When is it that you use a bronze distributor gear? I'm switching to a hydraulic roller cam and I don't know if I need to change the dist gear. HELP!!!!

If this is the same "austratempered " material that my XR282 is made ( not billet), you need a melonized steel gear. GM dealer has these. If you are running a dist with a .500 shaft, need to mill out a few thousands. Alternative is the $100 ploy gear.

If the part number of cam ends in -8 it is made of cast iron, just like stock Chevy cam. If your part number ends in -9 then it is billet steel and is going to cause excessive wear on similar steel parts (fuel pump arm, gear on distributor) so it will require brass or plastic or Melonized (a thin coating). Need to follow instructions that came with the cam.


Larger Dave

If the part number of cam ends in -8 it is made of cast iron, just like stock Chevy cam. If your part number ends in -9 then it is billet steel and is going to cause excessive wear on similar steel parts (fuel pump arm, gear on distributor) so it will require brass or plastic or Melonized (a thin coating). Need to follow instructions that came with the cam.


Larger Dave
Thanks....you rock. I thought this wasn't a billet cam but now I know for sure. No since in spending what doesn't need to be spent.

Ya GOTTA love this place! Trouble is some of us spend all our time reading these juicy tid-bits and not playing with our cars.:p

I just called Comp to check on mine (a -8 p/n) and nope, don't need one astrotempered (or something like that) cam... stock is fine.

No, what I meant was the cam material is 'astratempered material" not the gear. You have same cast hydra roller I got. I used the GM stock gear.

Yes I got that... I confuse myself a lot too :yes:

I got my CC HR with a pressed on iron gear.

I though I would pass a problem on to you that I had.

When I put my engine together I used the old distributor (pleanty of lube on cam and dist gear) that was installed in previous engine (previous had no problems with cam or dist) with Comp HR282 that did not need anything other then stock GM gear, after about 50-75 miles the engine died and later I found I had no dist. gear left! So of course I freaked out with all that metal in the new engine, contacted Comp to be sure I had the correct gear on my dist. and they said I did. So even though I was thinking the same would happen again I installed a new GM gear and had no problems since?

I can only think maybe the last cam gear and distributor gear had worn a pattern and after installing new cam they hated each other!!! The last cam and distributor had over 50k together without any problems.

So for me if I ever replace a cam and use a distributor that has an old gear (lots of use with previous cam) I will replace it, cheap insurance.

Good luck, I love my roller

I though I would pass a problem on to you that I had.

When I put my engine together I used the old distributor (pleanty of lube on cam and dist gear) that was installed in previous engine (previous had no problems with cam or dist) with Comp HR282 that did not need anything other then stock GM gear, after about 50-75 miles the engine died and later I found I had no dist. gear left! So of course I freaked out with all that metal in the new engine, contacted Comp to be sure I had the correct gear on my dist. and they said I did. So even though I was thinking the same would happen again I installed a new GM gear and had no problems since?

I can only think maybe the last cam gear and distributor gear had worn a pattern and after installing new cam they hated each other!!! The last cam and distributor had over 50k together without any problems.

So for me if I ever replace a cam and use a distributor that has an old gear (lots of use with previous cam) I will replace it, cheap insurance.

Good luck, I love my roller

What I do, its cheap insurance. I have the same cam.

I have the 288hr and stock gear no problems yet . Mine is -8 . I also love the hydralic roller.