[tekuhn]

I know this is an old thread, but it's the only one I could find on the subject and it doesn't really contain an answer my question. My question is specifically about how the upper shaft bushing gets lubrication - and specifically on the aluminum housing units. The upper well is filled with sawdust impregnated with oil - but - there are no holes drilled from the well through the upper bushing and it is definitely steel and not a permeable material. I know someone stated there's a 1/16" hole, but none of my '69 or '70 distributors have one. The only possible scenario is that the oil seeps down along the outside of the upper bushing until it reaches the bottom where it could migrate onto the shaft. It would then need to wick back uphill to lubricate the shaft-to-bushing contact area.

I agree that wear to the upper shaft does not seem to be a problem and I have seen galling and wear to the lower bushing much more often. I'm inclined to trust the factory engineers and restore it the way it was designed. Dave Fiedler at T.I. Specialty recommends cleaning out the sawdust and repacking with gauze before adding oil which seems reasonable. There needs to be some absorbent medium there to meter the flow of the oil. I don't trust that randomly substituting with grease will provide a steady supply of lubrication, if any at all.