Good morning Zoe.
One thing I would try before replacing the pilot bushing is placing some abrasive like valve grinding compound or even paint polishing compound on a transmission main drive gear nose and rotating that into the hole to enlarge the hole. I have used those abrasives to ever so slightly polish carburetor metering rods in my lathe to make tiny changes in diameters. An interference fit of even a fraction of one thousandth of an inch will cause the interference you are experiencing.
If you search "BFH" on this forum you will see how often the damaging brute force you used is actually recommended. Yellow metals are very malleable and any brutality changes their shapes. If there's any trouble removing the bushing you can thread it then pull it out with a piece of allthread or a bolt. Every problem has a solution!
