Do I need a hardened intermediate shaft for a HV oil pump?

70aarcuda said
It is not about tearing up the gears...it is about the hex end of the shaft rounding out under the load of the HV pump....the harden shaft hex end will not round out....

there is a billet intermediate shaft available on ebay

Ahh I see, I was looking at my old one and the hex end has some noticable wear on it, would probably have been a good idea to replace it anyways.

Now what about the gears? Does that really matter? It's a new comp cam, and I guess now I'll have a new hardened intermediate shaft.