I called Van Pelt about this today and learned that he has experienced the exact same problems with a recent batch of these bushings. He has used blue loctite to secure the bushing to the housing and then a hone to get the proper clearance to a NOS yoke. So, that is exactly what I will do as well! Hopefully that’s helpful to someone else one day.

1954 Crestline Victoria 312 4-bbl, 3-speed overdrive

Ted, I share that concern, but am not sure what I can do about it. I was thinking of applying some loctite to the extension housing bore to help hold the bushing. The old bushing was definitely a tighter fit in the bore than this one.

The only other thing I can think to do would be buy another bushing from another brand and see how it fits. Being a precision part, though, I would expect them to be identical.

Would the loctite be a bad idea?

1954 Crestline Victoria 312 4-bbl, 3-speed overdrive

Is there a chance that the end of the bushing mushroomed some when hammering it in?  If the bushing came out with the yoke, then I would be concerned that it might spin in the tail housing once you have the vehicle drivable again.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

I have my transmission out and tailshaft off. I have a new bushing, ATP part FB-12, which I test-installed tonight. I was surprised to find that I was easily able to drive the bushing into the extension housing using a soft-faced mallet. Once in place, I test-fit the yoke with a film of oil and it was quite snug, requiring some rotation and gentle pressure to get full insertion. This was still true after polishing with 1200 grit paper.

With the yoke inserted to its normal operating depth, it seems to rotate smoothly with little to no resistance; however, when I fully inserted the yoke past the normal depth, the bushing actually gripped the yoke tightly enough that it came out with the yoke when I worked it out of the housing.

I think that the bushing and yoke will wear in ok, but I’m concerned that perhaps the bushing doesn’t fit the extension housing as tightly as it should. Does it sound like this is the case?

1954 Crestline Victoria 312 4-bbl, 3-speed overdrive