Brian,
I used a propane torch (MAPP gas - it's hotter) to heat the steal sleaves on
the bottom inner A-arm frame shafts and a pair of vise grips and hammer to
twist and remove the sleaves. It was a rigorous job and I had the body shell
removed (easy access)!
The steering rack ball joints on mine have a metal cup (not nylon) and is
spring loaded and uses steel shims to adjust ball joint play to 2 thousandths
inch. (one side with a split gaiter had 25 thousandths play!!! the other side
with intact gaiter had about 8 thousandths play) These are spring loaded so
it will be hard to tell if you have this slop unless you have a way to lock
down the road wheel and have someone turning your steering wheel back and
forth while you carefully check for play. I believe they should be well
lubricated and I filled mine with grease.
On the trunnion shafts the 16 metal shims are in fact shown in Moss
catalogues if you look very closely (page 30 item #109) they save the rubber
rings from rotation wear and cost .80 cents each.
Last time I drove my car in 1998 I thought - "well at least my steering is
good and I won't have to rebuild that". But when I took it apart it was very
apparent that approx.150,000 miles took a heavy toll. So far I've replaced
the rack, the pinion, rebuilt both tie rods (ball joints), replaced trunnion
shafts, will install all new A-arm bushes top to bottom (stock). Had to buy
undamaged A-arms as my shafts wore clear through bushings and damaged all the
cast arms. But surprisingly the threaded vertical links that thread into
brass trunnions seemed absolutely perfect!
I would be wary as well about the rubber ring quality like you mention as it
would be a real pain to have to replace them in a year (all of my 36 year old
ones were intact and very solid still).
Good luck with it,
Carl Sereda
'63 TR4 since '74 - CT22326L
>> TR3-4 Front Suspension Rebuild Questions
Listers,
I have my LH front suspension all apart and have a few questions
for the experts that have done this before.
1. I found these thin steel rings on either side of the rubber
seals on the trunnion shafts. I mangled 1 or 2 of the 8 pieces
before I realized they were there under all the goop. They are
not shown on the parts catalog. Has anybody seen these before
and do I need to replace them. My TRF rebuild kit doesn't have
them either.
2. The TRF front suspension kit was purchased back in 1997 and I
bought it from another TR4 owner here unopened. Back in 1998-9,
I remember hearing all the complaints on the list about rubber
seals falling off after a short period. The 16 seals I have seem
to be strong and of "live" fresh rubber. Although they seem too
small in diameter and will need a lot of stretching to fit. What
was this all about and does anybody remember the timeframe when
these were not up to the right quality. I can always order 16
new seals if these are suspect... they are not expensive.
3. The lower wishbone inner bearings were well used with lots of
play after the springs were removed. I had oiled them a couple
of times in the last 2 years because of the typical squeaky
noise. I found that the steel sleeve was rusty and pitted and I
can't get it off the shaft. Before I do something strange is
there a best practice on this. My guess would be to heat the
steel sleeve and try to twist it with vise grips or tap it with a
chisel on the outer edge to get it to turn. Last resort would be
to cut it with a dremel wheel.
4. I removed the steering rack gaiters because they are hard and
starting to show small cracks. I backed off the gaiter and found
essentially a dry environment with little sign of lubrication.
The ball and socket joint on the steering link is shiny but dry
with some clay colored dust around the edges of the socket. I
have no reason to suspect a problem as everything works fine and
there is no rust. The manuals say that this is a nylon joint and
needs no lubrication. I feel that I should lube this up with
something before I close it up. How much grease is there supposed
to be visible with the gaiter pulled back onto the steering link.
I can only see a little in the main housing that has the grease
nipple tap.
Thanks in advance... any advice will be appreciated
Brian Sanborn
'62 TR4 CT16260L soon to be "O" - Groton, MA <<
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