Timing Chain Recommendation?

[Timothy B.]

Re: Timing Chain Recommendation?

James,

It's a pretty tight fit to get to the crankshaft gear for replacing the complete set. If the crankshaft gear looks OK I would consider just replacing the cam gear and a new chain..

Just to change the subject a bit, did you have any leaks in the rear main seal area in the rear of the pan. If so, get the GM or Felpro rear seal, the part # is in the archives. I had this problem on my 63 and used the new GM seal along with some permetex ultra black on the main cap and problem gone.

[James B.]

Re: Timing Chain Recommendation?

Guys, thank you so much- Great Input & it sounds like I've got some good, low cost options. 'is the rear seal leaking'...not sure I would know (yes, I will change the rear seal). I've got so much oil weeping under the valve cover gaskets. I just put on new cork gaskets a year ago (because of leaks). I have had several mid-years but never this problem & was very careful to align the gaskets and not over tighten. I will look through the archives for an answer.

[Duke W.]

Re: Timing Chain Recommendation?

Jim------



For me, I use ONLY a Cloyes Tru Roller set for small blocks. The part number is 9-3100. Expensive? This set cost about 85 bucks from Summit.

NAPA's basic OE replacement timing set - heat treated steel sprockets and silent chain is less than 25 bucks. I don't see any reason to pay more.

Duke

[Domenic T.]

Re: Timing Chain Recommendation?

NAPA's basic OE replacement timing set - heat treated steel sprockets and silent chain is less than 25 bucks. I don't see any reason to pay more.

Duke

Duke,
The only reason to put the better one in ( roller chain) is so that you can drive the car and not have the cam timing change till the original chain breaks.
I wish I had a buck for every original chain I changed that was unusable.
Not ONE was good and the plastic off them was in the oil pan. I have found nothing but stretch on stock chains.
We took as many original chains out and replaced them at 75K as we could to save the awfull noise of pistons bending valves.
The problem was not only a chevy problem but a problem with other cars that used the same design.
You can turn the cam from the distributor with the replacement chains and listen to the chain slap back & forth after about 25K.

DOM

DOM

[Duke W.]

Re: Timing Chain Recommendation?

The inexpensive OE replacement chain I mentioned has HEAT TREATED STEEL SPROCKETS. The OE nylon cam sprockets from the mid/late sixtes were junk, but they are no longer made.

I've seen plenty of OE silent chains with steel/iron sprockets go the life of the engine without excess wear.

Poor oil change maintenance is the primary cause of chain wear.

Duke

[Joe C.]

Re: Timing Chain Recommendation?

Domenic,

Weren't you talking about chain stretch?

[Joe L.]

Re: Timing Chain Recommendation?

All-------


By the way, another thing to keep in mind: MD trucks as far back as the mid 50's used a timing set very similar in size and configuration to the Cloyes Tru-Roller. However, the chain was not a true roller design and the cam sprocket was not balanced to 10,000 RPM (engine RPM) like the Cloyes. These sets were used on the same small block castings as those castings used on Corvettes. As far as I know, the factory never performed additional machining on the blocks to install these.

[Domenic T.]

Re: Timing Chain Recommendation?

The inexpensive OE replacement chain I mentioned has HEAT TREATED STEEL SPROCKETS. The OE nylon cam sprockets from the mid/late sixtes were junk, but they are no longer made.

I've seen plenty of OE silent chains with steel/iron sprockets go the life of the engine without excess wear.

Poor oil change maintenance is the primary cause of chain wear.

Duke

Duke,
I agree about the oil and realize the heat treated gears. I found the problem to be in the chain not the gears.
Yes, I saw gear wear but it wasn't enough to move the cam timing the distance both ways, it was chain stretch.
Also I miss spoke about the chain breaking. It didn't, the chain would jump a tooth or 10 at a time.
I have read your posts on cams and adjustments and with all that good research, I want my cam to be where it is supposed to be when I use your 30/30 adjustment sheet.
When I did a re-gasket on my vette my cloyes chain was right on. The milage was about 28K.
When I was a line mechanic in the 60/70's as you said the gears and chains were junk and I never want to go thru that again when there are better ways to do things.
A few dollars more and piece of mind.

DOM

[Domenic T.]

Re: Timing Chain Recommendation?

Domenic,

Weren't you talking about chain stretch?

Joe,
Yes I was.
And by the way, SHOW OFF, the engine in the picture was spotless.
I thought I had a good picture of my block but now I will never be able to show it off.

DOM

[Joe C.]

Re: Timing Chain Recommendation?

Joe,
Yes I was.
And by the way, SHOW OFF, the engine in the picture was spotless.
I thought I had a good picture of my block but now I will never be able to show it off.

DOM

Thanks Dom.......I think?

BTW: You really should not use the 30-30 cam in your engine. It's not suitable for street use because the torque bandwidth.....................

[Domenic T.]

Re: Timing Chain Recommendation?

Thanks Dom.......I think?

BTW: You really should not use the 30-30 cam in your engine. It's not suitable for street use because the torque bandwidth.....................

Yes Joe,
It was a compliment. But as for the 30/30 I have used it on the street and strip for years. I had it in light cars with an 18 lb flywheel ( also not good) and had a ball.
You have to remember that our streets are different than the NJ streets.
I am kidding I hope.

DOM

[Clem Z.]

Re: Timing Chain Recommendation?

Yes Joe,
It was a compliment. But as for the 30/30 I have used it on the street and strip for years. I had it in light cars with an 18 lb flywheel ( also not good) and had a ball.
You have to remember that our streets are different than the NJ streets.
I am kidding I hope.

DOM

most all those cars when they were new came with 4:11 rear gears and that stuff worked. everybody wanted to be quick red light to red light and no one cared if the engine was turning 4000 RPM going down the road. i even put 4:56 rear gears in my Z-28s when they were new. being the quickest car in town was important back then and some of us made our car payments winning street races. i was making as much as $200 a day back in the 50s and 60s. don't tell the IRS.

[Domenic T.]

Re: Timing Chain Recommendation?

most all those cars when they were new came with 4:11 rear gears and that stuff worked. everybody wanted to be quick red light to red light and no one cared if the engine was turning 4000 RPM going down the road. i even put 4:56 rear gears in my Z-28s when they were new. being the quickest car in town was important back then and some of us made our car payments winning street races. i was making as much as $200 a day back in the 50s and 60s. don't tell the IRS.

You did better than I $$$, and I did have a 4:11. But in one of my posts I also talked about switching gears for the street.
I have the same delema now with my 435/427. It was borne with 4:11's and I have a 27 lb flywheel. I also have a 3:36 that I will use for any road trips. Wished it were 3:70's so my 2:20 1st gear wouldn't bug me.

DOM

[Clem Z.]

Re: Timing Chain Recommendation?

You did better than I $$$, and I did have a 4:11. But in one of my posts I also talked about switching gears for the street.
I have the same delema now with my 435/427. It was borne with 4:11's and I have a 27 lb flywheel. I also have a 3:36 that I will use for any road trips. Wished it were 3:70's so my 2:20 1st gear wouldn't bug me.

DOM

all my BB corvette had 4:11 rear gears and we used to drive from Pa to Fla. for vacations,of course gas was cheap back then.

[Joe L.]

Re: Timing Chain Recommendation?

all my BB corvette had 4:11 rear gears and we used to drive from Pa to Fla. for vacations,of course gas was cheap back then.

clem-------


As I've said before, on an inflation-adjusted basis, gas is not much more expensive today than it was back then. Folks tend to think of 30 cent a gallon gasoline in the context of today's much inflated economy. Sure, if gasoline was still 30 cents a gallon that would really be cheap. Back in those days a Corvette cost about $4,500 and that was a LOT of money. Today, Corvettes cost 10 times that much and gas costs 10 times as much as it did then. So, if one thought it was a bargain at 30 cents a gallon, one should think it's a bargain at $3.00 a gallon. It's just that back then we didn't think that gas was cheap at 30 cents a gallon.

I remember when I was in high school and worked in a gas station, a fellow used to come in with a 1963 Impala with a 425 hp 409. It was black with American mags and it was jacked up all the way around (not like today's grotesque "monster trucks"; just a nice 3", or so). He used to have this great looking gal sitting just about as close to him as one could get. I even remember his name---it was Alan Orlando and he lived on Vanderbilt Street, not far from the gas station. Anyway, he used to come in and always buy 2 bucks worth of Chevron Custom Supreme. That was about 5-1/2 gallons. As he pulled out of the station I used to always wonder just how far he was going to get with that gas? Probably about 50 miles, I figured. Maybe less.