New Distributor Gear?
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From: Tucson Arizona
New Distributor Gear?
I lost an exhaust lobe on the #7 cylinder last weekend. Not sure why? I'm going to order a comp cams hydraulic roller. I know your are supposed to replace the distributor gear with a new cam shaft. In the past I seem to recall you should use a bronze gear with a roller cam. Is this still the case?
TIA
TIA
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2007
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From: Graceland in a Not Correctly Restored Stingray
I lost an exhaust lobe on the #7 cylinder last weekend. Not sure why? I'm going to order a comp cams hydraulic roller. I know your are supposed to replace the distributor gear with a new cam shaft. In the past I seem to recall you should use a bronze gear with a roller cam. Is this still the case?
TIA
TIA
If you go steel core (something I'm contemplating despite an austempered core being available for the solid roller I'm looking at), you'll have to go bronze or Ultra-Poly, or the gear won't last but a few short miles.
Le Mans Master
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From: Butler Pa
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2001
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From: Unreconstructed, South Carolina
According to Sallee (now Gilbert Chevy) a steel roller can be used with GM melonized steel dist gear (see that site's main cam page). BTW ... every one of several genuine GM sbc roller cams I have looked at appear to be made of steel ... also each individual lobe appears to have been induction-hardened. However, I have yet to ABSOLUTELY determine if those same cams have a pressed on cam gear.
But ... with cam in hand, I just looked CLOSELY at Unused GM roller cam P/N 14097395 ... It is a roller cam and it appears to be steel ... I cannot see any evidence of any seam or parting line where gear and/or rear journal may've been pressed on ... entire cam with gear appears to be a single discrete piece and is fully-machined from one end to the other; including in-between each lobe. FYI: Cam 14097395 comes in HT383 crate ... GM recommends HEI distributor P/N 93440806 for HT383 ... and that dist comes with melonized steel dist gear P/N 10456413 .
*refs: 2007 GMPP hardcopy catalog, Gibert/Sallee website main cam page.
But ... with cam in hand, I just looked CLOSELY at Unused GM roller cam P/N 14097395 ... It is a roller cam and it appears to be steel ... I cannot see any evidence of any seam or parting line where gear and/or rear journal may've been pressed on ... entire cam with gear appears to be a single discrete piece and is fully-machined from one end to the other; including in-between each lobe. FYI: Cam 14097395 comes in HT383 crate ... GM recommends HEI distributor P/N 93440806 for HT383 ... and that dist comes with melonized steel dist gear P/N 10456413 .
*refs: 2007 GMPP hardcopy catalog, Gibert/Sallee website main cam page.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 7,739
Likes: 630
From: Unreconstructed, South Carolina
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 7,353
Likes: 72
From: Graceland in a Not Correctly Restored Stingray
According to Sallee (now Gilbert Chevy) a steel roller can be used with GM melonized steel dist gear (see that site's main cam page). BTW ... every one of several genuine GM sbc roller cams I have looked at appear to be made of steel ... also each individual lobe appears to have been induction-hardened. However, I have yet to ABSOLUTELY determine if those same cams have a pressed on cam gear.
But ... with cam in hand, I just looked CLOSELY at Unused GM roller cam P/N 14097395 ... It is a roller cam and it appears to be steel ... I cannot see any evidence of any seam or parting line where gear and/or rear journal may've been pressed on ... entire cam with gear appears to be a single discrete piece and is fully-machined from one end to the other; including in-between each lobe. FYI: Cam 14097395 comes in HT383 crate ... GM recommends HEI distributor P/N 93440806 for HT383 ... and that dist comes with melonized steel dist gear P/N 10456413 .
*refs: 2007 GMPP hardcopy catalog, Gibert/Sallee website main cam page.
But ... with cam in hand, I just looked CLOSELY at Unused GM roller cam P/N 14097395 ... It is a roller cam and it appears to be steel ... I cannot see any evidence of any seam or parting line where gear and/or rear journal may've been pressed on ... entire cam with gear appears to be a single discrete piece and is fully-machined from one end to the other; including in-between each lobe. FYI: Cam 14097395 comes in HT383 crate ... GM recommends HEI distributor P/N 93440806 for HT383 ... and that dist comes with melonized steel dist gear P/N 10456413 .
*refs: 2007 GMPP hardcopy catalog, Gibert/Sallee website main cam page.
Last edited by TheSkunkWorks; May 1, 2007 at 02:21 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 7,739
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From: Unreconstructed, South Carolina
Learn a bit of basics about Melonizing / Melonite treatment here:
http://www.burlingtoneng.com/melonite.html
I spoke with tech support at corp GM Powertrain this afternoon. The roller cam I mentioned above is steel, is one piece, is induction-hardened ... its gear also hardened ... cam supplied to GM by Federal Mogul & is also etched w/ Federal Mogul numbers.
-edit-
http://www.burlingtoneng.com/melonite.html
I spoke with tech support at corp GM Powertrain this afternoon. The roller cam I mentioned above is steel, is one piece, is induction-hardened ... its gear also hardened ... cam supplied to GM by Federal Mogul & is also etched w/ Federal Mogul numbers.
-edit-
- The -9 CC steel cam has a steel gear.
- The above one-piece steel GM roller cam has a steel gear.
- GM recommends a steel melonized dist gear for above GM cam.
- It seems all GM roller V8 have steel roller cams.
- GM recommends a steel melonized dist gear for all GM crates w/ steel cam.
Last edited by jackson; May 1, 2007 at 03:20 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 7,353
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From: Graceland in a Not Correctly Restored Stingray
Not saying other materials won't work. Just passing on info from my personal experience and product knowledge with these particular cores. Having once lost an IHRA World Finals championship round due to distrubutor gear "failure", I tend to pay fairly close attention to what the manufacturer of a specific cam (CompCams, in this case) recommends here. The melonized piece may be fine...
Last edited by TheSkunkWorks; May 1, 2007 at 04:10 PM.
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 6,504
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From: Butler Pa
Do you think Comp Cams is going to recommend a part that they don't manufacture and won't make any profit from?
