49-51 Fuel Pump Pushrod Bushing: Reamer size?

Kilroy

Kilroy

Junior Member
Wow, it's been a while and how times have changed.. I used to be "40 Phil" on here years ago. The new site looks nice.

Formalities aside, I have a 49 flatty with a fuel pump pushrod bushing that was 'installed with an interference fit':o

Bruce Lancaster said he thought that a 1/4" ream might be right. I can't find it in the green bible or anywhere else. Does anybody know the correct size for sure?

Thanks,
Phil
 
Thanks Bob. So if I just pick up a 3/8" reamer (early intake on late block), I should be fine? I don't need to figure any clearance into it do I?
 
Not 1/4 for sure! Usually most of the bushing is fine, and reamer only cuts away any top ridge left by the installation. Installation is not critical as long as pushrod is free to move.
 
Kilroy said:
Wow, it's been a while and how times have changed.. I used to be "40 Phil" on here years ago. The new site looks nice.

Formalities aside, I have a 49 flatty with a fuel pump pushrod bushing that was 'installed with an interference fit':o

Bruce Lancaster said he thought that a 1/4" ream might be right. I can't find it in the green bible or anywhere else. Does anybody know the correct size for sure?

Thanks,
Phil
Click to expand...
Why not try and polish the rod instead of reaming out the bushing to get clearance,your going to get metal grit down in the engine doing it that way??? ken ct. There supposed to fit both ways with NO work to be done.
 
I don't understand what your talking reamers for. Do you have the wrong bushing in there? The bushing requires an interference fit in the block. The Ford bushings are VERY hard, you couldn't ream one anyway. The proper bushing does not need to be reamed. If you have some makeshift bushing in there, pull it out and get the correct one. I have successfully pulled them with the engine in the car. Stuff some cotton in the hole and follow with grease. That will catch all the debris. Tap the bushing and pull it out. If it is not a Ford bushing, it should tap reasonably easy. The Ford ones are a real bear to tap as they are so hard. I'll edit this post and add a photo of a puller arrangement I used to pull mine.

CIMG1183.jpg


The bolt welded to the bottom end has the same thred as the tap I used in the bushing. I don't recall what size that was. I suggest a fine thred.
 
The early 8BA blocks didn't have a bushing. The hole in the early block was machined to accept the push rod w/o the bushing. I believe that it was late '49 when the hole was machined to accept a bushing which had an id to accept the 7/16" pump rod. The fit is not a tight one. Ken
 
The only one I ever had to do anything to was an early one installed by the machinest who did the boring. It simply had a tiny lip at the top from excessive violence in the installation and the curled metal cut right outta there, with the fragments sticking in heavy grease on the reamer. My bad in not detecting the damage before assembly...
 
KGS is correct about the early '49 blocks. I have one of those. Now back to my earlier questions?
 
The 8BA style block came out first in the 48 pickup. I've had a couple with no push rod bushing. There was also a 1/8 pipe plug on the back of the block so they could reach in and drill a small piss hole into the main oil line to lube the pushrod. Also these block had head studs stead of cap screws. The 8BA bushing is 7/16 ID. measure your push rod and see if it's a little smaller than 7/16, if so a 7/16 reamer should clean up the ID of the bushing and you'll be all right. Walt
 
Thanks Guys.
Busy weekend and didn't remember to check this thread.

The reason the bushing may need to be reamed is that the rod sticks a bit in the bore. It's definitely an 'interference fit' in the block... To the point where I think it mushroomed a bit when I drove it in.

This is an 8ba with an early intake on it with an early style pump so I need the early style rod and bushing. Someone told me that the early bushing will fit inside the late bushing so I bought the early bushing and drove it in. The problem arose because at one time someone had tapped the late bushing for a allen bolt-plug so there was a little more interference than normal. It went in but there's a little more bind on the pushrod than I'd like... It might wear in just fine but I don't want to flatten the lobe on the cam either.
 
Have done a couple like this (early intake on late block) You normally do NOT have to change the pushrod bushing. Just shorten the 8BA pushrod.

pushrd.jpg
 
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