javelinjeff
03-22-2006, 10:35 PM
made a trunnion bushing the other day,using a sheet of slippery industrial rubber the same thickness as the oil impregnated rubber molded onto the steel sleeve,i bonded the rubber to the sleeve after removing what was left of the original rubber(not much).since there was no wear yet on the inner bore of the trunnion(caught it in time),after careful trimming and modifying a conical bushing for the top,i greased and gently tapped the "new" bushing into the trunnion bore.after making sure both the bushing and sleeve both were able to pivot on the trunnion and the steering knuckle shaft i cleaned and regreased thrust bearing(still good)and reassembled.since i am working with a low mileage car(69k)this will not work if your trunnion is wear damaged. although i could have bought trunnions from rare parts inc,they refused to sell me just the bushings.i am going to try some aftermarket bushings to see how they feel/work next month so i'll post results later. i must give credit to my other half as she was the one who suggested the idea after seeing the sheets of rubber i got from work to line the drawers of my rollaway toolbox.back in the late 1800's they used leather for bushings(another off-the-wall idea!)