heim joint / trunnion

bosswrenchMember

A couple of comments. The trunnion support joint originally had small rubber bellows on both sides to shield the shift shaft & ball from slop, road grime & keep lube inside. They were regular neoprene and didn't last more than a couple of yrs. I haven't seen one on a Pantera in this century. Might be worth while fabricating some & gluing/clamping them on if you encounter such stuff on the road regularly.

If you have machining capabilities, heim balls are 8740-high-carbon steel but can be quickly cut oversize on a mill or lathe with a sharp cutter (NOT a drill!), slow speed, light cuts & plenty of lube. Skimp on any of those and the cut area will work-harden ahead of the cutter from heat and you just made junk. I haven't tried it but a small brake hone might open up a heim ball. I prefer a mill & carbide cutter. Remember to keep the ball cool while enlarging by any means!

3/9/219:20 PM

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timsterenMember

Hi Boss, interesting info on the small rubber bellows, I had thought myself that it would be an excellent solution, akin to what is on the steering rack/, not knowing that they actually did have them originally. It would be a great idea to put them back on when changing the trunion. Because I guess a lot of the wear on the trunion comes from sand and dust sticking to any grease or lube applied. Any ideas where to get them?

Cheers, Tim.

3/10/2111:11 AM

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joules"Racing is Life, anything before or after is just waiting" - Steve McQueen

@bosswrench posted:
If you have machining capabilities, heim balls are 8740-high-carbon steel but can be quickly cut oversize on a mill or lathe with a sharp cutter (NOT a drill!), slow speed, light cuts & plenty of lube. Skimp on any of those and the cut area will work-harden ahead of the cutter from heat and you just made junk. I haven't tried it but a small brake hone might open up a heim ball. I prefer a mill & carbide cutter. Remember to keep the ball cool while enlarging by any means!

Or you can simply purchase the correct metric heim joint and save yourself a lot of hassle!

3/10/211:56 PM

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bosswrenchMember

The cramped environment where the shifter support lives is hostile to all flexible plastic materials, due to the 150+ F temperature from the left side exhaust close by, vibration, road debris thrown up and oil dripping from the rocker cover above. A heat shield might help. It appears that there are many shifter shaft support rod-ends available commercially- Google "shift shaft support"- I don't know the exact ID or OD diameter we need. There are also some 'steering shaft supports' that look identical. But none show sealing boots. A phone call to steering U-joint makers Borgeson, Flaming River etc might pay off. Not everything can be resolved by e-mail.

Another factor is the roughness of the stock DeTomaso shift shaft tube's OD. To allow any rubber seal to live on a moving tube, the stock tube might have to be removed and polished with a drill press & emery cloth in the area where it runs back & forth in the metal support. This might be why D. Quella's setup requires a certain diameter shaft- not just for the OD thru the support but also for surface smoothness. I would error on the OD toward looseness to keep your rig from seizing up when things get nice & hot.

3/10/213:02 PM

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rlee63a4Member

I haven't had any issues using the 18mm igus composite rod end since I installed it in 2004.

igubal® rod ends are corrosion-resistant can be used without problems in harsh environments. In moist or wet environments, they are resistant to weak acids and alkalines. Their resistance to dirt and dust should be noted.

Housing made from igumid G, an extremely impact-resistant, long-fiber-reinforced polymer. Suitable for temperatures from -40 °C to +90 °C in long-term use.

The spherical ball is made from iglide® L280 material, which is known for lowest coefficients of friction in dry operation and extremely low tendency to stick-slip. This is especially important for low loads and very slow movements.