I tried installing the pilot berring that came with my "Spec" clutch kit. The fit was tight as expected so i did the old trick of freezing it so it would go in easier. well, it worked untin it got about 90% of the way in, (only about 1/8 of an inch is sticking out), now it won't go in anymore, is this typical, can i leave it that way? there is no way it will come out on it's own, i guess my question is does it need to go in all the way?
i wouldn't worry about... as long as the bushing/bearing is seated and the shaft from the tranny can free wheel in the crank. :3gears:
I disagree. IF the bushing is sticking out of the crank, it MAY cause the input shaft of the tranny to spin when the clutch pedal is depressed due to an interference. That means that shifting into reverse will be nearly impossible. Ask me how I know.....ou:
didn't think of that.... I've never run into that problem, but I could see how it could cause a problem
If the fit is that tight the I.D. of the bushing may have already been crushed/reduced so the input shaft may not slide inside. Is it a bronze or roller type?
it's bronze. ive been told that it is supposed to be an extremely tight fit, i was told to freeze the bushing and heat up the crank just a litle bit to get it to go in easier, but i didnt have a torch availiable to heat the crank so i just froze the berring.
well, i took bill's advice and removed that bushing, then i sanded dond and imperfections that were in the crank (and there were some) which may or may not have been there before. i bought a new bushing and again stuck it in the freezer overnight. then when i was ready to install it i heated up the crank a little and then preceeded to install the bushing and it went in alot easier. and instead of using a 3/4 socket to hammer it in, i used a big bronze round piece and it went right in. thanks for the help.
Dan be sure and lift up the tranny and test fit the input shaft into the pilot bearing to make sure it will go in before installing the bell housing a clutch.
oops.... too late. i did have a hell of a time getting the clutch instalation tool out. i hope that its just cause the bushing was cold.
well got the tranny in today. i had to grind out some of the inside of the bushing to get the tranny to go in smoothly. i guess i beat it up a little hammering it in. it looked ok but i dont know why it was such a tight fit. hope its ok.
This is a good and interesting, vital topic for anyone installing a Pilot Bearing. Fortunately I have a Mr. Goodwrench friend with over 40 years of experience at a local GM dealership. Although I had the pilot bearing in the freezer overnight and got it down to 0° and also gently and uniformly heated up its crankshaft location with a propane torch, still, I was having the same problem tapping the pilot bearing in. It was going in crooked and I didn't like that so I sat there staring at it, wondering why every little thing can go wrong, pursuant to Murphy's Law. Mr. Goodwrench came by and said, "Here, let me show you how we do that at the dealership." He took a three-pound, short-handled sledge hammer off my workbench and with a suitably-sized impact socket began banging on the pilot bearing. In about seven or eight whacks had the pilot bearing centered deep in its location on the crankshaft. We put a little bit of anti-sieze compound on the tip of the transmission input shaft before aligning it and test-installing the trans into the pilot bearing. It all worked out great, even though I cringed as Mr. Goodwrench whacked the bronze pilot bearing with the sledge hammer. I thought it would distort, crack, or otherwise be damaged. All is well that ends well. The other day I ordered another bronze pilot bearing from YearOne.com since I have another four-speed project coming up and their price is only about $3.95 for the item. This one came in and has two bronze sheet metal sleeves, one inside and one outside the bearing. I have never seen a pilot bearing like this going back to a 1963 Corvette, various 1969 - 72 Buick Gran Sport cars, several 1955 Chevy two-door sedans with small- and big-block four-speed applications, my 1969 Dodge Charger R/T with a 440 engine, aluminum case Hemi four-speed transmission, other cars of friends and club members and so on. I will ask Mr. Goodwrench about the sheet metal sleeves in the pilot bearing and talk to other gearheads about it too so I can let y'all know what's up with that.
I did mine Mr. Goodwrench style, wasn't sure I would recommend it, I tend to be a hack =P but I've installed two that way (one when I put my Centurion engine in, and then the new engine). Oh and I did test that it slide smoothly onto the trans input shaft prior to installing it in the crank.
