Pilot Bearings and High Performance Use

[Ghoste]

I know a lot of people now are using a pilot bearing in the torque converter register on the back of the crank with four speeds but are not certain styles preferable over others for heavy duty use?

[c00nhunterjoe]

http://www.brewersperformance.com/proddetail.php?prod=PB5300

[Ghoste]

Is that the one you are using?  The needle bearing ones are good to go?

[c00nhunterjoe]

I used that one when mine was a 4 speed. One of the few components that survived when i scattered the 383. Broke the crank, cam into 6 peices, block broke, broke the bellhousing, part of the cam went up through the valley and cracked the intake. Carb was reusable and the pilot bearing still spun free. Everything else was scrap. Thats the extent of my torture test.

[Ghoste]

Aren't those fun?

[John_Kunkel]

IMO, rollers are good for high rpm use but a bushing will carry more load.

[c00nhunterjoe]

Aren't those fun?

I was most upset about losing the cam. It was an original racer brown peice.

[c00nhunterjoe]

IMO, rollers are good for high rpm use but a bushing will carry more load.

Agreed. I ran the roller for the rpm.

[BSB67]

I've never used Brewer's piece, and know he has a reputation for good stuff, but the only pilot bearing that I've seen fail was a needle roller.  This was in a actual 4 sp crank.  Replaced it with sintered bronze, never a problem again.

[Ghoste]

I thought there was an application that used a bushing inside that bearing shell (for want of a better way to describe it) but I'm not sure what it is.  I'm sure Brewers are just getting them off the shelf from their local parts store.  Again though, Im not sure what the application is.

[birdsandbees]

Believe the roller/needle bearing is from a Dodge Dakota truck..

[metallicareload99]

Believe the roller/needle bearing is from a Dodge Dakota truck..

90ish to early 2000 Dakota for the needle bearing. I think Brewer's made the bushing in the bearing shell for the converter register but I didn't see it on their site anywhere.

At any rate, I've always used the needle bearing because my first 440's crank wasn't finished to size and my current 440 has a cast crank. They have held up well for 60,000+ miles    I asked one of the A833 vendors if I should switch to the bushing out of concerns of like what BSB67 mentioned, but they told me I'd be fine to keep using the needle/roller bearing

[John_Kunkel]

It seems the bushing has gone out of favor with all vendors.

[c00nhunterjoe]

The bushing was more for the actual 4 speed drilled cranks. The non drilled cranks are more plentiful and the off the shelf compatability of the needle bearing set up makes it a cost effective alternative that fits 90% of the builds.