Quick question about dist. gear.

68stang351

Founding Member

May 16, 2002

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Savoy TX

Aug 5, 2011

#1

• Aug 5, 2011

• #1

Is a bronze distributor gear compatible with a flat tappet cam?


I'm about to do a 351w swap in my foxbody and I tore up the gear on the distributor when I disassembled it to replace the pick up coil. But I do have a bronze gear I bought some years ago to work with a roller cam in the first 351w I had in my 68. Just didn't know if it would work with a flat tappet cam. I seem to remember that the cam was made of a different material therefore it needed a different material dist. gear.

 

PoppyMod

Member

Jun 27, 2010

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Severna Park, MD

Aug 6, 2011

#2

• Aug 6, 2011

• #2

Hi,
As you eluded, It depends on the material of the cam. The bronze will work with the steel billet cams and more than likely your flat tappet. It's, a safe material, in that, any unusual wear issues, the bronze will be sacrificed. You don't want to mix a steel drive gear with a cast cam.

 

F

fordmach70

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Mar 30, 2006

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Aug 6, 2011

#3

• Aug 6, 2011

• #3

To answer the question in a word...yes. Though in my experience they don't hold up very well in a daily driver situation. Its best to use a hardened steel gear on a billet roller cam. Just my 2 cents.

 

PoppyMod

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Jun 27, 2010

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Severna Park, MD

Aug 7, 2011

#4

• Aug 7, 2011

• #4

fordmach70 said:

To answer the question in a word...yes. Though in my experience they don't hold up very well in a daily driver situation. Its best to use a hardened steel gear on a billet roller cam. Just my 2 cents.

Click to expand...

Hi,
I agree, the steel is the preferred way to go. Have any actual experience with knowledge of how long they last in a DD situation?
They seem to be a prevalent choice by many, but, the numbers are not that widely known. I guess the reason fore this, many just may not know the composition of their cams.
Happy Motoring!

 

CarMichael Angelo

my rearend will smell so minty fresh,

15 Year Member

Nov 29, 1999

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Birmingham, al

Aug 7, 2011

#5

• Aug 7, 2011

• #5

Yeah, don't do that bronze gear. It will work, but it will also wear. (significantly) Every time you pull out the distributor w/ a bronze gear, there will be less there than there was before,.....visably.
It's primarily a "cushion" to allow a billet cam to be the winner in the war between the "gear on the distributor and the gear on the cam".
Go steel for the FT cam, (it's cheap) bronze for a billet, and then only because you have to.

 

68stang351

Founding Member

May 16, 2002

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Savoy TX

Aug 7, 2011

#6

• Aug 7, 2011

• #6

Thanks guys.

The cam will more than likely be from Comp. I think I have another 351w distributor that I can steal the gear off of for this one.

 

M

mycoses

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Jul 29, 2010

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Aug 17, 2011

#7

• Aug 17, 2011

• #7

I beleive it is best to use an iron gear with FT cam and steel with a roller cam. Bronze is a softer material which is often used with roller cams but needs to be replaced often since the hard cam gear wears out the bronze dist gear but prevents destruction of the cam gear. Easier to replace a dist gear than cam gear. Ft tappet cams are softer than rollers and can 't handle the harder steel dist gear.

 

65ShelbyClone

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Sep 9, 2000

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Antelope Valley, SoCal

Aug 17, 2011

#8

• Aug 17, 2011

• #8

Yeah, I was wondering why everyone was saying to use a steel gear with a flat tappet cam because flat tappet cams are usually iron and require an iron gear.

 

67GTCOUPE

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Dec 20, 2000

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Land of Ice and Snow

Aug 17, 2011

#9

• Aug 17, 2011

• #9

Comp makes a polymer gear that works with all cams. I have no experience with it.

The Crane Digital Billet Distributor comes with a gear that according to Crane...works with ALL gears.....Hope they are correct as it is in with my billet roller cam.