[DeTomaso] Trunion support

[JDeRyke at aol.com]

In a message dated 12/4/09 7:22:41 AM, gaino at earthlink.net writes:

> I have a new trunion to install. What is the easy way?  can I just loosen 
> the shift box and get enough space so slide out the splines in the 
> universal in front of the trunion?
> 
There really isn't an 'easy way', Bill. You need to get the end of the 
central section of your shift shaft loose from the u-joint- at either end- so as 
to be able to slide the old trunnion off and the new one on. The whole job 
is much easier with the engine out, naturally. Once the old one is off, look 
closely at the shift-stick section that slides back & forth for excess 
wear. The stock setup was designed for periodic oiling, but most Panteras have 
NEVER had any oil there, so the shaft wears badly. Careful filing or rotation 
of the shaft 90 degrees might make a badly worn one still useable. Once on, 
expect to fiddle with recentering the shift stick in the cabin, too. The 
height of the trunnion somewhat controls the shift-stick centering as well as 
the length. On some Panteras, there's very little room to adjust the height 
before the center u-joint hits the fwd edge of the inner fender, or the 
shaft hits the upper motor mount. This all happens during shifting when things 
are hot, not while the trans is cold & in neutral.
There are two different trunnions available: the stock one is steel, 
rubber-mounted with a steel sleeve that needs periodic grease or oil, while Hall 
sells an aluminum one with a teflon insert that needs no further greasing. 
Due to the header radiating lots of heat and the expansion ratio of aluminum 
and teflon, the teflon sleeve often comes loose from the single setscrew 
provided, and slides out. If your shifting suddenly goes all loose, this is 
probably what happened. Some guys add two more setscrews and Lock-tite them all 
in. Good luck on a truly picky little job- J Deryke