If they had not been how would the pilot bearing have been installed on the assembly line? Smart a$$ response I know. I can't respond re '66 cranks but I converted a '63 auto car to std. trans and had to grind a step out of the hole in the end of the crank with a Dremel in order to get a pilot bushing in there. I don't know how they did it on the assembly line at the factory but all of the engine were built at the Pontiac assembly plant, right? I can't imagine they had two piles of cranks, one for auto trans and one for m/t, and made sure they took one off of the right pile as they assembled the engines. Rather I'd think they ran an end mill up into the rear of the crank somewhere along the engine assembly line as soon as they were made aware that that engine was going into an s/t car.
If you are asking because you are converting a car to s/t and are concerned about the pilot bearing fitting, just try it, and if it doesn't fit then run your little finger up into the hole to see if there is a step in there. If there is then take a Dremel with a stone on it and grind the step out. This is what I did and it fixed the problem. Just be sure to grind it out all the way around and not all on one side.
|