Distributor gears - bronze vs. polymer??

Hey Gang,

Using a solid roller cam, and need to select the distributor gear.

Car will be street and strip, maybe 5,000 miles a year. I've used bronze gears in Pontiacs, but they have an oil plug that can be drilled for a small stream of oil to shoot right onto the gear, and gives them good life.

Anyone have experience with either the bronze or polymer gears in a Windsor?

Thanks,
Lee

i ran a polymer gear on a comp solid street roller. expect about 8000 mi then they break. never ran a broze gear. went to a steel gear and it is fine now.

Dont do it. That gear also has to turn the forces of the oil pump, stick with the bronze gear. There is a mod for the ford aswell for tapping into the oiling system for the gear

Thanks guys, I'll stick with the bronze for now.

The shortblock is already assembled - too late to do the "oiling" trick?

Lee

As far as I knew for a roller cam you had to use a steel gear because bronze ones get eaten by the steel on the cam

Originally Posted by dbu8554

As far as I knew for a roller cam you had to use a steel gear because bronze ones get eaten by the steel on the cam

The only cam thats compatible with a steel gear is the ford letter series. For example the E303,B303,Z303 cams etc.

Aftermarket Roller cams are of a harder billet steel and are allegedly too hard for the steel gears that ford sells.

Aftermarket billet roller cams require a bronze or the newer composite gears.
In all honesty though, call the cam manufacture for the best answer.

What pinto said call the cam company or grinder if custom. I have been told if you run a bronze gear when you inspect it and it will let you know if something is wrong in the valve train. Good luck.