Pilot bearing R & R

[Oldfireguy]

Removed the flywheel from 1959 F134 motor. Can I pound out the old pilot bearing from the inside of the flywheel, and reinstall the new one by pounding it in from the outside with a block of wood?

[bmorgil]

Yes you can. It is a good idea to check the fit of the bushing after you drive it in, on the input of the transmission before you put it back on. Just in case it needs a little clean up for a smooth install. They can get a bit tight especially if they get the slightest bur on them.

[Oldfireguy]

Thanks! Quick reply and answer appreciated!

[gmwillys]

A quick tip for flywheels that are blind holes, ( holes that do not go all the way through the flywheel). To remove the bearing easily, pack the center of the bearing with as much grease as you can manage to put in. Use a steel pin or cut off bolt that is slightly smaller than the inside diameter of the bearing and strike with hammer. The compression of the grease will force the bearing out of the bore. This method works even better then most slide hammers.

[TJones]

That’s Exactly how I got mine out the crank shaft on my V-6 gm, the boys laughed at me when I told them to get me a bolt!!!

[bmorgil]

Haha, great minds! We always keept an input shaft from a Muncie trans laying around for exactly that purpose. Pack it full of grease and start the input shaft in the pilot and WHAM with a dead blow. Out it would come!

[gmwillys]

When we raced the sportsman class, we started out using a lot of Saginaw 4 speeds, with 1st and 3rd locked out. We ended up with a pile of them so we would dig through and save the better gear ratio ones for ourselves, then trade off cases to good friends, or Chuck up the input shafts in the lathe and add an extra groove to the shaft and sell the trans to the ones we didn't like so well. Long story short, we had a supply of extra input shafts to use for popping pilot bearings.

[Oldfireguy]

It was a through hole. I pressed it out with a bottle jack set up between the ground and my truck frame. Same procedure to press the new one in. Thanks all for the input.