[DeTomaso] distributor gear

[Guido deTomaso]

All these references to steel, do we mean cast steel or parts machined from 
drawn steel bars?

My assumption is that a "steel" cam starts as a near-net-shape steel casting, 
but that's a total guess on my part.  Could start with a bar greater than the 
bearing diameter, turn everything but the cam shape into chips.

Same goes for steel gears, though in this case more easily imagined they are 
machined from bar stock, not castings.

Thanks,

GD




________________________________
From: Daniel C Jones <daniel.c.jones2 at gmail.com>
To: Pantera REALBIG forum <detomaso at realbig.com>
Sent: Thu, April 12, 2012 7:43:14 PM
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] distributor gear

> they said with most of their hydraulic roller cams, a regular steel
> distributor gear is OK.

Please define what "regular steel" is.  I have a 4" thick steels handbook
and regular isn't in it.  Ford never equipped a 351C with a steel distributor
gear.  They came with cast iron gears.  I will say it again, cast iron is
not steel.  The steel gears are aftermarket products and there are different
alloys and surface treatments that make them suitable for different cam core
materials.  Some are made specifically for the selectively austempered
ductile iron cores that Comp Cams makes the majority of their hydraulic
roller cams from.

> I have spoken to the tech guys at comp cams more than once about this

I have too.  They specifically cautioned against steel distributor gears
and said they recommend cast iron gears.  When I attempted to discuss
the metallurgy, I got the distinct impression the phone techs don't really
know what they are talking about.  I especially like it when you call
twice and get two conflicting answers.  As I tried to point out in my
previous post, there is a wide variance in what passes for a cast iron
distributor gear. Some are softer than the aluminum-bronze sacrificial
gears.  I've also spoken with engine builders who have had trouble with
cast iron gears on Comps cast iron cores that they solved by switching
to one of the steel (or specially treated iron) gears.

Dan Jones
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