MTFCA Forum

I am working on the rear end build and installed a new top-hat bushing on the front of the tube. It fit over the shaft before it went in but installing it has squeezed it down enough that the shaft won’t go in at all. I would ream it, but I would think a straight adjustable reamer would tend to hog on the grease groove. I used a 1 inch drill as a spiral hand reamer and it goes through now, but the drive shaft still won’t go. What’s the secret?

Is your new bushing whitemetal or Bronze? If you have a bronze bush the best way to make the shaft fit may be to use a brake wheel cylinder hone to bring it to size. If the bearing journal where it ran in the previous bush is a little worn, did you knock back the corners on the square drive a little to match the worn journal?

Allan from down under.

It is a new bronze bushing and the shaft is new as well. I cut the shaft down to fit an auxiliary transmission. Thanks for the recommendation.

I have used a trans shaft which is the same size with time saver and was able to get a good fit.

Down here in good old Alabama here is how we dos it . Good old Stevens Speedup tools. Works every time.

I have & use the same tool Dan. Wife found the complete Stevens kit for me !

There should be no problem at all using a reamer, assuming you guide it in straight. The reamer will have many flutes to keep it centrally located in the hole, without snagging on the lube groove. Even if there is a minor "catch" on the groove, it shouldn't be a problem.

Check the end of your new drive shaft. Make sure that it is chamfered all the way around on the leading edge.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10781&p=80644&hilit ... aft#p80644

Nice tools. The spiral reamer is definitely the way to do it. I ordered an 8 flute reamer, which should have less chance of snagging than a 4 scraper adjustable one. If that does not work, I will turn one from bar, fit it to the tube and shaft, then cut the grease groove. Time consuming, but cheaper than a spiral reamer…

Steve, the pinion bearing sleeve puller in your kit is not necessarily up to the job. I was given one which failed miserably on a stubborn sleeve, The cast body broke around the groove. The threaded push bolt split under a load, which should have alerted the operator that something was amiss, before the tool was wrecked. I understand a later iteration of the same tool was made of steel and worked differently, so the cast body one may have been recognised as not necessarily up to the task.

Allan from down under.

Perhaps, but I've removed many with it.

I was just hoping to avoid any damage to a rare tool in a nice set.The sleeve that broke the tool I now have was finally removed by slitting it with a cut-off disc and then expanding it a bit. I think I would have done that before applying the load needed to bust the puller.

Allan from down under.

Allan wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 03, 2024 9:18 pm

I was just hoping to avoid any damage to a rare tool in a nice set.The sleeve that broke the tool I now have was finally removed by slitting it with a cut-off disc and then expanding it a bit. I think I would have done that before applying the load needed to bust the puller.

Allan from down under.

Is it possible the tool was turned & grabbing the D/S rivets?
I know thats an issue with the modified pipe cap I use.

I hate you guys with that bitchin tool set.

I believe just the driveshaft was held in a vice, and the tool used on the sleeve on the bare driveshaft. The tool yielded before the sleeve would let go.
Allan from down under.