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Technical SBC Gear Drive

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Hdonlybob, Dec 10, 2015.

  1. Dan Timberlake
    Joined: Apr 28, 2010
    Posts: 1,530

    Dan Timberlake
    Member

  2. Dan
    gear drives have a tendency to transfer harmonics from the crank to the cam shaft more then say a chain or a belt. I have not run one without a harmonic damper.

    With any gear drive fixed idler or floating you are running the risk of way more than just gear drive failure when you are not running a damper. ;)
     
  3. Hdonlybob
    Joined: Feb 1, 2005
    Posts: 4,115

    Hdonlybob
    Member

    Hmmmmmm...
    Maybe I will just lower the level a bunch on my power steering unit !! :)
    Seriously, I appreciate all of your comments...negative as well as positive..
    I am a (71) year old Grandpa just tying to re live my childhood days that never included anything like I have now... I married at (19) and had kids right away, well one on the way at the wedding...so never got to do the fun stuff.. (NOT "Whining", just a small explanation)
    I checked on labor to put one in, and the ~$200 has me re thinking a bit and my back and legs won't let me do it myself.. Also my little beefed up 283 runs absolutely awesome, so dont' want to take any chances screwing that up.
    I do have a friend with a '55 Chevy with the Pete Jackson drive. I have ridden a lot with him, and do like it, as he does...
    Soooo......
    You will have to wait for the next chapter on whether I do it or not..
    Cheers, and thanks again.. Gotta love this forum.
    Oh, and Squirrel, we used to use balloons instead of playing cards.... LOL
     
    Last edited: Dec 15, 2015
    loudbang likes this.
  4. Mike51Merc
    Joined: Dec 5, 2008
    Posts: 3,856

    Mike51Merc
    Member

  5. LOL just out some Type F transmission fluid in the power steering. it will make it whine for ya. :eek: :D

    You were a late bloomer, I was married before I was out of high school and my first was on her way by my senior year. Cars in our driveway kept her in formula. Well most of those cars were not in the driveway very long.

    I knew a kid in Wyandot county in the '90s who had a Mustang II. His dad put a CB with a PA setting in the car and the horn for the PA behind the grill then ran the coax for the antenna near his alternator, no antenna just the coax. He would turn the PA on and when his engine revved up it would make a super charger like whine come out of the PA system. :D
     
    Hdonlybob likes this.
  6. Mike VV
    Joined: Sep 28, 2010
    Posts: 3,029

    Mike VV
    Member
    from SoCal

    I have a (two gear) gear drive in my Stude engine.
    Problem here is, a chain drive was never made for the Stude (like a few others) engine...

    From the factory, they had either fiber cam gears or aluminum cam gears with steel crank gears. The aluminum were noisier, but just still barley noticeable.

    I had a custom (timing) adjustable drive made up for the Stude engine. I've yet to see how much noise it makes. Still in the building stages.

    Sorry had to admit to a usable gear drive...

    Mike
     
    funk 49 likes this.
  7. JOECOOL
    Joined: Jan 13, 2004
    Posts: 2,771

    JOECOOL
    Member

    I'm finally figuring this hot rod stuff out.A whine coming from a M22 Muncie is way cool but a whine from gear drive is not cool. OK I get it now.
     
    Just Gary, loudbang and Hdonlybob like this.
  8. wingman9
    Joined: Dec 30, 2009
    Posts: 804

    wingman9
    Member
    from left coast

    but the worst whine is the one coming from the passengers...
     
  9. woodiewagon46
    Joined: Mar 14, 2013
    Posts: 2,269

    woodiewagon46
    Member
    from New York

    I know you don't want comments about the noise but it get's old real fast. About 15 years ago you couldn't walk down the aisles of a car show without hearing the "whine". Now you can't give them away. If you drive your car long distances, I would really think twice about spending your money on something you will regret. If you are married you may want your wife to hear what they sound like also.
     
  10. Joe
    I think that comes from the same place that using an SBC come from. The SBC started out as the s dominant hot rod motor of its day, then someone decided to put them in a box for the masses. The wannabes got hold of them and ruined the reputation.

    The gear drive was at one time the hot setup for going fast then everyone and their cousin started using them for the sound and not the performance edge that they offered, the wannabes strike again. ;)
     
  11. ...even tho some of these replies sound negative, we are trying to be positive that it'll get old real quick,...got one in a car we purchased and hate it everytime we start it up.
    ...good pipes are the noise you really wanna hear.
     
  12. dan griffin
    Joined: Dec 25, 2009
    Posts: 505

    dan griffin
    Member

    The Pro-Stock racers stopped using gear drives a long time ago. It takes HP to run a gear drive.
     
  13. AHotRod
    Joined: Jul 27, 2001
    Posts: 12,216

    AHotRod
    Member

    Get the Pete-Jackson set.
     
  14. JOECOOL
    Joined: Jan 13, 2004
    Posts: 2,771

    JOECOOL
    Member

    I just smile when I read these things, I like to hear people talk about ,30-30 cams and Double hump heads .
     
    flux capacitor likes this.
  15. HOLLYWOOD GRAHAM
    Joined: Apr 11, 2007
    Posts: 1,437

    HOLLYWOOD GRAHAM
    Member
    from Ojai,Ca

    I had one on a 350 in my 53 pick up, I loved the sound and it never bothered me. The only problem with it was trying to sneak home at 2 without the wife hearing me. Serious.
     
    INVISIBLEKID and loudbang like this.
  16. DDDenny
    Joined: Feb 6, 2015
    Posts: 19,136

    DDDenny
    Member
    from oregon

    It's one thing to install a gear drive in a bonafide hot rod engine, but those noisy ones just sound so lame in a stock engine.
     
  17. 1946caddy
    Joined: Dec 18, 2013
    Posts: 2,059

    1946caddy
    Member
    from washington

    If your married, you already know what that constant whine sounds like.
     
    INVISIBLEKID and loudbang like this.
  18. 19Eddy30
    Joined: Mar 27, 2011
    Posts: 2,314

    19Eddy30
    Member
    from VA

    Yr Rod !!!!
    You can all ways take it out !
    My self , 25 years ago ,I ran one for Four year's in a 69 Camaro street car ,
    Busted a lot SB& BB
    Did a lot of Street Racing , I never raised the tall cowl hood ,
    Ever one assumed I was running some sorts of forced induction ,
     
  19. 19Eddy30
    Joined: Mar 27, 2011
    Posts: 2,314

    19Eddy30
    Member
    from VA

    I have heard that Whine X2 !!!!
    I Rather hear the Whine of my 14-71
     
  20. stimpy
    Joined: Apr 16, 2006
    Posts: 3,546

    stimpy

    only gear drives I like to hear are the ones in a Cat or Cummins , but then again they make the motor sound like its commin apart they rattle so much from the backlash and dampner on the gear .. ( they do not whine ) had a milodon gear drive on a poncho ( fixed idler) made some noise but it sounded like my trans was loosing its pump .
     
  21. 4thhorseman
    Joined: Feb 14, 2014
    Posts: 261

    4thhorseman
    Member
    from SW Desert

    I ran one with the twin idlers on a "dog bone" that sat between the cam and crank gears like this:
    [​IMG]
    It came out during a refresh just before it caused major damage. The oversized snap rings that held the idlers to the dog bone had failed and it was fixing to grenade. I'll stick with a high quality, true dual roller chain thanks.
     
  22. jersey greaser
    Joined: Feb 21, 2009
    Posts: 195

    jersey greaser
    Member

    whine from a quick change is worse then that m22.
     
  23. 33sporttruck
    Joined: Jun 5, 2012
    Posts: 530

    33sporttruck
    Member

    Had a B & M gear drive on a small block 400 in the early 90's. With the aluminum timing cover it was LOUD !!! My neighbor kept telling me to get a new power steering pump................................ Jeff
     
  24. flux capacitor
    Joined: Sep 18, 2014
    Posts: 696

    flux capacitor
    Member

    I wonder how many have had a Whiney gear driven V8 buckled up to a M22 with a quick change out back? Could one transmit the noise from all 3 into a musical experience? If so would it be heavy metal? Hmmmm..... :confused: Flux
     
    Just Gary and 33sporttruck like this.
  25. seb fontana
    Joined: Sep 1, 2005
    Posts: 8,442

    seb fontana
    Member
    from ct

    Might as well make it a quartet; Throw in a Gilmore blower drive belt...
     
    33sporttruck and flux capacitor like this.
  26. verno30
    Joined: Aug 25, 2008
    Posts: 1,148

    verno30
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    I ran one in my Model A coupe. I used a Pete Jackson. It was high quality and provided great service in my drag raced 350.

    I would have no issues or hesitations with using another. I say go for it!

    Question answered.
     
    Last edited: Dec 16, 2015
  27. afaulk
    Joined: Jul 20, 2011
    Posts: 1,194

    afaulk
    Member

    On racing engines I ALWAYS run a gear drive and have never experienced any problems. However I don't run the cheap dual idler units. The one on my SBC, a fixed idler unit from KB racin with a cover machined for mounting the fuel pump cost almost $1,200. Zoomies talking to you sort of interferes with hearing anything else. Tip of the day.........IF YOU DON'T LIKE GEAR DRIVES, DON'T BUY THEM.
     
    mad mikey likes this.
  28. canning
    Joined: Jan 22, 2012
    Posts: 72

    canning
    Member

    The noise is tolerable...but will you hear another mechanical failure over the whine? Voice of experience.
     
    mad mikey likes this.
  29. Todd Peterson
    Joined: Feb 10, 2016
    Posts: 22

    Todd Peterson

    Thanks.....for then guidance. I recently installed a gear drive, but, not knowing all the particulars of my engine I was actually skeptical about firing it. So, after a post I actually went back to timing chain. And after reading what people have experienced the gear drive will probably go up on craigslist.
     
    mad mikey likes this.
  30. Hdonlybob
    Joined: Feb 1, 2005
    Posts: 4,115

    Hdonlybob
    Member

    UPDATE:
    Well plenty of time has gone by, and...........
    Yep I still enjoy it.. :)
    I do not do many cruises, so it is not for attention.. I just like it.
    Wife does not.. but rides very little with me in it.
    Put a hotter cam in it a month ago and it looks just fine.
    Guess I am just odd, or as I said in my first post, just an old Grandpa that loves the old school days.
    I did put some very expensive insulation in the firewall area which cuts down a lot of the noise inside..
     
    Just Gary likes this.

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