piran Posted April 1 Report Share Posted April 1 Driving home today and my wheel came off - or at least the trunnion snapped off AA man strapped it together with webbing and we limped it home but I guess it's time for a new upright. Any advice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piran Posted April 1 Author Report Share Posted April 1 I keep hearing about poorly fitting trunnions with cheap imported pieces, anyone suggest a good supplier? Any suggestions for what else I'm likely to need? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted April 1 Report Share Posted April 1 a pic of the upright will show us why it failed most fail due to thread corrosion starts a fracture which works its way till failure , lack of oiling and general agism is the usual culprit Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteH Posted April 2 Report Share Posted April 2 Have they been Oiled? OR Greased? The Handbook/Manual state using EP90 Oil. The use of grease, whilst in itself a lubricant, will also be more likely to collect debris, leading to stiffness and extra stress on the component. The trunion arrangement, whilst simple is not the most robust of devices in my view. Pete`s observation ref; corrosion/wear leading to failure is the more likely scenario. I would also definitely consider replacing both sides now. I doubt if you will obtain O/E replacements but I would tend to lean toward the better known suppliers rather than Flea Bay. My usual first stop go to are Canley? but I rather suspect that most suppliers are sourced from the same manufacturer in this day and age?. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piran Posted April 2 Author Report Share Posted April 2 I think the local potholes also had something to do with it. So far I'm looking at 1 new upright, 1 bleed nipple, 1 top ball joint and two trunnion sets and a can of ep90. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougbgt6 Posted April 2 Report Share Posted April 2 1 minute ago, piran said: So far I'm looking at 1 new upright, 1 bleed nipple, 1 top ball joint and two trunnion sets and a can of ep90. I add my voice to Yorkshire Pete, PLEASE change both sides! I When it happened to me I took both sides apart and the unbroken side was showing all the symptoms of imminent failure. The new trunnions have an insert in the base and are prone to leak the oil. Most seal the bottom of the trunnions with some epoxy. Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul H Posted April 2 Report Share Posted April 2 I bought mine from Canleys , a trusted supplier and please change both sides Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted April 2 Report Share Posted April 2 29 minutes ago, piran said: I think the local potholes also had something to do with it. So far I'm looking at 1 new upright, 1 bleed nipple, 1 top ball joint and two trunnion sets and a can of ep90. You know theres a replacement trunionless design of upright? Expensive but been used satisfactorily in a few threads on here... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piran Posted April 2 Author Report Share Posted April 2 54 minutes ago, johny said: You know theres a replacement trunionless design of upright? Expensive but been used satisfactorily in a few threads on here... Yes thanks, I saw that, but it is expensive and for the number of miles I do probably not worth it for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted April 2 Report Share Posted April 2 Thought you might be a nervous now😁 How fast were you going when it failed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted April 2 Report Share Posted April 2 24 minutes ago, johny said: Thought you might be a nervous now😁 How fast were you going when it failed? They usually fail at low speeds anyway, when there's more pressure on the trunnion during low-speed cornering, for example. As the gang have posted, go for good parts from a trusted supplier, it's worth the peace of mind, and don't go for an expensive oil gun to refill the trunnions, that's a waste of money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Flinn Posted April 2 Report Share Posted April 2 1 hour ago, Colin Lindsay said: They usually fail at low speeds anyway, when there's more pressure on the trunnion during low-speed cornering, for example. As the gang have posted, go for good parts from a trusted supplier, it's worth the peace of mind, and don't go for an expensive oil gun to refill the trunnions, that's a waste of money. Not always Colin I had one fail on my Vitesse at 60MPH! It was a bit scary to say the least, luckily it was on a straight bit of road that wasn't too busy, luckily I didn't lose my brakes and there was a layby for me to skid into. The vertical link snapped at the end of the threaded section due to fatigue from a previous accident/kerbing which I presume had bent it, I should have changed the Vertical Link really but back then (The mid 1980's) money was tight and I didn't know it was failing. Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piran Posted April 2 Author Report Share Posted April 2 It was a low speed corner which I scraped to a halt on! Still somewhat unsettling to be driving along and (effectively) have a wheel come off. Had hit a pothole a while before which I suspect was at least partially to blame (from what I can see at the moment it looks like a clean new break rather than an older crack but I'll be able to tell better when I get it all off. Fortunately I was not blocking the road - I was quoted some ridiculous wait time from the AA, but in the end they turned up pretty quickly and strapped it back together enough to get home. I've just ordered the first set of parts from James Paddock, will get the bits off the passenger side and see what else needs doing, then I'll do the trunnion on the drivers side and see what that's like and what needs replacing there. I saw people recommending a Wanner grease gun so I've just bought one of those from ebay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted April 2 Report Share Posted April 2 34 minutes ago, piran said: I saw people recommending a Wanner grease gun so I've just bought one of those from ebay. They're been recommended for years and they do work, but pressure is not required as you don't have to use the grease nipple for fluid oil. Any cheap oil can will fill a trunnion to sufficient pressure where the oil comes out the top of the rubber boot; my £1 oil can works just as well. trunnion.mov 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted April 2 Report Share Posted April 2 I don't doubt Colin, but I use an oil-filled gun, that I keep between uses in an little old oven tray, as the oil seeps out. Very Triumph! There should be a blanking plug in the bottom of the upright, that you take out and replace with a grease nipple as required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted April 2 Report Share Posted April 2 19 hours ago, piran said: I keep hearing about poorly fitting trunnions with cheap imported pieces, anyone suggest a good supplier? Im afraid its highly unlikely theres more than one manufacturer of trunnions these days so unless you can find NOS it doesnt really matter where you get them from.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Works Spitfires Posted April 3 Report Share Posted April 3 (edited) 18 hours ago, johny said: Im afraid its highly unlikely theres more than one manufacturer of trunnions these days so unless you can find NOS it doesnt really matter where you get them from.... No that's not correct. There have traditionally been at least three manufacturers of trunnions (until fairly recently anyway). There is one very obvious difference in that one of them has the STANPART brand on it. They come from a supplier in Coventry from the original dies. They may cost a little more than the others, but buy with confidence. Edited April 3 by Works Spitfires 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted April 3 Report Share Posted April 3 I dont think Ive ever seen one without STANPART on them! Seems probable the after market people just used an original to make the mould so they all automatically came with the name. Anyway its not the casting so much as the thread machining and sealing of the bottom that are the important bits... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Works Spitfires Posted April 3 Report Share Posted April 3 2 minutes ago, johny said: I dont think Ive ever seen one without STANPART on them! Seems probable the after market people just used an original to make the mould so they all automatically came with the name. Anyway its not the casting so much as the thread machining and sealing of the bottom that are the important bits... Yes they exist without the STANPART brand. Most of the repros are made in Turkey, and they are easily identified as they have little if any obvious branding. Because of the (considerable) trade price difference you will find the majority of the retailers are selling the unbranded types. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted April 3 Report Share Posted April 3 ok, do you know what the problems are with these unbranded ones? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Works Spitfires Posted April 3 Report Share Posted April 3 2 minutes ago, johny said: ok, do you know what the problems are with these unbranded ones? The parts supply market is fluid, quality changes on a regular basis. I have no recent experience of repro trunnions, so I am unqualified to comment. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougbgt6 Posted April 3 Report Share Posted April 3 My car was 5 years old in 1978 when I bought it. Shortly after it broke a vertical link. I replaced both trunnions and VLs, the trunnions were replaced again 6 years ago, having been pronounced "slack" on an MOT advisory. I noticed the trunnions had inserts in the base, as did the ones that came off. However, I'm certain the originals had a solid base, I wish I'd kept them as many are surprised and doubtful when I tell this. Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted April 3 Report Share Posted April 3 We had this discussion a while back Doug and I checked my originals as I thought they were solid but no theres an insert... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted April 3 Report Share Posted April 3 Think its much easier to machine right through than a dead end... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Works Spitfires Posted April 3 Report Share Posted April 3 27 minutes ago, dougbgt6 said: My car was 5 years old in 1978 when I bought it. Shortly after it broke a vertical link. I replaced both trunnions and VLs, the trunnions were replaced again 6 years ago, having been pronounced "slack" on an MOT advisory. I noticed the trunnions had inserts in the base, as did the ones that came off. However, I'm certain the originals had a solid base, I wish I'd kept them as many are surprised and doubtful when I tell this. Doug They have always had a tin base even before their first use on Herald's. The Standard 8/10 had a nipple screwed into it to lubricate the screw thread on the vertical link. If they had left it like that we wouldn't have half the problems we have had over the years with vertical links breaking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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