[propuckstopper]

Hi everyone. I just wanted to put up a post to hopefully save some of you four-speed guys some time and grief in the future.

Last winter, I had my 1965 GTO 389 engine freshened. I also had the Muncie transmission looked at, because everything was apart anyway. I decided that because the engine and transmission were separated, I might as well go ahead and put in a new clutch.

I ordered a clutch kit locally and bought a new pilot bushing (paid $5.00) through a Pontiac mail order company. The company name is not important, because I am not writing this to trash the company. I am writing this to help you know what to look for in a pilot bushing. It really does matter.

After assembling the engine and transmission and putting a few miles on, I noticed a screeching/squealing noise from the transmission area. This noise would only occur with the clutch pedal pressed to the floor, which means the input shaft is stationary and not turning at engine speed.

I did some Googling about my situation, and found several sites with information about junk pilot bushings. It seems these Chinese made units are magnetic, which means they have a high iron content. It is this iron content that not only makes the squealing noise, but can wipe out your input shaft over time.

I was directed to a company out of New York called Autogear, who specializes in driveline stuff. I spoke to a gentleman by the name of Nathan who indicated that he had several custom Oilite bushings in stock but none for a Pontiac. But he was willing to make one.

I ordered another cheap $5.00 pilot bushing and had it sent directly to Autogear. They have now created a Pontiac bushing that is available in stock. It is true Oilite, not the magnetic junk that I originally bought.

My buddy and I pulled my Muncie yesterday and installed the new Oilite bushing. And sure as hell, the pilot bushing we removed stuck to my magnet like glue. In fact, my buddy shook the hell out of the magnet and could not shake the bushing off of it. It was ridiculous.

Anyway, this is not a commercial for Autogear, nor am I affiliated in any way with them. In fact, I just found another true Oilite bushing available at the McLeod Clutches web site.

The moral to this story: wherever you buy your pilot bushing, BE SURE it is not magnetic. The magnetic ones sell for about $5.00, while the proper Oilite bushings are in the $35 to $40 range. Oilite is oil-impregnated, and that is what saves your input shaft.

Whatever you do, spend the big money for the proper bushing. Saving thirty bucks or so to find out later that you have a steel bushing riding on your input shaft is not a good deal.