timing gears vs timing chain

[montanass]

aloha everyone...

so i was out driving my 69 el camino around tonight pulled into the gas station, just putting the gut and all of a sudden it just died. I've been having some carburetor issues with excessive fueling, so I assumed that was the issue. I turned the motor over a bit with the throttle wide oen and noticed after turning the engine over for about 10 sec that it was not making any oil pressure. (I have also had a little issue with my timing not staying set)

so i put two and two together and i assumed it has a broken distributor shaft or a broken timing chain. Im assuming it is a timing chain since it gave out with no rhyme or reason (haven't run it hard for some time) however the motor is not very old, maybe has 5k miles on it.

anyways, assuming it is the timing chain, i was considering going to a quiet drive gear set and was wondering what your thoughts were between the two?? I've done a little surfing and have read mixed feelings about the two.

The motor is a mildely built 396; 409 ci, street/strip cam, iron heads, roller rockers, hydraulic lifters, 9.6:1 compression... nothing terribly exciting, but enough to get the mullet car up and moving. I'm looking for something that should hold up well, taking into consideration that i may use the car for a little track time here and there, but not its sole purpose (this way we know what im dealing with)

anyways, i've looked at the timing belt kits and they are out of my price range by a good margin, so the choice is between a quiet gear set and a double roller chain.

Thoughts...?

[Vegas69]

Yep, you sheared you distributor gear. Pull the cap and see if the rotor spins while cranking.

[montanass]

Ok, distributor rotates when i turn it over. So I can rule out timing chain and distributor gear. I pulled all my plugs out and cleaned them (soaked with fuel) turned the motor over a few times without the spark plugs in, oil pressure jumped up to 50psi after i cranked on it a bit, must not have had enough charge in the batt to build good pressure.

anyways put her back together tested for spark on the #1 cyl, and it has spark. So i buttoned her up, pumped the throttle once and it still wouldnt fire.

My fueling issue is the rear bowl was dribbling fuel while running and after i shut it. I've adjusted my float levels, cleaned the needle and seat and the problem still persists. The only other thing i can think of is my fuel pressure runs around 7-7.5 psi. I'm told holley carbs dont do well above 6 psi. with this in mind i ordered a fuel pressure regulator and new needle and seats.

does this sound like im on the right track??

[Vegas69]

Once a spark plug fouls, it does it again very easily. I run 7 psi of fuel pressure and have since I built the car. I agree with replacing the needle/seats and getting the fuel pressure in the 6-7 range. I would also reccomend a good low micron filter between the fuel pump and carb. Swap the plugs and make these changes and I bet you have it figured out.

Your timing changing is a concern. If it's losing timing, I'd still pull the distributor and check the gear for wear.

[bigtime]

I didn't see if you had a stock distributer in it but If your timing is moving around also check the distributer shaft end play, if its to much mr gasket sells a shim kit. (it goes between the gear and the distributer housing).

Just because you have spark at the plug does not mean its hot enough to light the car off. What ignition are you running?

[montanass]

The ignition is a MSD pro billet hei. It was new when I put the motor in the car.