Does the bronze distributor bushing ever cause problems?

[WH23G3G]

Ok I thought I was ready to fire up my rebuilt 400. Until I was doing my rechecks of everything and noticed that I installed the ignition wires wrong on the cap. So I'm going to pull the wires, pull the distributor and I want to retime it so that the #1 on the cap corresponds with the 73 Chassis electrical distributor wiring. I may as well re-prime it while I take the distributor out since it's been sitting in the car for about 2 months. I was wondering if the bronze distributor driveshaft bushings pressed in the block usually fail and cause problems? I had the machine shop pull it out and he told me I could install it. So I did with the right size diameter socket and tapped it in there. I remember when I installed the driveshaft for the distributor it would hit a worn spot on the shaft and the bushing would pull back out of the block. So I smoothed out the rough spot on the driveshaft and reinstalled it until it stayed in. I'm thinking about just buying a new distributor driveshaft and installing it while I've got this out. But what about the bushing? It was new when I installed it. Should I just leave it in there. It's never been run. I was just wondering if they fail easily and cause damage.

[Cooter]

I've never had the bushing go bad, but I've seen where the drive gear itself wasn't the correct length and shears at the end where the hex goes in the oil pump...(Mag. Article)..

If it just pulled out of the block, I'd say try another one and reinstall it, as unless that was one helluva bad spot on the drive gear, it might  spin inside the block...

[John_Kunkel]

Depending on who makes the bushing, simply driving it into the block might not be the correct installation procedure. The factory-style bushing needs to be installed with a special tool that burnishes the bore of the bushing to the correct size while expanding it in the block for a tighter fit.

Some aftermarket bushings can be simply driven into the block and don't require additional sizing.

[WH23G3G]

The only brand I could find locally was Pioneer PC780. I was able to get from a machine shop who still had some in a Pioneer box. That was also the same kind I replaced when I was putting the engine together. I checked on the installation tool and it's like $80. I'd hate to have to buy that tool just to put in one bushing and no one around here has one or even knows what it is when I show them the Chrysler illustration. I'm sure my old oil pump driveshaft was causing the bushing to raise up out of the block recess when I went to install the shaft because it had a high spot on it. But I ordered a new oil pump driveshaft that I'll get tomorrow and now I have another new bushing. What I'm worried about most is if I knock in this new bushing and put in this new shaft will the bushing come out and tear up the motor because I didn't have the right tool. How do you know if you need the tool with the Pioneer bushing? The guy at the machine shop who's been doing Chrysler motors for 30 years he says, just knock it in with a bushing driver and it will be fine. I hope I can finish it all by this weekend and hopefully fire it up.

[John_Kunkel]

The Pioneer bushing can be driven in with no additional sizing needed.

[flyinlow]

I put a little Loctite bearing and stud sealer on mine.

[WH23G3G]

I got the new bushing and new oil pump shaft but I forgot I may have trouble since everything is already assembled in the car. It will be hard to get the shaft out with everything back on the engine. I won't be able to reach down and pull the distributor driveshaft out now that the intake and everything is on. I may have to just retime the distributor and use the old shaft.

[TylerCharger69]

400  is a "B" engine....the intake being on will not hinder you pulling out the oil pump shaft.  Only thing that needs removing is the distributor itself.

[WH23G3G]

I'll give it a try this weekend if I can get a helper so I can find TDC on compression. It's hard turning the crank and feeling for compression under the car without a helper. Hopefully if everything works out, we can fire it up finally this week.