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Pilot Bushing/bearing Removal??????????

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Old Dec 6, 2007 | 03:25 PM
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Default Pilot Bushing/bearing Removal??????????

Need suggestions on the easiest way to remove the pilot bushing from a big block crank?? I'm going with a roller bearing.

Thanks
BILL SR
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Old Dec 6, 2007 | 03:33 PM
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I tried using a puller but couldn't get a good bite on it so I cut it out with a dremal
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Old Dec 6, 2007 | 03:43 PM
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Use a 5/8 11 tap. Cut the threads in and as tap pushes up against the crank, the bushing will come out. If it's real stubborn, run a 5/8 x 11 bolt.
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Old Dec 6, 2007 | 03:51 PM
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A good quality pilot bearing puller. I bought 1 from Matco and have only used it maybe 10 times. Still works great. If you rent one, it may be worn out where it grabs the bushing.
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Old Dec 6, 2007 | 04:37 PM
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Originally Posted by lakebumm
Need suggestions on the easiest way to remove the pilot bushing from a big block crank?? I'm going with a roller bearing.

Thanks
BILL SR
A method I have successfully (every time) used for over 40 years. Find a dowel (6-12" long) that just fits the pilot bushing. Full the cavity with grease. Put the dowel in the bushing and hit it very sharply with a heavy hammer. Hydraulic pressure WILL push the bushing out.
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Old Dec 6, 2007 | 04:44 PM
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Originally Posted by pws69
A method I have successfully (every time) used for over 40 years. Find a dowel (6-12" long) that just fits the pilot bushing. Full the cavity with grease. Put the dowel in the bushing and hit it very sharply with a heavy hammer. Hydraulic pressure WILL push the bushing out.

I had heard old mechanics talking about doing it this way, but I didn't know if it actually worked!!

BILL SR
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Old Dec 6, 2007 | 04:44 PM
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Originally Posted by pws69
A method I have successfully (every time) used for over 40 years. Find a dowel (6-12" long) that just fits the pilot bushing. Full the cavity with grease. Put the dowel in the bushing and hit it very sharply with a heavy hammer. Hydraulic pressure WILL push the bushing out.
Works like a charm.
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Old Dec 6, 2007 | 04:48 PM
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Originally Posted by lakebumm
I had heard old mechanics talking about doing it this way, but I didn't know if it actually worked!!

BILL SR
It's the best - totally non destructive!

Edit: And I guess I qualify!!
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Old Dec 6, 2007 | 07:05 PM
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OK!!

Tommorrow morning I'll be removing it.

Thanks for all the help, guys.



bill sr
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Old Dec 6, 2007 | 07:11 PM
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Originally Posted by pws69
A method I have successfully (every time) used for over 40 years. Find a dowel (6-12" long) that just fits the pilot bushing. Full the cavity with grease. Put the dowel in the bushing and hit it very sharply with a heavy hammer. Hydraulic pressure WILL push the bushing out.
Keep adding grease as you go and it will push right out.
As said above a 5/8" course thread bolt threaded in works also.
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Old Dec 6, 2007 | 07:49 PM
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Originally Posted by pws69
A method I have successfully (every time) used for over 40 years. Find a dowel (6-12" long) that just fits the pilot bushing. Full the cavity with grease. Put the dowel in the bushing and hit it very sharply with a heavy hammer. Hydraulic pressure WILL push the bushing out.
Bingo! We have a winner!!
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Old Dec 6, 2007 | 08:34 PM
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If you don't have a dowel, use a cut plastic clutch alignment tool.
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Old Dec 6, 2007 | 08:53 PM
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They make a tool for this, you can rent it at Autozone, it's called a slide hammer. Works like a charm, a few throws with the weight and it pops out easy.
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Old Dec 7, 2007 | 01:02 AM
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Originally Posted by lakebumm
Need suggestions on the easiest way to remove the pilot bushing from a big block crank?? I'm going with a roller bearing.

Thanks
BILL SR
I can also vouch for the dowel and grease method. It's completely non-destructive and worked both times I had to remove a bushing.

Also, I don't know what kind of trans you're using, but I heard you're not supposed to use a roller bearing with a Muncie. This is what I read from another post on pilot bearings and Muncies:

Originally Posted by tshort
The explaination I've heard, from Lars actually, was that the tolerances on older transmissions like the Muncie aren't very tight and the pilot will see a lot more perpindicular forces. A roller bearing has a higher failure rate in this scenario and when it fails....not good. A bronze bushing isn't really going to fail, so to speak. It might open up a little but the input shaft is still going to spin freely.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1765388
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Old Dec 7, 2007 | 06:16 AM
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I'm installing a Tremec 600.

The roller bearing came with the kit.

Thanks
BILL SR
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Old Dec 7, 2007 | 02:20 PM
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Originally Posted by lakebumm
I'm installing a Tremec 600.

The roller bearing came with the kit.

Thanks
BILL SR
Just did the same Keisler conversion. Someone already mentioned it, but the tool you get at AUTOZONE works like a charm, and you get your money back when you return it. If you like the way it works, you can keep it for the small rental fee that you paid. Also, if you do decide to keep it, you can turn it in for a brand new one. That's what I did.
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Old Dec 7, 2007 | 10:18 PM
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Originally Posted by lakebumm
I'm installing a Tremec 600.

The roller bearing came with the kit.

Thanks
BILL SR
Sweet! The only reason I rebuilt my Muncie is because the numbers match...otherwise, I'd get a 5-speed like that.
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Old Dec 7, 2007 | 11:04 PM
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Originally Posted by pws69
A method I have successfully (every time) used for over 40 years. Find a dowel (6-12" long) that just fits the pilot bushing. Full the cavity with grease. Put the dowel in the bushing and hit it very sharply with a heavy hammer. Hydraulic pressure WILL push the bushing out.
works great
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Old Dec 8, 2007 | 08:00 AM
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Originally Posted by rick1500
Sweet! The only reason I rebuilt my Muncie is because the numbers match...otherwise, I'd get a 5-speed like that.

My Muncie's going on the shelf so nothing happens to it.

BILL SR
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Old Dec 8, 2007 | 10:19 AM
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Originally Posted by markdtn
A good quality pilot bearing puller. I bought 1 from Matco and have only used it maybe 10 times. Still works great. If you rent one, it may be worn out where it grabs the bushing.
The dowel and grease method works on those bronze bushings, if you have the right size dowel. I needed to remove a pilot bearing that came with my TKO 600. The rollers were too stiff to roll properly, so I needed to get it out for replacement. I tried every puller available in all the chain stores and every rental place in my area. None of them worked and one broke. I learned the hard way not to use a slide hammer on a tight pilot bearing. Matco was my last resort, and the man was hard to reach, as he was always on the road.

The Matco puller works!! From using a slide hammer, the back of the bearing was chamfered and canted in the hole. The tough jawed Matco puller straightened it out and out she came. After all I went through getting a puller that would handle my tough job, the Matco puller was head and shoulders above everything else I tried. If you pull pilot bearings often, this tool needs to be in your box.
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