It was posted two posts above mine. I was just endorsing it.

 

I got mine in less thana week, not just pressed on to an existing cam but a new custom billet cam made to my specs and iron gear pressed on to it. Comp realizes that engine builders, especially race engines need these cams fast, there is a blurb about it on there website.

They also don't charge anything for a custom cam, I thought it was a few bucks but they don't charge anything. I got a custom grind and pressed on iron gear for no extra charge over an ordinary XR solid roller.

So there is no reason to get a Comp cam without a pressed on iron gear

COMP Cams® Offers Custom Cam Grinds—NO EXTRA CHARGE

Unlike others, COMP Cams® offers custom grinds without additional fees or surcharges
Need results in a hurry? No problem. With an average turnaround time of less than 72 hours, COMP Cams® can provide results to your custom request in a matter of a few days.

Here's the link
http://www.compcams.com/information/...yID=1305653788

 

Well I think crower charges about $70.00 for the iron gear thats a long way from $110.00 for melonized comp cams. whether it costs nothing or a little having the iron gear on the cam just seems a lot better then worrying about different dist changes or how good melonized may or may not work, iron on cam gears has been working on cams since they started making engines.

If you can end up with it for free or little charge why mess around with dist.

 

I would like to hear more from guys who have experienced failed bronze gears.

 

Are you going to try one on the street car.

Durango theres no good reason to run a bronze gear if you don't have to. we used to run them around when all you could get is race roller cams all of them were 8620 cam gear made out of hard 8620. you had to change oil and filter like a religion bronz is constantly wearing putting a little in the oil. race cars oil/filters changed after no time.

 

Okay, so what is the consensus on what gear is best used on a distributor in an engine with a roller cam, with and without the pressed on iron gear? Both cases please. Thanks.

 

Never done anything but 8620 race roller thats a long time ago

today you can just order one with an iron gear if you want to.
the hydrualic rollers are made out of a lessor grade steel most of the time I believe, most likely if its off the self you would need maybe melonized.
flat tappits are iron a simple iron gear works with them.

Crane has a coated gear they claim can run even with 8620 for around $60.00.

 

The reason I ask is because my roller 405 has a cam planned for it that has a pressed on iron gear...so should I stick with the distributor gear that came with the distributor or should I upgrade to a melon gear?

Also, for an engine with a roller cam that doesn't have the pressed on gear...it's already bought, would melon be best as well, or this new coated one you mention?

 

your lucky you can use a nice cheap standard iron gear

the second one I'm not sure, just looking in my crane catalog it says there iron gear will work with induction hardened steel hydraulic rollers.

 

Okay that's what I thought.

 

Most of the off the shelf roller cams from Comp anyway that they call street rollers are made of this austempered iron/steel or whatever, it's that concrete looking crap.

These cams can be used with stock iron distributor gear, that means your stock Vette distributor gear or the gear that comes on any MSD distibutor, unless you have a billet steel cam you don't have to worry and if you don't know your cam is billet steel then it isn't

I should have mentioned this in the first place, got a little mind wrapped around these billet cams for some reason. You buy the roller cam and if it is a mild street piece you can most likely run the stock distributor gear. Call the cam manufacturer and they will tell you what to use.

You can easily see what a billet cam looks like in the pics I posted in this thread. The sides of the lobes are smooth and everything is the same material, steel ( except for the iron gear ) The austempered cams will look rough on the sides of the lobes


Found a good example of what I am talking about, which one would you rather have ?
The top cam is a roller cam but I am not even sure if that is pure steel billet cam, you either have to order it, so you know or ask the cam manufacturer, you always want to be sure, no guessing when building motors

 

Good God almighty. Now I am more confused than ever, much the same as my other thread on the pushrods. It was too late to change the cam gear, the cam was being installed by the builder as part of doing the lower end for me. The motor shipped today. In the interim I have purchased a bronze gear from a member here, but now I am hearing that this is no good, and my old gear will actually work ??

This is Comps recommendation, a composite gear:
http://www.compperformancegroupstore...Category_Code=

 

I posted some pics of the wear on my bronze gear a few months back after only a few hundred miles. I bought the composite gear and haven't checked it since I put it in. Wished I had gone with the cast iron gear pressed on the cam though. Almost have a new roller came tied up in the 2 gears at this point already. $60 for the Bronze and $110 for the composite.

 

In my previous 406ci I had a Comp XR280R solid roller cam. This is classified as a 'street' roller, lower spring pressures and you use all stock parts with it. I used the stock gear that came with the MSD distributor as Comp told me I could.

Building a motor is not rocket science but there are many little things that can bite you if you don't have the correct information, you need to contact cnc motorsports and ask them the exact part number of the cam, good luck with that thought because some of these companies don't like to give that info out because sometimes they like to put in parts that don't cost them allot.

Anyway if they give you the manufacturers part number, contact the manufacturer and ask them what gear you need to run with that cam, simple as that

 

Here are some pics of my bronze gear after probably 300 or so miles and a few dyno pulls. This was a comp cams gear. Never mind, deleted the pics, wrong pics.

 

I specced the cam, so I know what it is.

http://www.compcams.com/Cam_Specs/Ca...?csid=204&sb=0


2 Posts above is Comp's recommendation, a highly priced composite gear.

So what the heck- should I toss this bronze gear someone sold me? The composite doesn't seem to come too highly recommended either....

 

Use the bronze gear as paperweight...that's what it's good for..go to your neighborhood GM dealer and get the gear mentioned in this thread and be done with it...

Oh, it's hydraulic roller...heck...no need to change distributor gears, what you have will work fine, but if you want peace of mind, order the gear from GM

 

That online description-link tells nothing about the cam's material nor what its gear is made of nor does it speak of any possible surface treatment. There's a clue though & ONLY a clue ... that desc says it's for 87-98 w/ OE hyd roller but Not LT1/LT4.

AFAIK ... that family (87-98 w/ OE hyd roller) should include L98 ... AFAIK, L98 has OE billet steel hyd roller cam that uses OE melonized steel dist gear.

Suggest you find out how and of what material YOUR cam & its gear are made.

Perhaps you could get comp to not only suggest a dist gear ... but to also specify which (if any) dist gears are prohibited and will void warranty?

I also looked at comp description link for the poly gear http://www.compperformancegroupstore...Category_Code= ... it says nothing about it being required for any specific cam/gear material ... it does say it "shows promise" in solving BRONZE gear wear in RACE motors. I'm sure comp likes to sell lotsa composite$ gears regardless if user has a TRUE NEED or not.

You're buying a cam from em ... why don't you call em up and request an engineer discuss material-gear with you? It's not likely an order-taker sort will have knowledge equivalent to his sales goal.

 

Excellent response...

 

Comp cams melonized gold plated for $110.00.

I'm confused whats wrong with the $30.00 GM melonized.