Author Topic: Distributor gear wear  (Read 2365 times)

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blykins

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Re: Distributor gear wear
« Reply #15 on: April 27, 2022, 05:03:28 AM »
Wait, wait, wait, wait.....

Your MSD *does* have a .531" shaft.  You can't measure the end that sticks down in the block, you measure the diameter of the shaft where the gear rides. 

If your Crane gear is a 52971, then pop that thing on there, or send it to me and I'll do it for you.



Brent Lykins
Lykins Motorsports
Custom FE Street, Drag Race, Road Race, and Pulling Truck Engines
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Falcon67

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Re: Distributor gear wear
« Reply #16 on: April 27, 2022, 08:50:00 AM »
I got burned once on steel vs steel so I just use bronze and don't fret about it.  I've got way more than 150 passes on the bronze MSD unit in the door car and it looks fine.  At any rate, with a crank trigger it's even less effort to mark, pull and check the distributor gear.  Makes for an easier oil change when it's out too.  I bought a crank trigger MSD for the W based 427 engine build and it came out of the box with a bronze gear.  Steel on steel should work as expected.  Never figured out why I had a fail.  All dimensions were correct but the distributor gear and cam gear chewed the hell out of each other.  Replaced the cam, replaced the dist. gear with a bronze unit - no more problem.   There's a reason 100%, I just don't have it.

Agree - that gear in the pic has some problems.  Good info from Brent on the cam retainer fasteners, have to remember than when putting things together.  Especially with with steel retainers - to use the thrust bearing cam gears I have to countersink the plates and use the flat head fasteners.  Never considered how deep into the block they thread. 

pbf777

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Re: Distributor gear wear
« Reply #17 on: April 27, 2022, 11:49:55 AM »

Now that all said I do have a question what retainer are your using?  The stock ones usually are not hard enough for a billet cam.  Sometimes you get away with it, sometimes not. Best to use a bronze or roller bearing one.


Probably not related, but that's a good tip for everyone buying roller cams.  I only use steel thrust plates with them.


     Note, that it's not so much whether your incorporating a steel billet camshaft in ones' build as it is of what the cam timing gear material is!   ;) 

     And please think about it, before anyone starts throwing stones.   ::)

     But it is "off-topic", sorry.   :)

     Scott.

blykins

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Re: Distributor gear wear
« Reply #18 on: April 27, 2022, 12:33:55 PM »

Now that all said I do have a question what retainer are your using?  The stock ones usually are not hard enough for a billet cam.  Sometimes you get away with it, sometimes not. Best to use a bronze or roller bearing one.


Probably not related, but that's a good tip for everyone buying roller cams.  I only use steel thrust plates with them.


     Note, that it's not so much whether your incorporating a steel billet camshaft in ones' build as it is of what the cam timing gear material is!   ;) 

     And please think about it, before anyone starts throwing stones.   ::)

     But it is "off-topic", sorry.   :)

     Scott.

All of the items up there spinning around and touching each other should be the same material.   Steel thrust plate, steel cam gear, steel cam, steel distributor gear. 
Brent Lykins
Lykins Motorsports
Custom FE Street, Drag Race, Road Race, and Pulling Truck Engines
Custom Roller & Flat Tappet Camshafts
www.lykinsmotorsports.com
brent@lykinsmotorsports.com
www.customfordcams.com
502-759-1431
Instagram:  brentlykinsmotorsports
YouTube:  Lykins Motorsports

pbf777

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Re: Distributor gear wear
« Reply #19 on: April 27, 2022, 04:38:04 PM »
All of the items up there spinning around and touching each other should be the same material.   


     Well, maybe, but remember that it's generally better to use dissimilar metals when in contact with units in motion in relation to one another and subjected to high load instances; as this reduces the natural adhesive attraction as may be experienced in like metals; this perhaps creating an accelerated wear scenario to one, but lessens to tendency of the otherwise resultant galling or friction welding of both surfaces which may provide an even shorter lifespan of functional service.    :o

     Now I might be splitting hairs here, but my participation here is solely to provide information that others may utilize, who may accept your statement literally, as I feel the value is the educational information of technical forums and I'm only attempting to clarify your terminology of "same material", as these items may very well all be of 'steel' material, just ideally better if not the "same material" which might if only just be incorporating different heat treatment effects so as to make them effectively 'not' the same material.     :)

     Scott.
« Last Edit: April 27, 2022, 04:43:30 PM by pbf777 »

Jim Comet

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Re: Distributor gear wear
« Reply #20 on: April 27, 2022, 07:43:35 PM »
Thanks for all the advice and Brent thanks for the offer. I messed up my shaft last night trying to disassembling it without a press, so I am going to send it to MSD for a new shaft and rebuild. Brent is correct that it does in fact use a .531 gear. Jim