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69 Trunnion caps

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farna View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote farna Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Apr/28/2017 at 6:22am
No nyloc, no lube. These are the old style trunnion "bushings", which are solid steel. The upper trunnion used the 1950s design steel bushing through 1969. You guys are so used to the rubber bushed 64+ American/Jav/AMX trunnions that you forget the older ones!

AZCarGuy -- I know you were joking about JB Weld, but I'M NOT!!! If you lose a bushing the front end gets dangerously loose. Worse on a lower bushing (that same type was used through 63 on the American lower trunnion, 61 on the big cars) -- I lost a lower one on a trip once. Once you lose the first one the extra strain on the second could cause it to come out. You'd have to lose BOTH upper bushings for the steering knuckle to come out, especially on the upper trunnion, but it could happen.

So do at least use some blue loc-tite on them. Red wouldn't hurt, but you have to heat the red to remove the bushings. To me that's not an issue, no reason to remove them again unless there is some kind of suspension damage. If you needed to remove the whole front suspension for some reason, say a strip down resto, you could still just pull the bolts from the control arms and remove the trunnion intact. Even JB Weld would be good, I bet it would come loose with some heat and force combined. I've actually welded them in all around on badly worn control arms (holes were worn out). On that one the arms and trunnion would have to be replaced if there is ever a problem, but kept greased it should last longer than the rest of the car. Would have had to replace the arms anyway, so welding not that drastic.

The stories you sometimes here of wheels flopping out on old Nash/Rambler cars is the lower trunnion, and the steering knuckle pulling up and out (Nash started using the design in 1950 for the Nash Rambler, IIRC 52 for the big cars). That's due from total neglect as far as lubrication. Few have had that happen in the last 30 years -- most with an old car like that are taking care of them. Back when they were cheap, "throw away" used cars though....  The lower vertical connection is a 5/8" course thread stud, screws into the lower trunnion body (which also has two horizontal studs that go through the control arms). Take a 5/8" coarse thread nut and screw it on and off a bolt until it wears enough for the nut to pull off. That's a LOT of wear!! Granted the steering knuckle (bolt) is a bit harder material than hte trunnion (nut), and there is some pressure on it, but tht is still on heck of a lot of wear! I've pulled trunnions that were kept reasonably well greased (but still not as much as often as they should) off 100K+ cars that were still good -- disassemble, clean,put some anti-seize  on the threads, add a little grease on top of anti-seize, assemble, then grease again. Good for another 100K miles as long as you grease it every year or 2-3, depending on use of car.


Edited by farna - Apr/28/2017 at 6:25am
Frank Swygert
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