Triumph Repair: Front wheel trunnion rebuild, tie rod ends, plastic bushings

Question
Howard, we just starting replacing the tie rod ends on a '72 Spitfire Mark IV. When we removed the old one on the driver's side we found that the assembly is really loose around the bottom trunnion.  It appears the sealing rings and/or water seals have broken away and there is a lot of play.  We took out the bolt but can't figure out how to remove what looks like a sleeve and what the VB catalog calls a distance piece.  We've tried pounding on it with a few objects with close to the same diameter but it isn't budging.  We can't get at the seals, etc. without getting that piece out.  We'd appreciate any tips on how to remove it.  Thanks.

Answer
Hi Dan,

You need to pull the whole unit out from between the lower "A" frame and remove both large washers from the ends and put a heavy support with a large hole in it on one side and just drive it out of the two plastic bushings. Or you can get a large threaded rod the size of the bolt you removed and put a short piece of tubing on one side that the distance tube will fit into and on the other side just put a washer and nut to use as a press to push the distance piece through the plastic bushings if they are that tight on the distance piece.

If the trunnion is loose on the spindle you can remove the wheel hub and disk and dust plate and unscrew the trunnion from the spindle and use a bench vice as a press to force it through the bushings. If the threads inside the trunnion are worn out too you will need to replace the whole thing anyway. Most suppliers sell a complete trunnion kit.

Howard