gear drive

[pegasus]

hey anyone here ever install a gear drive?? and tips or things i should know

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

Things you should know....most people say that modern double rollers are the way to go especially in a street car because the gears supposedly send bad harmonics all throughout the engine. Another thing is you'll have to get used to hearing people ask you "what blower are you running".

That said...i grew up around old school hotrodders....everybody ran gear drives, so i have a bit of a closet love for how they sound but these days with the blower thing and because there are so many nice double roller setups, i decided against running one in my 347.

[Stangman]

And you have to machine the block to accept it. And cut material out of your timing cover as well. Atleast on a ford 302

[NXcoupe]

Nah, not most of them. Heck even MAC used to sell a gear drive for a sbf. They have gears that fit without any machining and have a protrusion that keeps the idler gears from moving around front to rear.
Double rollers don't have as much friction.

[Foxxx5oh]

if i build a 70's era muscle car, it will have a gear drive, anything newer though, double roller all the way, especially for durability over time.

[INSANEBA]

My cousin and I were just talking about this lastnight. He has one he wants to put in his GT. I remember the sbc gear drives used to come with a "roller button" that sat in the end of the cam. This one didnt, and there was only a thrust washer. Is he ok to run?

[chad393na]

Had a friend that ran one until it walked out into the timing cover, that was a mess!!!

[NXcoupe]

My cousin and I were just talking about this lastnight. He has one he wants to put in his GT. I remember the sbc gear drives used to come with a "roller button" that sat in the end of the cam. This one didnt, and there was only a thrust washer. Is he ok to run?

You have to run a hardened cam retainer plate from FRPP. The reason sbc's use a cam button is because they were too stupid to put a cam retainer plate in their blocks, so the chain hold the cam in place along with the distributor. Ford's don't need that. But you need the hardened one because it will eat through the stocker because gear drives are hardened steel and the stocker is mild steel.

[INSANEBA]

^^^ LOL well put my friend! I'll have to be sure to mention that to him. So does the noise from it create any interference with engine sensors or anything of that nature? I would prefer him not run it, but he has his mind made up. Actually Mike, it was the small fella with me at the spring swap.

[Applejaxx95vert]

I never had any problemwith mine, i just cut the tab off of the inside of the timing chain cover, no problems with any sensors, it was just a not as loud because of the aluminum cover.

[pegasus]

oh sorry its for a 460 i heard that i dont have to mod the block or the timming cover its for a truck im working on for a friend


no matter what i have to do ill run one in the willys

[INSANEBA]

I'd love to have a Willys truck!