'37 Ford Camshaft

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Opie

Junior Member
I just got my '37 Sedan running a couple of weeks ago. I had leaking head gaskets and had to tear it down. I have had problems with it not "purring like a kitten" ever since. Even after rebuilding the distributor a million times, and even testing on a Sun Machine with no problems, it still backfired through the exhaust and surged back and forth at high speed. I finally bought another distributor and rebuilt a new one out of it and put it in. It ran like a skalded dog. It hadn't run that good in quite a while, with more power, no surging or backfiring. That was until my 6am morning trip to work. It just died all of a sudden and I was able to coast to a lighted parking lot and troubleshoot. After I couldn't get any fire, and after removing and checking points,which were still where I left them, it checked good on a meter. I installed it and found it not even rotating when i rotated the motor over. This picture I included is what I found after tearing down today. I can only assume its the original cam.

Are there any special reqirements, (years) that are compatible as a replacement for this '37 motor. (59AB or 39-41), any new slightly above stock ones? Anyone know where I can get a new one. I'm not too excited about just changing the gear. Thanks for any input.
 

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Just change the gear,
Another engine will run you a whole bunch of money... AND you have to find it...
Probably build it... After you have it checked to see if it's OK...
Good flathead blocks can be had, more of them are bad than not...

As to your question... 39-41, 59AB will bolt in, 8ba will also, you have to hunt up the bell housing adapter, truck water pumps and probably something else I'm forgetting...

There are aluminum press on type gears for your cam...

Karl
 
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Your cam is probably ok as is but should be checked for wear.
If you need a cam I have a press on core and can grind it to what you want or can grind your core.
In any case, use an aluminum gear next time.
 
To be more specific, What years of camshafts will work. No need to swap motor out, its solid, i just need a cam, not interested in fiber gear!
 
32 to 35 use press on gears. 36 to 48 use one gear.
49 to 53 use another gear so to answer your question, by changing to a bolt on gear you could use a cam from 36 to 41. If you use a 42 on cam you will have to use an adaptor plug in front of the cam to reach the distributor.(readily available)

I hope I remembered all this right.....In any case your problem can be resolved with all stock parts.
 
Hopefully when you removed all the valve assemblies, you kept everything in order. You've already stated the engine ran like a skalded dog. Why fix what ain't broken? Buy a replacement aluminum gear and get it fitted to your existing camshaft and reinstall everything back where it came from. Once again it'll run like it used to. Thing is, everything wears together, to substitute different camshaft, and then try and run the original [for that engine] camfollowers on it will lead to noise, incorrect tappet clearances, etc. Even the journals on the replacement cam could be a different size. Up to you, but I'd just change the gear.
 
Opie, I had the exact same failure 3 years ago with a '35 engine that had been previously rebuilt and used a repro foreign made fiber timing gear which only lasted ~ 1000 miles before most of the teeth wore to the point that they sheared completely off killing the engine just like the ignition was suddenly turned off. Long story short, I figured out a method to pull the failed gear and press on a new aluminum gear without the need to remove the cam from the block. I have since put ~ 9,000 miles on this engine with no other major failure. Since you already have your cam w/gear removed from block, what I would suggest is:
1. Pressing on a new aluminum gear and put that engine back together. Or....
2. Change to a later style ('42-'48) stock or performance ground cam, that accepts a bolt on type aluminum timing gear.
There is probably no need to make any other changes to that engine if no other damage occurred when that fiber gear failed. JMO

PS...some of the years given in other posts above, for the use of press on vs. bolt on timing gears, that were used in production, are incorrect.
 
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If you choose to fit another camshaft, first carefully measure journals [with a micrometer] of both your original and the replacement to ensure they are the same dimensions. Sure, any flathead cam will fit in any flathead block. Just do not assume that everything is a direct changeover. One example; if your replacement cam has had journals ground .010" undersize, and your original camshaft was still stock, sure it'll go in, but you'll have no oil pressure.
 
If you use a 59AB cam you will have to do some adapting with the dist. Distance to front of cam slot is different. Actually a 59AB cam, timing cover with the 42 up dist and 42 cap and rotor makes an excellent combination. A lot easier to work with than the old three bolt dist.
 
jimTN said:
If you use a 59AB cam you will have to do some adapting with the dist. Distance to front of cam slot is different. Actually a 59AB cam, timing cover with the 42 up dist and 42 cap and rotor makes an excellent combination. A lot easier to work with than the old three bolt dist.
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Yep, that's exactly what I plan to do on my Avatar coupe with. 030" over bore 21 stud engine. Will be using a '42-'48 Potvin cam (thanks to my friend Old Bill), new USA made adjustable lifters from Dennis Carpenter, a beautifully rebuilt crab distributor thanks to Jim "Bubba" Linder, a set of Eddie Meyers finned aluminum heads and 2x2 intake thanks to Vern Tardell, two rebuilt Stromberg 81's with Uncle Max's special dip finish, Skip's pumps, overflow check valve and rewound coil, G.M.'s latest thinking on heat shielding gas carrying engine components, Bob Shewmen's check valve hose, two piece oil pan purchased from a fellow Barner, rebuilt C&P by Ft. Wayne Clutch, full flow oil filter system by Mark Kirby, and dumping all exhaust gasses/fumes into and through a Red's Header dual exhaust system with split exhaust pipes correctly fitting thanks to a fellow Canadian Fordbarner! Hopefully I didn't forget something or someone due to my ever increasing problems with advancing CRS. :)
 
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The crank gear is steel and I do not believe it needs to be replaced. My question is if an aluminum gear is installed are there any backlash specifications that need to be checked. I had a Model A engine that had 0 lash and it turned out someone had installed an oversize cam gear. I was concerned with the lack of backlash ripping up a fiber gear.
 
Aluminum press on cam gears are hard to find. They are not currently made, but there are some NOS gears floating around for sale. There are also NOS old mfg. fiber gears available, which seem to be much better than some of the current mfg. fiber gears. I recently bought one from Mac at Van Pelt Sales.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I've in that block many, manytimes, and its in pretty good shape! I kept all the valve assemblies together and marked. I think I'll try to find a press on aluminum gear and use my cam. It ran great, best its everran before that happened. Gonna drop the pan and clean up the sump and double check before I put it back together. Thanks again!
 
Opie said:
Thanks for all the replies. I've in that block many, manytimes, and its in pretty good shape! I kept all the valve assemblies together and marked. I think I'll try to find a press on aluminum gear and use my cam. It ran great, best its everran before that happened. Gonna drop the pan and clean up the sump and double check before I put it back together. Thanks again!
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Put a wanted ad up here for an aluminum press on timing gear. I got one from Mac Van Pelt and two from another Fordbarner. All three were nice NOS parts and were reasonably priced. I also got several other replies from Fordbarners who had these gears and were willing to sell them but at what i felt were unreasonable prices, 2 to 3 times more than what a new bolt on aluminum gear is currently selling for. I was not in any big hurry, so I just waited for the right deals to come along. I have three early 21 stud engines that I am redoing and definitely did not want to use any more fiber type gears. Some claim the aluminum gears are noisier than fiber but I honestly can not hear any significant difference.
 
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