Here’s the gearbox from a Bugeye we took in trade for an owner who wanted a better Bugeye, and sadly, this one only made it 10 miles in our possession before the wheels locked up and we almost had to drag the car home. We disconnected the diff at the drive shaft and found the diff was fine, but the transmission was in trouble. When we drained the transmission oil, large pieces came out. Game over.
Nose off, engine out, transmission off, and we discovered the last person to visit this site had neglected to install a pilot bushing, which allowed the transmission input shaft to travel in an oval arc, thereby contributing to the early demise of this gearbox.
Not recommended.
We made a custom pilot bushing to support a new rebuilt transmission, put it all together and off the car went to Tennessee and a new home. So the moral of this story, should you ever take off your transmission, make sure the pilot bushing is properly set-up before you put the assembly back in the car. We sell the stock bushing, it’s about $5, in case you need one…
