Steel or cast gear?

[trwp72]

Which gear is used for the H.O. engines? I can't remember for the life of me... I'm having advance order me one for my car just in case, since they don't carry it in stock... Just in case the problem is the pick up in the distributor... I bought one of the lifetime ones last time, when we put the engine in,,,

[BerniniCaCO3]

gosh, I'm not sure. When I put my HO engine in, because the HO engine had a different setup (vacuum advanced I think?), I put my stock lopo distributor back into it: just to be sure, did you do the same, or did you definitely use an HO distributor? In which case... you'd probably want to know the year of the HO engine.

[trwp72]

The engine was a crate motor 5.0. H.O. It is definently a H.O. distributer... Just can't remember which one it is tho... we put the motor in three years ago! And the catologs on the Auto Parts places show both... So who knows?

[sly]

I know the later HOs for sure had steel. so if it's a crate... it's probably using the newer stuff. If it's a rebuild... gonna have to pull it to find out. steel is machined... iron is cast.

[BerniniCaCO3]

buy both, do the job, use whichever it turns out to be, return the unused one?

[mercurygm88]

My lopo has a steel gear, the way I understand it the pre 86 engines all have the cast iron. Whereas 86 and up has a steel gear, at least thats what the computer shows at my local auto parts store. I just know mine is steel because I had the original dizzy out once and have since replaced it both the original and the new one had steel gears.

[gadget73]

85+ were all steel gears, same as 86+ car engines. Roller cams had steels, flat tappet got iron.

[90ltd]

All roller cam equipped blocks had steel gear. The 1st was 85 mustang gt with 4bbl and manual transmission.

[85crownHPP]

Can someone remind the dummies like me how to tell the difference by looking? I have a couple in the basement and I'm pretty sure i kept the old one out of the 85 block... I should label that one before i go trying to use it... lol

[gadget73]

Sand casting marks on the iron gear, lathe machine marks on the steel gear usually.

[sly]

I know the later HOs for sure had steel. so if it's a crate... it's probably using the newer stuff. If it's a rebuild... gonna have to pull it to find out. steel is machined... iron is cast.

Can someone remind the dummies like me how to tell the difference by looking? I have a couple in the basement and I'm pretty sure i kept the old one out of the 85 block... I should label that one before i go trying to use it... lol

Sand casting marks on the iron gear, lathe machine marks on the steel gear usually.

+3 steel is machined. Iron is cast.

Steel has small groves horizontally in the area above the teeth, while iron has a bumpy/pitted/raw look to it.

[85crownHPP]

I had them out for a look, and the camera was there. Shazzaam!

[mercurygm88]

Steel on the left, cast on the right, that is unless Im going blind or something.

[gadget73]

That'd be my take on it, casting marks are visible on the right side gear. Also notice the gear tips are flatter on the cast vs the V shape on the steel gear. I'd forgotten about that.

[85crownHPP]

the cast one goes into the scrap, it's crudded up and doesn't even turn anyway!