Anyone put a gear-drive timing set on a BB?

[1-ton]

This is not true.

All I said was it is possible. I did not say it was absolute. The reason I put fourth this scenario is because I have done it before with a BB Chevy and a Pete Jackson gear drive. A thrust restraint system for a camshaft is recommended for most people that are going to run a gear drive because most likely anybody that runs a gear drive is going to have a high performance engine that requires it (unless you are running a direct drive fuel pump off of the camshaft). A distributor gear makes for a piss poor camshaft thrust restraint system for a performance engine. Damn, why is every time I have an opinion, someone has to come along and say I am wrong.

 

[jaros44]

Cam button

I have a Cloyes 2 pc. alum. timing cover, with a cam button. If you over tighten the cam button it will force the timing gears back into the block, wearing the block out behind the top gear. Then you have to machine the block for a Torrington bearing. So if you run a cam button run it lose.
I was ready to install gears until some one told me the harmonics or noise you hear is your timing bouncing all over the place, not sure if this is true, but decided gears were not for me and used a Cloyes double roller chain.
Dude not disagreeing with you it sounded to me like good advice, I think the problem is a lot of people with different ideas as to what they precieve as right. IMHO

 

[1-ton]

Dude not disagreeing with you it sounded to me like good advice, I think the problem is a lot of people with different ideas as to what they precieve as right.

It all comes down to the fact that with a camshaft timing gear drive set up, you have to run some type of thrust washer behind the cam gear. If it is a needle bearing type, then the block will definitly have the be machined. If it is just the stainless steel (graphit impregnated) flat washer, then machining...may or may not be needed. Most likley machining will not be needed for the flat washer, but the manufactures instruction will tell you to check the alignment of the cam and crank gears to make sure. Also, the manufactures of a drive gear set will always recomend a thrust pin (button) set up, or they will not warranty the gear drive against damage.

 

[tarussell]

I ran the thrust button and flat washer on the back side of my P/J gear drive on my last roller cam BBC . No machining required ( stamped steel timing cover ) and the noise was no where near as bad as I thought it would be . It just sounded like a bad alt. bearing whining/howelling.

Tom

 

[ProJunkRacing]

i would like to get one shawn was going to sell me one along time ago but never did he could not get it off

 

[chevyin]

I decided to just avoid the possible hassles and ordered a double roller chain setup today (plus an oil pump, alum water pump, SS bolt kit, Wilwood proportioning valve for the disk'd the rear and an aluminum air cleaner)... $400 just doesn't go as far as it use to eh? heh

Thanks alot for all the info guys, good reading here.

 

[1-ton]

I decided to just avoid the possible hassles and ordered a double roller chain setup today (plus an oil pump, alum water pump, SS bolt kit, Wilwood proportioning valve for the disk'd the rear and an aluminum air cleaner)... $400 just doesn't go as far as it use to eh? heh

Thanks alot for all the info guys, good reading here.

I would say that is a good chioce. That double roller chain set will go 300,000 miles with no problem, and handle 300 to 400 HP without even trying to work hard.

 

[chevyin]

I would say that is a good chioce. That double roller chain set will go 300,000 miles with no problem, and handle 300 to 400 HP without even trying to work hard.

Yeah it'll be just fine. Its not like this is gonna be my DD (bigblock, 9" lift, 40" tires) so it wont be getting alot of mileage anyway. I dunno, I guess I just have the same stigma against chain failure that someone else mentioned earlier. Ive seen some pretty nasty stock timing chain setups, and I recently broke the one in my dodge's t-case. But then, the one I ordered should be alot better/stronger than those plastic covered non-roller stock timing chain units.

Thanks again for all the advice guys.

 

[Fordtech75]

I've done timing gears on a 305 chevy block, but not on a 396. on a 305 all you have to do is pull the gears and the "dogbone" gear setup out of the box, line them up with the dots, and slap the cover back on, but im not totally sure on your engine. i know summit sells 396 timing gears, but i dont know if they require machine work. and when you do get those in, it WILL sound like a supercharger for a while.