Can't get pilot bushing out...
 

I can not get the pilot bushing out, and it is driving me insane. I have tried the grease method, and it has done nothing (hammered on it for literally an hour). I have tried two different pullers, and they seem like they aren't actually catching on the back side, and instead just scraping along the inside.

I guess at this point I should just ask what is the easiest, safest way to cut that thing out without damaging anything? Any other ideas?

Have you got s Dremel? I'd try a carbide cutting bit and grind two grooves in the bushing until it collapses:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Dremel-Tung...r-Cone/1266841

I don't have a dremel, but it is something I always wish I had.

I would still be so worried about damaging the sleeve it goes into though :( but might have to give it a shot.

just get it thin enough to where you can wedge a chisel or something under it and bend it
up

a sawzall would also work

I used bread instead of grease, and it worked like a charm!

Hey guys, appreciate the advice so far. I have a new issue that I'm not sure if I should be concerned about.

Once I got the pilot bushing in, my alignment tool doesn't fit very easily (I had to hammer it in, which shaved some plastic off). It still fits in the old one though. Could this mean I deformed the bushing by hammering it? And if so, is that a concern, or once I start sliding the trans in and bolting it up, it will force it in anyway (since the bushing is brass).

If you are concerned you deformed the pilot bushing you should remove the old one and replace.

It is not meant to be a press fit, and if there is interference the bellhousing wont seat up. It should just slide in once the splines align on the input shaft and clutch.

You should be able to measure the OD and ID of each with a caliper to confirm.

To remove I have always drilled it out believe it or not, cant remember the bit size but it has always worked for me and I have never damaged the bore. The other methods (grease, slide hammer) I have never had much success with.

Recently did a clutch on a t100 and when i pulled the alignment tool out I noticed some plastic was shaved off as well. i didn't hammer the alignment tool in though, it went in by hand. Some alignment tools just aren't that great. they are plastic after all. The job was finished though and their are no problems. Id like to think you will be fine too. Maybe you didn't get the new pilot bushing entirely flush when you installed it. Might want to double check your work on the pilot bearing. I haven't done a clutch on a Z yet so i'm not entirely sure what you may have messed up. Good luck

I had a similar issue in my 240sx, bearing tightly packed in. Bread trick always worked for me to get it out.

Also had trouble with alignment tool not fitting properly. I was using one second hand which meant I knew it fit other transmissions without wearing down the plastic, so I had the benefit of knowing that the alignment tool was "correct." The input shaft had a really hard time fitting, so I ended up lightly sanding the inside of the pilot bearing using a dremel sanding barrel. Less than a mm, sanding just one or two passes and test fitting until it fit around the input shaft snugly but with minimal resistance. Can't say it's a great idea but I did this multiple times on the same car without having issues (Killed the clutches and throwout bearings faster than anything else).