Timing gear question

L

Liftedck

Junior Member
I have a question about the cam gear on 50 and 51 8AB. I have a fiber gear with 8AB printed on it. Would it be more reliable to use an aluminum one? Im not building crazy horsepower. Just stock rebuild. Im kinda worried about the gear coming apart and causing major problems.
 
a fiber gear will last many years if its a quality one (usa) made, and not running high valve spring pressures, an aluminum gear will last longer if it also a quality one, but it might be a little noiser
 
my personal preference is the aluminum gear, although as ford3 said a fiber gear if good quality is fine for daily driver. I would be leary of N.O.S. fiber gears, as I don't know how age, or how they were stored may affect them. just my preference. may not be everyone's.
 
Besides, the aluminum one makes a cool whining sound!
Advise= Be sure that the timing marks are aligned correctly before buttoning it up. I spent a week chasing a no start issue on a new rebuild only to find that I had "missed the marks".
So many times over the years I have found that the "ghosts" that I am chasing were caused by "the loose nut behind the wheel" .
Enjoy the adventure.
 
The whine from the aluminum timing gear will cover up the electric fuel pump noise. LOL
 
The aluminum gear is original Ford. Jim at Ford Specialty Parts in CA has NOS ones, and likely Fred has them at South Side Obsolete. Got mine from Jim. It was still in the original ford packing and cosmoline.
 
Thankyou all. I have the fiber one. It is used, but I don't see any negative indicators. However I prefer to air on the side of caution. Especially with moving parts that could leave me stranded somewhere. I have been looking around and have found several aluminum ones. Are there factory gears that could be used in place of the fiber ones?
 
When I rebuilt the '51 I had in high school (it had about 150,000 miles), it had a fiber timing gear and was original from Ford. Ford did sell aluminum ones at their parts counter, but they did not like to admit it and initially refused to admit there was such a thing. This was in 1955.
 
You only need to be towed 60 miles home and have to pull the engine to get all the fibers out of the crankcase once to realize that it is a fools economy to use a fiber gear. You may get 150,000 miles out of a fiber gear or you may only get 150 miles out of it If it is used, look for the lesser amount.
 
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