The pilot bearing on my car shrunk up a lot after the install.
I had to spend tall $$$ on the correct size reamer to resize it.

The only question not ask so far that I see,is the bell housing opening concentric with the crank shaft ? If not they make offset dowel's to correct the problem.

Sounds like your clutch is dragging. Check for full disengagement, oil/grease contamination, or warpage.

i had a new pilot in the shop so i checked it on the shaft before installing it and it fit great. its a 383

If your'e using the stock style bushing it could be compressing when you press it into the crank. That would make for a really tight fit.

You couldn't get the transmission out of the car. That tells me the pilot pushing had a death grip on the shaft.

Forget all the other stuff for now. Measure the pilot bushing and the input shaft diameters. You will likely find the problem there.

Once you have that straightened out, fit the transmission without the clutch disc. See if the transmission is still too tight.

i agree but ive been thinking how do i make it fit properly?? do i drill out the pilot slightly. or do i use some emery cloth on the shaft?

You need to take the emory cloth to the bushing. It's MUCH softer than that hardened steel shaft.

Was it an original manual trans car, engine, and crank? I seem to remeber that some AT cranks were not reamed to the correct pilot bushing size. IIRC the bushing should be a snug fit, no hammering.

it is an original 4 speed cuda. it was a 340 4 speed and now 383 4 speed the crank had a original pilot in the crank and the new pilot went it ok i did need to press it in. i put the pilot in the freezer overnite before installing.. ive been working on it all day now and found that the new pilot shrunk the i.d. went it went in. also after measuring and remeasuring it seemed the shaft was bottoming out in the crank and there was some evidence of that on the end of the shaft where it was flat and the metal curved up very slightly. i took a new pilot bushing and slid it on the shaft and it fit loosely. then found a dowel that fit that pilot the same way as the shaft then tried to fit the dowel into the pilot installed in the crank and it was super tight. i then cut the shaft to acccomadate the crank. i ground the shaft where it was fatter at the end where it was past the bushing when installed. i used emery cloth on the shaft and bushing. now the dowel fits the installed bushing nicely. im having lunch and ill be stabbing the trans this afternoon. ill let all you helpful guys know what happens when i gitterdone . i thank all of you for your input!

Sounds like you are on the right track, but know this: A new, uninstalled pilot is OVERSIZE ID. It is shrunk some amount when installed, so you cannot use a loose, uninstalled pilot for size comparison

thats right.. i used the clutch alignment tool and saw that was tight in the installed pilot. then found a dowel that fit the same way on the tool. then used the dowel on the shaft for comparison. and then started using the emery cloth until the dowl and the shaft moved nicely. i just finished installing the bellhouse. and i have the tranny suspended and ready to stab.ill stab it in the next hour or 2 and let everyone know how i make out.its one of those thing that i know i better not rush.

I have used the later style roller pilot bearings instead of the bronze bushings when installing the a-833. The roller bearings always fit the crank hub. If the crank hasn't been drilled you can use the roller bearing as a guide and drill the back of the crank, that way you don't have to hack off the end of the input shaft on the transmission.

http://www.brewersperformance.com/proddetail.asp?prod=PRB5300

hey thats a great idea! looking at it i did not get it at first but it fits in the crank in front of the hole where the pilot bushing would go right?? so basically i would just remove the bushing in there now. i never got around to stabbing it yet being turkey day ill be back at it tomorrow unless i decide to go the bearing route

Yep, it fits in the crank in front of the hole where the bronze pilot bushing goes. Just take out the bronze bushing and install the roller bearing flush with the end of the crank. No more worries about the input shaft seizing inside the bronze bushing.

now that throws a monkey wrench in my thoughts

Is this a scattershield you are useing or a stock bell housing?If its a scattershield did you check for proper runout?