Would You Trust this!

[Crazy_Jeepman]

I was inquiring on a few Caddy Forums on where to buy a Pilot bearing so I can go with a stick behind my 500. Nice guy said he had them and would send me one free! and for that I am thankful. However............I am having a real hard time thinking this thing will hold up. I did a Part# search on the bearing itself and found it seems to be used in Bicycles and Skate Boards

http://www.bizrate.com/bicycles_equipment/oid470537320.html


http://crazy-jeepman.com/Caddy%20Build/Pilot%20Bearing%20001.jpg

http://crazy-jeepman.com/Caddy%20Build/Pilot%20Bearing%20002.jpg

http://crazy-jeepman.com/Caddy%20Build/Pilot%20Bearing%20003.jpg

[Headhoncho]

The thinness has me worried more than anything. If it were made in usa that would help also.

JR

[Retro93]

Just buy a case of 'em...change as needed. :thumbsup: OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR............ ..... there is another option: TH400:D

[Brown Bear]

I'm more worried about that dirty keyboard. YUCK!! Get a dust buster or some air in a can, geeze.





I'm not real sure on what the forces look like at that bearing, so I can't give you anything useful. Does it spin all the time, only when moving clutch? Is it supposed to act as a sort of thrust bearing? Just can't say, Crazy Man.

[zmjeeps]

I put a stick behind my caddy. I used a good old fashioned hunk o brass like you should. Not a roller skate bearing...

Zack

[Chad]

My .02 If I was putting the time and money into something like the engine u have I wouldtn skimp on that :cool: . Toss it and keep looking!!

[Crazy_Jeepman]

I put a stick behind my caddy. I used a good old fashioned hunk o brass like you should. Not a roller skate bearing...

Zack
I forgot you put a stick behind yours! :eek:
Did you make your bushing, or it fall out of the Sky? Have an extra? Did you have the crank drilled deeper for it?

[Retro93]

I'm more worried about that dirty keyboard. YUCK!! Get a dust buster or some air in a can, geeze.

ROFLMAO! I didn't even notice the bearing at first. The crud is just...well....SHOCKING! :eek:

[Crazy_Jeepman]

ROFLMAO! I didn't even notice the bearing at first. The crud is just...well....SHOCKING! :eek:

Sigh................. DUST, and maybe some Pepsi, and Kid Drool :o

[Retro93]

No cam 'lint'? :confused:

[Chrome]

How about taking the skateboard bearing to a bearing supply business and get them to match it to a Timken bearing. There has got to be one close enough to do the job.

Good luck!

[yeep74]

Pilot bearing do not get exposed to a lot of axial force under normal circumstances. It appears to be about 1/2" wide as far as the bearing that is thicker than a toyota one. Go for it. That design does not look too much different than some of those imported cabovers either.

My .02
B

[J10Joe]

as a former skateboarder, i'll say this: i've trashed such bearings simply skateboarding on them

but as yeep said, the force they get exposed to is different, so give her a shot i guess.

[ArtsiFrtsi]

ROFLMAO! I didn't even notice the bearing at first. The crud is just...well....SHOCKING! :eek:

I bet a small child could survive for a week with all the food crammed in that KB...

[DanHS]

Isn't the pilot bushing supposed to be made from a certain type of pourus bronze? Why not ask Novak or a similar company about machining a custom bushing, no point in skimping on a part that locates the input shaft. In fact, looking on Novak's site, they have pilot bushings for NP435s and T18s mated to GM engines, for $17.40

[OBX-AUTOMOTIVE]

OK! MY 2, THAT'S THE FIRST PILOT BEARING I'VE EVER SEEN KNURLED BUT FROM THE PIC IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S MADE GOOD...OK! THAT'S THE DEAL:confused: YOU DON'T LIKE THE IDEA OF A PILOT BEARING, BEING A BEARING OR YOU WOULD LIKE IT TO BE, A CHUNK OF BRASS WITH A HOLE IN THE MIDDLE!:D ...I'VE USED EACH AT DIFFERENT TIMES, I LIKE THE BEARING/BEARING .:drivin: :)

[OBX-AUTOMOTIVE]

DO YOU...HAVE ANY PLAY IN YOUR >>INPUT SHAFT ? :eek: :)

[Lindel]

Looks a little on the whimpy side to me Pete. I'd go with something more substantial.

[tgreese]

Isn't the pilot bushing supposed to be made from a certain type of pourus bronze?

Usually, though some are ball or roller bearings. The material you're thinking of is sintered bronze, powdered bronze fused together under heat and pressure. There's then some add'l process to force lube into the pores - maybe immersion in oil under vacuum? Something like that.

[zmjeeps]

I forgot you put a stick behind yours! :eek:
Did you make your bushing, or it fall out of the Sky? Have an extra? Did you have the crank drilled deeper for it?

Pete,
I had the crank drilled out when the rest of the machine work was being done. I got a pilot bushing from the local auto parts store knowing the ID & length I needed from the NV4500 and I knew there was a lot of meat in the crankshaft so I basically found the biggest OD. I don't have an extra, but I probably have in my notes somewhere some of the dimensions...

Zack

[Bob Davis '80 Chero]

I'm more worried about that dirty keyboard. YUCK!! Get a dust buster or some air in a can, geeze.
That keyboard is beyond air cleaning. Keyboards are cheap. Buy a keyboard and ask if they'll throw in the bearing.:rolleyes:

[drlocke]

Bronze sleeve, not that one. Lotta engine for a skateboard brg.

[KaiserMan]

Do you know who made it? If you can at least get a number off of it you may be able to look it up with a catolog (or online). If it's US made the company may have the specs for it. Torque rating or something maybe?

[Kimbrough]

2 points for you to consider Crazy...

1) What do the caddy guys say?

2)Sometimes "you get what you pay for"

[fulsizjeep]

Sigh................. DUST, and maybe some Pepsi, and Kid Drool :o

http://frontier.net/~mystkblu/smilies/bs.gif Face it Pete, there is FOOD in there... :D
I manage a 160 computer network and know what I am talkin about... We must replace 20 or 30 keyboards a year because of the stuff people drop in there.


And that skateboard bearing cracks me up! I am with Zack on this one.

[turtlejoe]

Pete, first off I am very conservative when it comes to stuff like this, which is why I would make an awful "make it up on the fly" type. You and so many others on this board have my deepest respect as fabricators.

If I can't verify for myself what the materials are, proper application, or some real world experience (probably about a dozen different cases) then I am inclined to say toss it. There's a lot of money tied up in your motor and tranny, and to risk one or both on such a small item seems counter intuitive. There has to be a suitable piece out there that's superior to a skateboard bearing, even if something has to be "nudged" to make it work. I think Zach's approach is spot on, but he still remembers how to caculate loads and stuff. All I can do these days is shuffle paper.;)

That's my $.02 - I'm an aerospace/fighter jet engineer type, and we're paid to be ultra conservative. That has the unfortunate (at times) affect of leaching over into everything I do. My kids hate it. I can't help it.

[JeepsAndGuns]

I'm not sure on that one. I was thinking about on mine, useing a pilot bearing (not bushing) for the trans I was useing, and then have a sleeve machiened to fit the crank and hold the bearing.

[Crazy_Jeepman]

When I opened up the package I had pretty much decided it was not the answer to my problems. I told the Machine Shop that there will have to be something done with the Crank for a bushing, so they are holding off grinding it till I come up with the answer. Pretty sure I have it nailed down, just have to check a couple things this weekend..............If I can just get over this FLU!!!!! :(

[crazydog]

Dan at Quad4x4 has some killer bearings. Just not sure if any will work in your application.

Check out the photo comparing the four different ones. Stock to extreme duty.

http://quad4x4.com/Dodge%20Engine%20&%20Clutch.htm#Heavy_Duty_Ball_Pilot_Bearing

[BRUTUS]

I am with Zach and Flint on this. With as many revolutions as the pilot shaft goes through between clutch changes and the fact that you don't want any lubricant near the clutch disk, I have never understood the need for a bearing right there when a bushing will do the job better. I mean what if the sealed bearing fails and spills lubricant onto the clutch plate... dead in the water.

The knurling on there makes me think that it is pressed onto the crank or the flywheel. That would suck to replace when the bearing fails.

I would see what pilot bushings you can find at the auto parts store and then have the crank opened up to fit it.

IIRC the last bushing I installed was about 0.002" over the crank dimension press fit.

[Crazy_Jeepman]

Problem is not that the crank is not opened up...........it is opened up to much. I have not found a Pilot Bushing made large enough to fit the crank with the center being the correct size for the pilot shaft. I am leaning towards a Bearing though. All heavy duty applications are bearing, upgrades being offered over the bushing are bearing. Pretty sure thats what I am going to go with.

[OBX-AUTOMOTIVE]

When I opened up the package I had pretty much decided it was not the answer to my problems. I told the Machine Shop that there will have to be something done with the Crank for a bushing, so they are holding off grinding it till I come up with the answer. Pretty sure I have it nailed down, just have to check a couple things this weekend..............If I can just get over this FLU!!!!! :(...HEY! MR.MAN!! IT TOOK ME TWO WEEKS TO GET OVER MY FLU...BUT, YOUR A YOUNG MAN:p ...YOU'LL BE BACK ON THE ROAD IN NO TIME!!!:cool: :cool: :)

[DanHS]

If you don't find a bearing, I think you should just call Novak and tell them what you need, that way you'll get exactly the correct part. What trans are you thinking of anyway?

[Crazy_Jeepman]

Trans I am using is an SM465.

[Aaron871]

Pilot bearing do not get exposed to a lot of axial force under normal circumstances. It appears to be about 1/2" wide as far as the bearing that is thicker than a toyota one. Go for it. That design does not look too much different than some of those imported cabovers either.

My .02
B

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