I have about 50 miles on my 454. I have a crane hyd. roller cam that has the iron distributor drive gear. So when i built it i put my distributor back in from my previous motor (stock HEI)that has the iron gear on it and never looked back. Well, i had a bad feeling about the wear pattern so i pulled it out today to have a look. Its not aweful but if i would have left it in there it wouldnt have lasted. I called crane cam and they said that the shavings from the distributor gear could have meshed into the cam gear, so when i replace the distributor gear again it will slowly eat the distributor gear again. They suggested to get a bronze gear but that it might be too late and it will continue to have this problem. My questions are.....

Try the bronze distributor gear?

Since i was an idiot and didnt replace the distributor gear to mate to the new cam, do u think just a new cast iron gear will be fine and the issue was bc it already had a pattern cut into it from the last motor which is why it looks as it does?

Anyone had this experience? this sucks bc i cant afford to tear this motor down again(full time college kid)....i found this out before i have much concern but the fact that i could continue to have this problem with the next gear scares me

I think we can save the day here. Put a .030 groove/slot in the bottom of the distributor housing, directly above where the gears mesh. Be absolutely sure you're in the right spot here, check and double check. You'll have the gear off anyway to replace it, so it will be out of your way. That will put pressurized oil the to gears as they operate and will greatly extend their life. Clean the cam gear off with a toothbrush size wire brush, you should be able to reach it if the intake is off. If you don't want to take the intake off just inspect it as best you can, it may be OK as is. But if nothing else, shoot it clean with brake cleaner and then change the oil. Use the new distributor gear that is recommended by you cam maker. And you should be good to go.

how would the melonized distributor gear work (part # 10456413) Its a gm performance gear that they used with with the 350 h.o. and the early style hei(.491). I read that the melonized surface is a treatment designed to retain oil for break-in. I read in car craft thats its a treated iron gear but summit sells them stating that its a steel gear???????

do you have a HV oil pump?

can you post a pic of the dist gear?

I think we can save the day here. Put a .030 groove/slot in the bottom of the distributor housing, directly above where the gears mesh. Be absolutely sure you're in the right spot here, check and double check. You'll have the gear off anyway to replace it, so it will be out of your way. That will put pressurized oil the to gears as they operate and will greatly extend their life. Clean the cam gear off with a toothbrush size wire brush, you should be able to reach it if the intake is off. If you don't want to take the intake off just inspect it as best you can, it may be OK as is. But if nothing else, shoot it clean with brake cleaner and then change the oil. Use the new distributor gear that is recommended by you cam maker. And you should be good to go.
Can i just drill a .030 hole ? Do you know a website that shows a photo?

thanks

Drilling a hole would be fine too. Look at Crane's website, they should have a picture of the groove idea.

Adam, run some GM EOs in your oil or use some chevron delo 400 or shell rotella t 15w-40 diesel oil with the ZDDP pkg in it that protects from scuffing & harsh metal to metal contact like seen with flat tappet cams/lifters.

Also,i emailed you instructions on the simple dist mod like mentioned above that sends more oil directly onto the dist gear from a crane cams catalog.

Doing these 2 things should significantly reduce the dist gear wear.

Scott

Hey would this be advised for everyone to do. I will be installing an msd-85551 dizzy really soon. possible radical cam new intake as well.

do you have a HV oil pump?

can you post a pic of the dist gear?

ill try to get a pic up tomorrow....it dont look too bad yet tho

and yes...i have a high volume pump.....holds 50 psi when warm driving down the road.....20ish when sitting at a red light