got mine back in less than a week.

[kennatt]

do a search been discussed many times

[simmitc]

If the trunnions are worn then they MUST be replaced, particularly for a daily driver. The alternative is that you come to an ignoble halt with the wheel folded out from the car. The only time it happened to me was at the end of the road and I was able to walk home, put the tools in a wheelbarrow, and return to fix the car in situ - from which you'll gather that it's not too bad a job. The Haynes manual is actually very good and easy to follow.

To get the suspension set up correctly afterwards, the first questions is: "Is it correct before you start?" If YES, then just make sure that you put the rear wish bone back on the same splines on the torsion bar, and use the same holes in the adjuster plate on the centre crossmember. If the car currently sits low on one side (for example, where it's been driven most of its life with just the driver and no passenger) then the adjuster plate will usually allow sufficient movement. Again, the procedure is covered in the manual, and dimemsions are given. You will only affect the ride height and not the camber / castor angles.

In my experience, if the trunnion is noted as worn, it's best to replace the swivel pin at the same time. This pbviously takes a bit longer, but can still be done in a morning, and will ensure that the car will perform without any problem. You should take the opportunity to renew all the rubber bushes at the same time. It's only a couple of quid, buts saves hours and makes a great difference to the handling.

New swivel pins have been a problem, but as you're in Norwich, you're only a few miles from the MMOC spares, where, as Dean mentions, you can get reconditioned pins complete with trunnions. The reconditioning involves cutting a new undersize thread on the old pins, which matches the special undersize trunnions. NB, they must be used as a set, they are not interchangeable with standard trunnions from normal suppliers.

Basically, get all the parts together, pick a nice day, and just follow the instructions. Soaking all the nuts with plus gas or similar the day before would pay dividends! Good luck.

[mike.perry]

Don't forget that the left hand hub nut is an anticlockwise thread.
Support the car securely on axle stands under the chassis.
Once the front wishbone is off you should be able to twist the lower trunnion out without disturbing the rear wishbone and suspension settings.
Some people prefer neoprene bushes rather than the standard rubber ones as they last longer. However I have found that they need a smear of grease on them when fitting or they squeak like mad.

[bmcecosse]

You may get away with just new trunnions - you will need to decide how bad the wear is. New trunnions will take up half the wear - and that may keep you going for 10,000 miles (with regular greasing) until new king-pins become available. There is no need to disconnect the suspension arm from the torsion bar - so no need for any adjustments afterwards - it's just a straight replacement job.
Neoprene bushes are unlikely to be much good - the normal upgrade is to polyurethane. There are various grades - the hardest ones are fine for 'hard' use - but may be too harsh for everyday use.

[mike.perry]

Polyurethane. That was the word I was looking for, not neoprene. Can't win them all.

[nslocomotive2]

Cool, thanks People, this helps me a lot, I will get the bits and put aside a sunday, once I have the car I will be able to grabble around underneath and get a real butchers at the job. will let you know how I get on watch out for the postings on my new wee beastie. BTW the number plate of this car was worth it for the entertainment value it starts with NOB

Im sure my work colleagues will find it amusing