Note the differences in materials here --- between austempered ductile iron vs billet steel cam core.

I surely can be accused many a time of having analysis paralysis, but I'll take over-analysis any time over not thinking it through.

We have been asking so many people, builders, drivers, crew members, bla bla bla and it's pretty much been bronze and a few supporters for a composite with mixed results.

Yeah that gear guide is the text from the link I posted a page or 2 back. That made me feel a lot better I guess.

Bottom line is we now have 1 of each of the 2 gears that are made to be run with my cam. And we will be checking the oil and gear wear here often in the near future to make sure all is well.

I do appreciate everyone's comments and advice -- these discussions are far more rewarding than all the pictures and videos -- esp when they help prevent making the mistakes others have made and avoid future carnage. :cheers:

Greg, I was just giving you a little hell about relying on these tech guys. I've had very little success with that. They usually have a very limited window of knowledge and have a special interest in mind.

I think you are making the safe decision for the camshaft using a bronze or plastic gear. I've seen bad feedback on both so it's a toss up. As long as you check it often like a valve lash as Greg mentioned. The main thing is you took my advice and plugged the bypass. IMO the brass AND plastic gear are likely going to wear quickly and the debris would have gone through the bearings and caused an engine failure in the near future. It's just a compromise all the way around.

I absolutely wouldn't remove the orings from the distributor. Your bearings and valvetrain are much more important that your gear. I've seen people file a slot in the bottom pop out for a little extra spray.

i friggin hate the ups and downs of these cars. i just hope to see it running well at RTTC.

Tim

I do agree Todd -- lots of times any type of tech support can be cheap labor (especially when dealing with large companies) with little to zero direct experience with the products. It's just a gamble pure and simple. A bronze should work and a composite should work... but which lasts longer? $10 question at the moment!

Thanks Tim... I think we have a good plan in place with backup! :cheers: See ya there.

It's why GM and FORD etc has zillions of engineers... and they put 100's of thousands of test miles on their products before they hit the streets.

Actually what all of this should show all of us - is to have some respect for just how well OEM products (Chevys and Fords etc) work and how we rely on their reliability.

Think about a ZR1 motor.... 638 HP WITH A FACTORY WARRANTY... and all you do is change the oil. Pretty spectacular in my book.

RE: Tech guys.

I do my research at the big trade shows and car shows where there are real adults in management positions in attendance. I also hit a couple of competitors and play dumb and listen to their answers to the same questions. The world isn't perfect - but it can be 'okay'. ;)

Just make sure your camshaft end play is correct. Too much movement front to back will destroy the gear real fast. I've seen the bronze gears fail in a hundred miles or less.

I've never had great luck with the bronze gears but they have their purpose. I don't think you can wait a year to check them though. I use the melonized GM gears on all of mine, including billet rollers; however, the billet rollers I used had a cast distributor gear pressed on as requested by me. DO NOT use a steel gear on a billet core without the cast gear on the cam.

In your case I think you should have good luck with either polymer or bronze, but make sure the cam end play is spot on and I'd inspect it often, at least initially.

Good advice on the end play Jody.

Guys that aren't used to rollers can often overlook that important little detail.

Jody & Greg -- thanks guys.

Will check the gear early and often here as well to make sure everything is "lined up" right.

Gonna try to put some hard miles (is there another kind? :D) on it this weekend, bed/test the new brakes, etc.

I'm gonna try the tape on the camera trick tmrw and see if that cures the clicking. Thanks for the tip.

Have you tried out that LCD "BacPac" add-on yet? That thing looks pretty cool and I might get one if there's positive feedback on it.