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Trunnion removal for V-8 cars only

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dpimm View Drop Down
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    Posted: Aug/05/2015 at 1:13pm

TRUNNION REMOVAL for V-8 CARS ONLY

******Does not work on 6cyl cars with longer springs******

OK... so I already know I am probably going to get flamed on this by more than a few people; and just as an FYI I have a VERY healthy fear of trunnion springs. I DID NOT come up with this procedure, this is pretty much 100% Jim McKee a fellow Tampa Bay AMC Club member that has been working on AMCs for 35+ years. My only change to his procedure was to use a motorcycle jack with a double 2 X 4 under the Lower Control Arm... I already had one and it is amazingly stable and easy to control... and it is designed to lower VERY slowly which HUGE plus IMO...

 

This shows the motorcycle jack setup I used




Here is the jack placement under the lower control arm- all you are going to do is jack the lower control arm up the slightest amount... you are just trying to take some of the weight/tension off the front bolt so you can remove it with the punch. Raise it too much and you will have the opposite effect. For me, I just raised it to where I could see the jack take some of the weight.





Edited by dpimm - Aug/06/2015 at 2:18pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dpimm Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug/05/2015 at 1:14pm
Loosen the rear Upper Control Arm ad much as possible without removing the nut...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote dpimm Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug/05/2015 at 1:17pm
Remove nut from front UCA bolt. Raise jack just enough to take some pressure off the bolt, then use a punch to remove bolt. At this point you want to keep one hand on the spring putting pressure inward to keep it stable.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dpimm Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug/05/2015 at 1:20pm
lower the jack and allow the trunnion to pivot out towards you... the only load on the spring at this point is from the trunion pivotting
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dpimm Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug/05/2015 at 1:22pm
ABRACADABRA.... spring out and now can be cleaned up for painting
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote farna Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug/06/2015 at 8:10am
Well, you can always use a small chain or strap attached to the spring and body so ti won't go far if it does pop out. I like that better than holding pressure against it by hand to keep it in! As with anything, especially make-shift procedures, you have to be careful! I've done enough things that can be a bit dangerous...
Frank Swygert
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dpimm Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug/06/2015 at 10:24am
you could definitely use a chain or strap for extra piece of mind, but it seems like the key to this method (AGAIN this is not something I came up with, this is something told/taught to me by Jim McKee that has 35 years of doing AMCs) is that rather that putting extra load on the spring to remove it, it actually takes most all of the load of the spring. The danger from removing with any of the spring tools, is that compress the spring... which is essentially stored energy. For comparison purposes, think of it this way... compressing the spring is like adding gun powder to an explosive device, taking the load off the spring is like removing gun powder. The question for me is would you rather deal with a firecracker or a hand grenade. 

Again, nobody has to use this method... I am just putting it out there in case it might help someone. It worked REALLY well for me, and trust me when I say I was TERRIFIED of those springs to start with. Another way to release some load would be to also loosen, NOT REMOVE) the camber/eccentric bolts.

DP 


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote sweatlock Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug/06/2015 at 1:17pm
Is putting the spring back in the same procedure, but in reverse?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AMXFSTBK390 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug/06/2015 at 1:44pm
The excitement of living on the edge. Kind of like the rush a skydiver has when free falling. May give it a try. I have a motorcycle lift for servicing my Harley. Hmmmm
Questions are powerful tools...what's in your toolbox?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dpimm Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug/06/2015 at 2:05pm
re-installation is just the same  thing in reverse. As a matter of fact, after I took out my first one, I put it back just to see how easy it was... was a snap for me.


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