Tom472 Posted July 28, 2010 Share Posted July 28, 2010 Hello everybodyJust spent a couple of evenings messing with a trunnion trying to limp my GT6 through an MOT.First thing, the holes in the wishbones were seriously ovaled. What I did was clamp a washer on the outside where the hole should be, then fill in the hole with weld from the other side, then file it back out to a smooth hole. So now I have the welded in bit and the washer for double thickness, but will this cause any other problems I'm not foreseeing?Also, it seems that this happened because the bolt was completely seized inside the sleeve. I have copper greased the new bolt but am worried about it happenning agin. As far as I see it, as soon as the sleeve seizes, the bolt has to rotate in the wishbone holes and they'll oval faster. I was tempted to leave a blob of weld on the washer to lock the bolt in position - anybody done anything like this?Final point, my previous owner had a love (or surplus) of graphite grease. The wheel bearing was full of it so I followed suit and just put a bit more in. Is this grease ok for wheel bearings? Also, interestingly the trunnion was full of the stuff too, and the vertical link was nicely coated. When I cleaned it off, the threads were perfect (unlike anything else on the car). I'll go with gear oil when I've reassembled, but the graphite grease seems to have worked fairly well?RegardsTom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Bancroft Posted July 28, 2010 Share Posted July 28, 2010 Traditionally does'nt one use LM grease in wheel bearings-still I have a rep. as a wheel bearing breaker, so what do I know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted July 28, 2010 Share Posted July 28, 2010 Castrol LM or equivalent. Lithium based and high melting point is good. Moly or graphite greases not ideal for high speed ball/roller bearings.Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkDeTriomphe Posted July 28, 2010 Share Posted July 28, 2010 Oval holes in the wishbones is quite common. Welding a washer in as you described seemed to do the trick for me and has lasted many years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpbarrett Posted July 28, 2010 Share Posted July 28, 2010 Interesting all the discussion about trunnions and vertical links.. I am rebuilding the front suspension on the GT6. Had the whole lot apart and no seized bolts so I guess everything has been apart before fairly recently. What is surprising is the amount of wear on the vertical link thread with the trunnions free to rock on the worn thread. On one side the top of the trunnion thread is rubbing on the body of the the vertical link at the top of the thread. The wear seems to be on the thread on the vertical link rather than the trunnion, trying one of the old trunnions on a new vertical link and there is very ltittle play. I guess water and gritt gets into the top of the trunnion (by the rubber seal) and wears the thread away. Dont understand why the steel has worn rather than the brass but maybe its because the trunnions has been replaced more often than the vertical links.... I am fitting new links and trunnions and the difference in the precision of the joint is amazing...Also changing the stub axles as both show signs where the inner part of the bearing has rotated on the shaft and worn it away such that a new bearing is a very loose fit on he shaft.Also found that the track rod ends were both very tight such that once off the car they are difficult to move, Thought the steering was beginning to feel a bit heavy!Should be all done by the weekend ready for its MOT on monday and then its time to start on the rear end. Got a 3.63 diff ready to go in...How many days before the RBRR?Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drofgum Posted July 29, 2010 Share Posted July 29, 2010 Tom472.The trunnion bolt and the sleeve it runs through are both supposed to be stationary. The trunnion is intended to pivot the plastic bushes on the sleeve. When water enters and rust forms the sleeve gets gripped by the bushes and in advanced cases the bolt also gets turned by the sleeve. This last is the cause of the worn holes in the wishbones.Copaslip or similar is your friend. :) Cheers, Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junkuser Posted July 29, 2010 Share Posted July 29, 2010 Not uncommon for a softer metal to apparently wear away a harder one.Any abrasive particles that enter between the surfaces embed in the softer metal and therefore move across the surface of the harder one.Same principle as drilling holes in glass using copper tube in a drill and valve grinding paste on the glass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triumphspitfire.eu Posted July 29, 2010 Share Posted July 29, 2010 Hi Tom,solved the problem this way: http://www.triumphspitfire.eu/pagine%20sito/I%20primi%20interventi/Pagine%20Meccanica/pagine%20revisione%20meccaniche/Avantreno/riparazioni.htmGreetings Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom472 Posted July 29, 2010 Author Share Posted July 29, 2010 Thanks for all the replies everyone, very much appreciated. Looks like I'll have to clean/regrease the bearings at some point, might just leave it for a while though - few more pressing things needed to satisfy Mr MOT.RegardsTom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Hutchings Posted July 31, 2010 Share Posted July 31, 2010 That's a very nice solution there, welding in heavier seats for the bolts. (2 up, on 'Miss Elisabetta')! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triumphspitfire.eu Posted July 31, 2010 Share Posted July 31, 2010 Hutch wrote:That's a very nice solution there, welding in heavier seats for the bolts. (2 up, on 'Miss Elisabetta')!Many thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paudman Posted August 1, 2010 Share Posted August 1, 2010 Hutch wrote:That's a very nice solution there, welding in heavier seats for the bolts. (2 up, on 'Miss Elisabetta')!I'm going to put my foot in it here but I've a couple of wishbones with that 'mod' in my roofspace, I couldn't bring myself to throw them out but I'm not intending to use them. I'll hold on for an unovalled one at the TSSC International later this month.Personal choice only! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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