Cam Gear Drive?

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SSing

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Hi, Looking for a gear drive for my nostalgia SS Hemi.
Anything to look out for? Pros and cons?
I don´t mind using old stuff here, if I can find one, since they are very durable from what I understand.
Picture is of an old Ramcharger unit from the sixties. Looks like you need a different type of timing chain cover for this one, but I what to use the stock cover and water pump housing.
Give me your thoughts around this.
Thank you.
20180421 Rancharger gear drive.jpg
 
Hi, Looking for a gear drive for my nostalgia SS Hemi.
Anything to look out for? Pros and cons?
I don´t mind using old stuff here, if I can find one, since they are very durable from what I understand.
Picture is of an old Ramcharger unit from the sixties. Looks like you need a different type of timing chain cover for this one, but I what to use the stock cover and water pump housing.
Give me your thoughts around this.
Thank you.
View attachment 1715167425
Opinions are like -------- , most everybodys got one . Mine is , they have very stable timing, but use a hair more h.p. than a really good chain, and most whine like h---. I f u spun a bearing or had some other similar sounding problem arise , u couldn`t hear it for the whine .
(Not that I can hear that good anyway !) JMO
 
I have a newer one in my 440 very stable but the whine is just too much next time I am in there it is coming out and getting a new roller chain in, Like stated it masks a lot of engine noises.
 
Don't use the 2 idler floating leashed version, choose stuff like you have pictured, or..
100_1336.JPG
 
I have a newer one in my 440 very stable but the whine is just too much next time I am in there it is coming out and getting a new roller chain in, Like stated it masks a lot of engine noises.

Would you say the gain is marginal if any compared to todays regular Rollar Timing Chain?
Engine will see some Nostalgia Racing, but mostly exhibitions runs. Nothing on the street.
 
My friend is building a 596ci B1 headed mega block. He has a Milodon gear drive, I don't know much about it except it looks cool as hell!
IMG951098.jpg
 
ok, but tell me more...


Call Milodon and be done. There is a TON of bullshit out there about gear drives. Don't use a floating idler gear drive.

If you install a gear drive and it makes noise, you screwed up, not the gear drive.
I know my exact am timing and piston to valve clearance when the engine goes together. I know what it will be after break in, and I know what it will be 100k miles from now.
They don't take more power to drive than a chain, or a belt.

I'm still waiting for someone to post up verified results of the HP loss of a gear drive, and also the harmonics transfer bullshit as well. I've never seen ANY of it proven.

Buy a quality gear drive and never look back.
 
Thanks all for your input.
Well, if I can´t find one quality gear drive that fits behind the stock cover, I may have to go with a good chain...
 
i use milidons gear drive in all my race engines,they can be sometime a pain to set up,but i like them,they say they pull hp,but all depends,they whine a little.dont use a floating one,only ones fit behind a stock cover is floating,those are junk
 
i use milidons gear drive in all my race engines,they can be sometime a pain to set up,but i like them,they say they pull hp,but all depends,they whine a little.dont use a floating one,only ones fit behind a stock cover is floating,those are junk

I have never used one, but I`ve heard a few NHRA superstock racers say they DO transfer LOT OF HARMONICS. A very well known factory backed chrysler racer told me the same thing.
(years ago ) These are people that take it to the limit every time their engine is started tho. ???????
 
This is the end result of something with 2 leashed idlers.View attachment 1715167909


Yep. That idler has two different sized gears. Under acceleration, it sucks the big gear (IIRC...could be the other way around but the point is the same) into the can and crank gear. Lift off the throttle and the floater slams the small gear back into the cam and crank gear.

I don't recall how much the timing changes between the gears but it was more than I liked. Certainly more than even a timing chain.

Bad news. As a long time family friend told me long ago...junk is junk at ANY price.
 
It ain't hard. Call Milodon. Order gear drive. Install per instructions. No noise.


If you can run a pop up toaster you SHOULD be able to use a gear drive.
I won`t be buying one, no problems w/ my true roller chain. My valve springs aren`t overly stout to kill chains.
 
Smokey used to run those brand x motors with a truck gear drive without an idler that required a reverse ground cam. There was a California outfit that also built them for most makes...two gear deal also.
 
Smokey used to run those brand x motors with a truck gear drive without an idler that required a reverse ground cam. There was a California outfit that also built them for most makes...two gear deal also.


The problem with the two gear gear drive is you have to have undersized gears to compensate for line boring/honing and you have to have a reverse rotation cam.
 
Do what ever it takes to squeeze the last 1/64 of HP out of it. You will be happy!
 
That nostalgia 392 hemi gear drive is a Milodon 13600(or what it was copied from).
13600.png

If you can find me another CAT GD318N Ill give you $50 finders fee and pay the seller what he wants. Been looking for one forever and CAT doesnt make them anymore.
349-stroker-etc-002-jpg.jpg
The Pete Jackson Dual idler takes a very tight fitting (you use a piece of newspaper to set the clearance!) and if set up in this manner, there is no perceptible backlash. They also tell you to inspect after break in and if the gears are blue, they are running to tight! I cant remember how you set the clearance though as it was my friends 351C-4V motor that had it on and it did not make much noise at all. I think one of the captive gears had a nested eccentric center (like an oil pump) that you could rotate and take up clearance then tighten down.
 
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do you think you could make a Mopar gear drive using a Ford 300 gear set with an extra crank gear for a 3 gear chain? You'd have to turn the IDs to fit the Mopar cam and crank and then install a bearing and maybe a torrington bearing set with some sort of retention plate to affix idler to block as well as an offset mechanism to set clearance. I never knew the 300 inline motor had a gear drive.
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Call Milodon and be done. There is a TON of bullshit out there about gear drives. Don't use a floating idler gear drive.

If you install a gear drive and it makes noise, you screwed up, not the gear drive.
I know my exact am timing and piston to valve clearance when the engine goes together. I know what it will be after break in, and I know what it will be 100k miles from now.
They don't take more power to drive than a chain, or a belt.

I'm still waiting for someone to post up verified results of the HP loss of a gear drive, and also the harmonics transfer bullshit as well. I've never seen ANY of it proven.

Buy a quality gear drive and never look back.

Apologies for the thread hijack/derail.

Hey YR, how do you set up the timing chain oiling tab with the Milodon 13600 timing gears? Or, do you skip that tab with the gears and just rely o splash oiling? I'm pulling the trigger on one next paycheck.

IMG_20180705_191128.jpg


Since I forgot the bolt on my bench this morning that you see missing there, it ain't getting the oil hole drilled until Monday.

-Aaron

P.S.
This block will be painted black since it's a '91 360, it should set off the aluminum parts off nicely in the eventual RED engine compartment
 
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