looking for a bushing reamer to reinstall the clutch release shaft bushings, anyone have reccomendation of a good one to get, it looks like the shaft is approx 1" so was thinking I would need a 1 1/8" or 1 1/4" reamer, just not sure which style would work the best?
Enco - Guaranteed Lowest Prices on Machinery, Tools and Shop Supplies

something like this?

thanks
Josh

 

Whatever you get needs to be long enough to do both at once.

 

Maybe I should just have a local shop do it for me? (if its not more $ than the tool) I would probably only use it once anyway??
Why do you need to do both at once? is it to keep them both aligned with each other? I didn't think it would be too critical, but then again I don't know anything about this.
Thanks
Josh

 

Josh - yes, you need to have them perfectly aligned - even if they are the perfect size, if they are out of alignment, it a) wont go in, or if you CAN get it in, it will b) bind or wear out very quickly. Very critical, believe me, I know! Usually it's "a" above, instead of b. And I've seen where you've been careful, and are sure it's perfect, and STILL can't get it in...

They make reamers, that are long and adjustable, similar to the enco you linked, but they seem to be very hard to find. When I reamed my king pin bushings, I had the actual tool Ford garages used, and even then, I had to do a little bit of hand-dressing to get it perfect. The correct one, will go all the way through the other end, and be somewhat tight on the 2nd bushing, to align it. I found you have to start the ream on the first bushing, then, before fully reamed, swap it, and start the 2nd bushing. Then back to the first, and finish the 2nd. Time consuming to get it right. Not sure how the shops do it, I would think they'd jig it up, somehow. Thought about mounting a vice on my lathe, and doing it that way, probably wouldn't have had to hand-dress it then.

Probably a lot wiser and cheaper to get the machine shop to do it - bushings are cheap, and if you want to learn, worth doing, but buying the tool, etc, can get expensive. There used to be a guy on 'bay that had quite a few of the long ones specifically for our truck, but he hasn't had that reamer up for a while.

R

 

Thanks Roger, & Ross, I guess there's a lot more to it than I initially though (thats typical of me) lol
I suppose if I pay a machine shop to install the bearings they may as well install the shaft too? I removed a clutch shaft on another trans a week or so ago and didn't even know they had a bearing, but on the bellhousing I just picked up the dang bearing just fell out in two pieces, it was worn through!
It's probably a good thing I have the other shaft since it has less wear in it, I will definitly want to use that one!
Thanks again guys, for saving me from my own headaches down the road.

Josh

 

You have to watch out for that! Often, if the bushing is worn through, the housing also has wear. The bushings are great, they take wear very well - not so the cast. The shaft running on cast, will wear very fast, often making the hole oblong or egg-shaped, and the bushings will follow that, making the bushings worthless.

But, sounds like you are on the right track...

R

 

Hmmmm , I/m going to have to take a closer look at the housing, hopefully there isn't significant wear in it (crossing my fingers) the shaft definitly has a ridge along it on the far end. I am/was planning on using this for my T5 swap.
Probably was not maintained and greased regularly and caused the excessive wear in the bearing, or maybe just to be expected after 60+- years of service!
Thanks again
Josh

 

Josh - probably greased for the first 5 years...then, who knows...the shaft having wear doesn't necessarily mean the housing does, although, the bushings ate in half, isn't good. It means the shaft has been wearing against the cast, since the bushing wore through. Good luck.

Depending on the extent of damage, I know that a GOOD machine shop, can probably over-size the hole, and bush it back to specs. Again, depends on the replacement cost of the original, and the cost to bush it. These aren't the bronze bushings, they are steel "tubes" that are pressed in, taking it back to original specs, then the original bronze bushing is used.

Just depends on how far you want to go with it.

Learning bunches, ain't ya???

R

 

Oh ya, every day I get in a little deeper! LOL I might need to put my arm floaties on here pretty soon.... I only paid $40 bucks for the mini bell housing, I didn't think it was the best deal but not a horrible price. If I do it again I'll get my hands into it and feel and look for slop! of course when your handling 60 years worth of crud and grease its hard to tell.