Hello Julian,
I've had that problem many times, what happens is the bolt
rusts into the steel sleeve that surrounds it. If it won't budge after
wacking it with a big hammer you'll have to hacksaw it out. You can do
this without damaging the trunnion or vertical link as the bush is 'top
hat' shaped, and you can saw through the side section of the bush between
the link and the trunnion to get to the sleeve. It's hard work though,
I'd recommend you get a stock of good quality HSS hacksaw blades before
starting.
It's worth making sure the wheel bearing is OK (i.e. no play) before
you start though because if this goes it normally trashes the whole shaft
so you'd be better off looking for a secondhand assembly (note that there
are 2 lengths of shafts on spits, yours should be long ones). When the
trunnion bushes seize it put excessive load on the bearing which can
promote premature failure.
If the holes in the link are badly oval you'd be advised to get a
replacement, if it's only slight it might be OK when torqued up. I think
the torque is about 40 but I haven't got the book in front of me.
Good Luck!
Keith Bennett.
E-mail Keith.Bennett@bbc.co.uk Phone +44 0171 765 3572
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