Ok I'm back. I bought another complete bushing set for $15 from Transtar and elicited the advice of new friend Randy Ray of Randy's Racing Transmissions in Spokane Valley, WA. Randy is a Mopar guy and has hundreds of transmission rebuilds and quarter mile runs under his belt. Please note that while Randy is helping me with advice I welcome your ideas and thoughts.
Once Randy explained how to remove a bushing it was pretty simple. You look for the seam in the bushing and then get a very small screw driver and tap at the edge right behind it on either side of the seam, splitting it and then pushing it inward. then you get a cold chisel and just start whacking the bearing inward and splitting the seam all the way down. Sorry no picture, but it looks a bit like unzipping your pants.
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This go round I lubricated both the drum and bearing with plenty of lube...
![](http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d12/qwertynerd/2716810D-F7E2-4047-9555-BD2B9D40BDC0_zpsfopd484c.jpg)
(Okay, I didn't use that, but I if it were good for lubing a trans, it would be the ONLY thing that crap is good for)
...And started it with a small 3/8" thick piece of plywood.
![](http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d12/qwertynerd/C95F5C0A-39C4-4D42-AF68-713544E4D4EB_zpsnbc4osdo.jpg)
I set the correct depth just below the bevel in the steel race by tapping it in the rest of the way with the edge of a fir 2x4. VICTORY!!!
![](http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d12/qwertynerd/3F52B6B8-1F1A-4F11-8A71-ECC2CD3FB39E_zps7iafmcip.jpg)
Next I tried to do the same the tail housing bushing.
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Um No.
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It's too thick. There is an oil channel that runs the length or the bushing in the tail housing. Taking a suggestion from Mike (mr P Body) I got a fresh hacksaw blade and went about sawing through the bushing. It took about a half hour but when I got through it, it literally fell out.
![](http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d12/qwertynerd/467D05AA-9C5C-497D-88A7-CABC4A808FF4_zpsmftis2hk.jpg)
I lubed up the bushing, Made sure to orient it so the hole in it lined up with the correct oil duct and rammed it home with the side of a 2x4.
![](http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d12/qwertynerd/5E557E54-8C14-4006-AD54-E602C251F9A5_zpsp49sty6k.jpg)
I tapped it the rest of the way in with a fender washer.
![](http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d12/qwertynerd/CBEC6DED-D4EF-4753-8C44-D242BE7F761C_zpstyumso2t.jpg)
Note. Without the shoulder that a bushing driver has, the bushing tends to pucker inward when you hit it. I test fit the driveshaft and the bushing had swelled on the end too much. I took a knife and ran it around the lip of the bushing a few times, beveling the lip and removing a little material. Now the driveshaft fits great.
I think I have the bushing issue conquered so I moved to my next pitfall, the sprag. After talking to you guys here and Randy and consulting Munroe's manual, I went with a new TCI bolt-in sprag. Yes, the Super Sprag is cool and adds an extra measure of safety but the majority say it's overkill for my application. JohnRR, I really respect you. You've taught me a lot about the best way to go about building my car. I hope you keep giving your opinion here even though this time around I didn't take your advice.
I prepped the case by taking a die grinder and beveling the teeth that the sprag meshes with. The original sprag is peened in around the edge with a small chisel. If you don't grind each of those spots where the peen is, the new sprag can possibly stick and you could crack the case.
I drilled out the threads in the case ever so slightly to give the sprag bolts a wee bit more tolerance.
![](http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d12/qwertynerd/6620763E-4FB0-412F-BB15-4D53A4CB5DF3_zpsdi5kcfel.jpg)
Then I bent in the retaining prongs of the backing plate slightly so that they would grip the sprag during installation.
![](http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d12/qwertynerd/0D628C82-4842-4E29-BACC-4B06FB1427AE_zpslkfjsnjb.jpg)
Then I put washers on the supplied allen head bolts and sucked it up to the housing turning each bolt one full revolution at a time working in a criss-cross pattern like changing a tire.
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here it's sucked about 2/3 of the way in.
Done
![](http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d12/qwertynerd/93D4C5CB-9C3A-433D-BB25-5E2AB3A412F8_zpsmodjzm2n.jpg)
Now that I know I can do this without destroying the case, I'll go back to disassembling each subassembly, inspecting and cleaning, and then follow Munroe's step by step reassembly and calibration.
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