Anti-Gear drive arguments?

[Bugman]

A student asked me today about gear drives. He thinks they're cool and wants to put one in his SBC. Other than transfering crankshaft harmonics to the cam, are there any other good arguments against them? Thanks.

-Jeff

[porknbeaner]

Uh they screw up your computer? The noise is unbearable?
If you like the noise there's a better/cheaper way. Get an old AM radio (no antenna), put the speaker under the fender and run the hot wire off the alternater. It'll wine just like a gear drive and you don't have to pull the cam cover to install it.
They're just a pure hotrod part. I can probably think of more pros than cons, but they're only function is for a pure hotrod. If you're not going to soup your motor they're wasted money.

[oldchevyseller]

http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/54799/index3.html

read it for yourself

[Fast Elvis]

I've had one in my sbc for about 11 years and have had no problems........the car runs mid to high 12's and really I put the drive in for the sound!! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif......I guess it boils down to.......you like the sound or you don't! Good luck Jeff!!

[Bruce Lancaster]

The noise is, I think, a selling point and not an inherent design feature--a great many engines have perfectly quiet gear drives, including some fairly modern ones and including many with metal gears.

[40Tudor]

I don't know if there's a really good case against them, but the case for gear drives is pretty thin IMHO. Spend the money on something that will actually make the car faster (cam, carb, intake, etc, etc, etc....). 'less he wants to be a POSER http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Not that you'd ever notice it, but a gear drive has more frictional losses than a roller chain. Those harmonics transferred to the cam might also affect the ignition.

I'm sure there are people here who know a lot more about gear drives than I do, but it seems to me that there's much better places to put your money until you actually start having problems with the chain.

C

[porknbeaner]

Actually better ignition and valve timing is the real selling point of the gear drive.
Although most folks put them in for the sound.
For a kid its probably just trying to sound like a hotrod/racecar.
You really aren't going to notice any of the better qualities of the drive buy the seat of your pants.
That's why I suggested the AM radio and the alternator trick.

[Bruce Lancaster]

Now, how about the belt drives, using the same sort of belt as modern cars, the Tempest rubber belt design. Quiet, ans I've heard good at damping out unwanted motion.
How do they get away with charging so much, though, for a simple part designed to make OHC designs dirt cheap??

[Action Girl]

How about the fact that they sound like a sheep getting raped?

Stacey

[Dirty2]

You can buy them noisy or not . I have a quiet one on my 350 but I have had them both ways. If you can afford it its the way to go !!!

[57wagon]

I put one in my wagon when I had the motor redone this past winter... Can't honestly say if it has helped or hindered the car at all.....

I've driven it quite a bit since the rebuild, including a few 4 or 5 hour trips and other than the "poor man's blower" sound It isn't to unbearable....

I just open the lake pipes and at highway speeds you can't even hear it http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[OutLaw]

Besides transfering the harmonics to the cam they are also said to wear out the distributor bushings because of the harmonics.....But that didn't stop me from putting a set of cloyes in my car, they are pretty quiet on the inside of the car.

[WZ JUNK]

Had one in my truck for several years. I like it. No problems. I do not have a radio or air conditioning. Roll down the windows and let Mr. Pete Jackson play the gear drive melody. My wife says a hot rod is supposed to sound like a hot rod. I agree.

[Bass]

I don't think I have an anti-gear drive argument, but I'll add to the post anyway.

Remember that blue-ish purple and flamed '39 Convert with Halibrands that Pete Chaporious (sp?) built back in the mid-80's? It had a noisy Pete Jackson gear drive. I saw it at a rod run way back then when I was still pretty young, and it left a very big impression on me as to what a hot rod should look and sound like.

Was that car a POSER?...Definitely not. At least to my young impressionable eyes and ears.

That car's probably the main reason I had a noisy Pete Jackson in my old motor. I personally really liked the way it sounded...combine it with a lumpy cam and fairly loud exhaust for the full-on obnoxious hot rod sound effect.

My machinist talked me out of putting it in the new motor for some of the reasons already listed, but I really wasn't concerned...I just didn't feel like arguing. I might stick the gear drive back in later on...I dunno. Right now I'm enjoying the sound of the Rhoads lifters and huge cam.

It seems that the general consensus is that if you just want your car to SOUND like a hot rod...then go for the gear drive. If you want it to RUN like a hot rod, then use a good double roller timing chain, and spend the extra money on good heads, etc.

I kinda feel this way too in a way...but being traditional rodders (we are, aren't we?) we have to make some concessions to get the look, feel, and sound that we want. If a gear drive is part of that equation, then I say go for it.

And they do sound bitchin', no?

[SnoDawg]

[ QUOTE ]
How about the fact that they sound like a sheep getting raped?

Stacey

[/ QUOTE ]

How would you know that, You from Montana or sumtin??? http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[oldspeed]

I think the answer is If you want it to run and sound like a hot rod put a blower on it and forget the gear whine, unless it's from the Halibrand.

[ray]

i ran one on a 383 in an s-10, between the gear drive whine, the huge cam and the bubble in the hood (cause it was channeled) i couldn't get a street race with it to buy gas home even. it's also real annoying when you are trying to troubleshoot an engine noise. i like the speaker idea, just turn it off! i don't run one anymore.

[Lionheart]

If you know what a sheep sounds like getting RAPED,,,,,,you'r running with the wrong crowd.
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

[40Tudor]

Yep, they do sound bitchin'. I didn't mean to say that everyone with a gear drive is a poser.

I like the noise as much as the next guy, and it can certainly be the icing on the cake, but if that's the ONLY thing that makes the car cool....

I don't remember the '39 in question, but, knowing Pete's stuff, I bet it was cool anyway, even without the gear drive.

Anyway, I'm more of a lumpy idle man http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[oldchevyseller]

[ QUOTE ]
If you know what a sheep sounds like getting RAPED,,,,,,you'r running with the wrong crowd.
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

http://www.muttonbone.com/

[Action Girl]

Not from experience, I'm just guessing that it would sound like that... DUH. It's called a joke.

I can remember going to rod runs as a kid right around the time that gear drives became the "it" thing to have on your "street rod" The sound of one car with one is bad enough, but go to a show where most of the cars driving around had them and you'll hate the sound real fast... ESPECIALLY if you're unfortunate enough to be tent camping... EEESH...

My Dad had one at one point and the day he got tired of that noise was one of my happiest. To each his own I suppose... there are guys out there running whistle tips and fart cans that think they sound cool also. To my ears it's just a whiney noise not to far from a bad belt..

Stacey

[flamedcoupe]

Put one on a Model A about 20 years ago. Got tired of the noise in 3 weeks and took it off. Gave it to the kid next door. He was 16 at the time and then I thought I must be getting old. And I'm still getting old. I guess thats good,

[Action Girl]

[ QUOTE ]
Put one on a Model A about 20 years ago. Got tired of the noise in 3 weeks and took it off. Gave it to the kid next door. He was 16 at the time and then I thought I must be getting old. And I'm still getting old. I guess thats good,

[/ QUOTE ]

Thank GOD for that! See what I mean???

Stacey

[Blownolds]

I've heard some of the noisy ones on engines in street rods that did NOT have hot engines at all, and they kind of sounded like a power steering pump going bad. Yeah, that'll impress the folks that don't know it's a gear drive.

[8th grade genius]

I've ran several gear drive setups and never had any complaints. But I have heard the pete jackson style units and they are noisy. I would suggest a summers brothers or a Sig Erson gear drive. As for the argument about frictonal loss stick a lighted borescope into the timing chain cover spin the engine to anywhere near 6000 rpm and watch the slack side of the chain. Yikes I'll settle for friction over that. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=33625&item=7923437 088&rd=1

[flt-blk]

They are early warning devices I can tell when Outlaw or
Bass pull into my neighborhood when I hear the gear
drive echoing down the street.

I have a gear drive on the Stuebaker motor, but it is
fiber and doesn't make any noise.
TZ