Pilot bushing
 

hi Guys, started on my conversion to a T5 tranny yesterday......removed the old three speed....removed clutch and flywheel. This is the first time I did a job like this to a flathead. I thought the pilot bushing would be in the flywheel not on the end of the crank. Now the big puzzle. what looks to be the pilot bushing is an inch and a quarter INSIDE diameter. The tip of the input shaft is about nine sixteenths on the old three speed.....how can that be???? Did someone in past years NOT put a pilot bushing in the end of the crank???? Is it supposed to be in the flywheel? What is going on? Forgot to mention this is on a 49 F1 pickup. The picture shows exactly the way I found the end of the crankshaft when I removed the flywheel. The flywheel has NO bushing in it.......any help would be appreciated.......Joe

Re: Pilot bushing
 

The flywheel should have had a bushing in it. Does not go in the crank.

Re: Pilot bushing
 

Cripes! As above. The bearing/Bush should be in the flywheel. Any idea how long it's been like this?
Martin.

Re: Pilot bushing
 

I bought this truck 3 months ago.......just pulled the tranny yesterday, couldn't believe my eyes......no pilot bearing. I only drove the truck about 15 miles before I bought it.....never noticed any vibration.....shifted good...only thing I noticed the typical jumping out of second gear when you let off the gas.......go figure never saw one that someone forgot the pilot bushing

Re: Pilot bushing
 

the automatics had no bushing, if you put a manual on a crank that was an auto you have to get the bushing for the manual trans

Re: Pilot bushing
 

There is no pilot bushing in the crank. Whether it was automatic or manual is of no matter.

Re: Pilot bushing
 

The automatics did have a larger bore on the back of the crank. This all started in late 1950 for both Fords & Mercury cranks but as was mentioned previously, the pilot is driven or pressed into the bore of the flywheel on manual transmission cars & trucks.

There is a chance that the previous owner or the last wrencher to do work back there was not aware of the need for a pilot bushing/bearing. A person should check the trans input shaft for excessive wear in the input shaft bearings. The clutch plate hub would have been the only thing to keep it centered during the time with no pilot.