[69396ss]

I received my engine from the builder last week and installed my engne and trans tonight.

The tranny was a bear to install with new bronze pilot bushing and new tranny. I actually had to force the last 1/2" in by turning the bolts.

I didn't have to really crank them, just fully seat it with the bolt torque. (good way to loose a mounting tab off the tranny, I know)

So I finally win the tranny bench press battle and am smoking a cigarette and drinking a Cold one in celabration when it hit's me......

I forgot to lube the pilot bushing....

Fresh from the builder so I'm quite sure there's not a speck of lube in it.

So what am I looking at here.... Must it come out?

My gut tells me it'll squeal if I don't as well as potentialy wear quicker due to increased friction.

Leave it alone or back in the ring for another round?

 

[sharpie]

I forgot to lube the pilot bushing....

Fresh from the builder so I'm quite sure there's not a speck of lube in it

You don not have to lube it,At least I never have. Never had a problem Brass is soft metal.

 

[Guest]

No grease required, that bronze bushing works just fine with no grease.

Now about pulling that trans up with the bolts??:clonk: :clonk: :clonk:

 

[69396ss]

I swear it wasn't much torque, and only the last 1/2"

Thanks guys, that's a relief.... I didn't want to fight that again with a bum shoulder.

 

[COPO]

The bronze pilot bushing somehow with a reaction produces it's own lub from what I've been told. So you never grease them!!

 

[Keith Tedford]

I think you will find that the pilot bushings are made from Oilite which is a porous bronze that is oil impregnated. Heat it up and the oil boils to the surface. If you have to force the input shaft into the bushing, then you have problems. Better find out where the resistance came from. Everything should slide together freely. The bushing may have been damaged during installation, if that is the problem.

 

[bracketchev1221]

Do not use grease on a pilot bushing. It will clog the surface and not allow the bushing to lubricate itself naturally.

 

[Brettd85]

I think you will find that the pilot bushings are made from Oilite which is a porous bronze that is oil impregnated. Heat it up and the oil boils to the surface. If you have to force the input shaft into the bushing, then you have problems. Better find out where the resistance came from. Everything should slide together freely. The bushing may have been damaged during installation, if that is the problem.

I have heard this, but I actually think this is wrong. I could be wrong too, but I thought it was made with lead using powdered metallurgy, then sintered to form a bronze bushing with lead inside for the lubricant. Am I wrong?

 

[prefectca]

The tranny was a bear to install with new bronze pilot bushing and new tranny. I actually had to force the last 1/2" in by turning the bolts.

The last 1/2 inch was probably the bushing hanging up. If it is that tight then it will probably need to be replaced. I doubt if the clutch will work properly as the bushing will drag enough to cause problems. I have had replacement bushings that needed the outside diameter turned down to fit the crank. If they were forced into the crank they would crush slightly and inside diameter would be too tight to allow the input shaft of the trans to turn freely.
If the engine is already in the car I would hook up clutch linkage and push the clutch down and see if the output shaft of the trans will turn by hand (NOT with the engine running!). If it turns all is probably OK.
Paul

 

[SWHEATON]

I bet i know where the reistance came from on trans install.

I have been instaling muncies in gm mscule cars for 36+ yrs now and over the last like 5 yrs i have had problems will any/all of the stock bronze pilot bushings that are sold in all auto parts stores in my area & one i got from summitt/jegs too.

It seems like over the yrs the mfg/s of the bronze bushings have slipped on the mfg specs and are making them smiudge too large in outter daimeter.

Case in point,i have owned my 69 396 since 1978 and have had the motor out mult times over the yrs. I replaced the pilot bushing each time the motor or trans was out with not problems untill like 5 yrs ago,that when the problems started for me with the bronze pilot bushing sold today.

I tried approx 5-7 different stock bronze bushings from local parts stores & summitt/jegs and not one of then fit in the crank correctly,would go in easily just being slightly snug,i had to use a std nailing hammer hitting very hard and peice of wood to get any of them to go into the SAME CRANK they used to fit just fine in yrs before that.

Mind you this is the same carnk where thoses same type bushing fit fine in prior yrs going in snug but not that tight.

These new bushings seem to be too lrg on overall diameter and are very nug when installed.

The new bushings slid over the end of the input shaft on my trans and clutch aln tool fine before they were installed in the crank.

But with the bronze being a softer metal what happends is when you have to force it into the crank the soft metal squeezes the inner input shaft hole a little smaller and thats why the trans had problems going in the last 1/2,i had the same problem and thats when i figured this out.

When my trans would not goin the last 1/2 inch i pulled it out and tried to insert the same aln tool where the bushing fit over it just fine prior to install it and now ithe aln tool would not fit in the bushing and thats when i realized what was happening because the bushing required a lot of force to install and closed the inner hole some when installed.

Again,all 5-7 of these bushings i bought from different source all did the same thing and the pilot bushing seating area in the crank of my motor was never worked on and was in good cond not scored,etc. I tried all of them and found each bushing went in the crank hard squeezing the hole smaller so aln tool would not fit even though all the same bushings slid fine over aln tool & trans input shaft prior to installing each bushing in the crank.

You can either have the outer diameter of the bushing reduced by 1-2 thousands to goin a little easier or have the inner diameter enlaged.

I took a dremel with a small grinder to the inside diameter of the bushing untill the end of the clutch aln tool fit ok then i installed the trans with no problems.

Keep in mind since you forced the input shaft of your trans into the pilot bushing the trans might not shift well . This is because the cluth may not disengauge fully with the pilot bushing grabbing it soo hard untill the trans input shaft wears in inner hole of the new pilot bushing.

A few of the people i know locally have had the same problems with the stock bronze pilot bushing sold in stores today,anyone esle has this happen to them?

Scott

 

[69396ss]

Or, it could be that I was installing the trans while it was in gear and that's why the driveshaft was locked up after I installed it.

Things seemed so much better after I hooked up the linkage and popped her back in Nuetral.

 

[Rick Dorion]

Sometimes that last 1/4" or so of tightness is because of the fit between the front bearing retainer and the bellhousing opening. Although you didn't mention which bellhousing you have I experienced the same thing with a new McLeod BH.

 

[69-CHVL]

Scott is onto something here...

Just put a broze bush in my buds 71 GSX, it was tough to get in and the trans was equally tough to get in. We figured something was wrong, so we dropped the trans, removed the bushing and tried another from a different source...same thing, too tight. We said screw it and installed the trans anyway, had to start the car in gear b/c the input shaft would not turn free it was in so tight. Released the clutch, and it "broke" free. Couple thousand miles, so far so good.

Think of it as "file-fit bushings"!

 

[jtm60]

i had the same issue, and i wound up pulling the trans in the last little bit using the bolts, but it wasnt really bad. i think most of my issue was where the trans mated to the bell housing (I cleaned the paint off that area with some sandpaper and it helped). i think the pilot bushing might have squashed down a bit upon install, but i have not had any shifting issues (at least none that I felt were due to this issue)