distributor gears
01-03-2020, 09:18 AM
#1
Melting Slicks
Thread Starter
distributor gears
When the intake was changed on the 9-car the brass dist gear was more than 60% worn, and now the dist is out of the blue car it's brass gear has substancial wear. So the question is what type of gear is best for billet camshafts. Deffinately not brass,so that leaves iron, steel or melonized. What do you all think. Thanks T
01-03-2020, 10:29 AM
#3
GM Melonized gear. The rest are trash.
01-03-2020, 12:17 PM
#4
Dr. Detroit
Member Since: Mar 2012
Location: New Braunfels Texas
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The Crane melonized one is the one to use now........when Comp came out with the composite gear in 07'.....I tried a few.....they were fine but heard stories from others in the area about chipping and cracking.
Jebby
Jebby
01-03-2020, 01:05 PM
#5
My research when I bought the hydraulic roller cam a few years back pointed me to the GM Melanized gear. I don't have the motor running yet but I did a fair amount of research before I bought the gear. Good luck.
Peter
Peter
01-03-2020, 03:03 PM
#8
Le Mans Master
Member Since: Sep 2001
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ponder yonder monkey wrench
acceptable gear material ?
what if oil pump's load exported to a dry sump ? what if springs < 210 over nose ? what if springs > 900 over nose ? ...
...what if 1.5:1 RAR?, what if 1.75:1 RAR?, Flat tappet ? Roller ? what if? what if? what if?
what if oil pump's load exported to a dry sump ? what if springs < 210 over nose ? what if springs > 900 over nose ? ...
...what if 1.5:1 RAR?, what if 1.75:1 RAR?, Flat tappet ? Roller ? what if? what if? what if?
01-03-2020, 03:47 PM
#9
Had a 1976 L-82, 4-sp
Member Since: Mar 2011
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Royal Canadian Navy
Maybe I should replace my "plastic" body with melonized metal? 
Anyway, I'm quite happy with a "plastic" gear. Seems NASCAR engines have them too according to Comp Cams.
Anyway, I'm quite happy with a "plastic" gear. Seems NASCAR engines have them too according to Comp Cams.
01-03-2020, 04:12 PM
#10
Le Mans Master
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there's lotsa nascar classes ... many folk think cup when they hear/speak nascar ... cup has No distributor or cam-driven oil pump (they're dry sump).
But, if a plastic comp gear works for you, then by all means run it.
But, if a plastic comp gear works for you, then by all means run it.
01-03-2020, 04:27 PM
#11
Had a 1976 L-82, 4-sp
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Royal Canadian Navy
They work for lots of folks. The guys bashing them should try using one first. But that's par for this forum. Just like rubber vs poly, etc. 
01-03-2020, 06:23 PM
#13
Le Mans Master
Per my engine builder, I was running the Comp composite gear. I have had to replace them ~6k miles due to wear and lash increasing. This year, based on his recommendation, I swapped to the Lunati Everwear which is the melodized gear. Was a lot tighter meshing to the cam gear.
Lunati 89026 is the part number for a .500 shaft.
Lunati 89026 is the part number for a .500 shaft.
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Big2Bird (01-03-2020)
01-03-2020, 08:29 PM
#14
Le Mans Master
I cheated. I had my billet SR cam made with a cast iron gear. No deal for me. Spec'd the cam anyway, did the 4-7 swap and a cast back end.
01-03-2020, 08:40 PM
#15
Per my engine builder, I was running the Comp composite gear. I have had to replace them ~6k miles due to wear and lash increasing. This year, based on his recommendation, I swapped to the Lunati Everwear which is the melodized gear. Was a lot tighter meshing to the cam gear.
Lunati 89026 is the part number for a .500 shaft.
Lunati 89026 is the part number for a .500 shaft.
Pull it at 12K and have a peek/picture.
A GM gear will last 100K easy with stock oil pump.
I have seen plenty of gears of bronze or what not you can shave with.
As for billet cams, I think its just more "Race Proven" BS.
(Meaning, use our expensive gear as well.).
There IS a lot of great new tech, but hype is all over my 1918 Western Auto Catalogue.
Nothing new.
01-03-2020, 08:41 PM
#16
01-04-2020, 12:51 AM
#17
Team Owner
AFTERMARKET Billet steel cams can't use a melonized dizzy gear. It will eat it's self up and fill your oil with metal. Bronze is something most people gave up on. I've only had one Comp Cams poly gear fail and it seems to me that they must have been available before 2006. But I only have one because someone couldn't follow directions at comp cams and failed to install the sleeved gear on my custom billet cam. So I did get a free poly out of them. It broke on a race weekend and I've always carried a spare ever since.
Last edited by gkull; 01-05-2020 at 09:16 AM.
01-04-2020, 12:54 AM
#18
Team Owner
01-04-2020, 06:01 AM
#19
01-04-2020, 09:11 AM
#20
Le Mans Master
I feel bad for you guys...there is so much confusion/misinformation out there about the right distributor gear for all the different types of materials used with different cam materials.....
If I went billet, Tim's combo is^^^^ is the way I would go, hands down, if I could. One of the reasons I went Howards roller cam with my build in 2014 was howards specifically advised that I use my stock distributor gear and stock fuel pump pushrod with the retro roller cam which is exactly what I did...6 years and going, all is perfect..none of this wear nonsense......good luck with the right choice op.....