Installing Cam Gear on 1936 Camshaft
 

I know that Ford used a special tool to install the press on cam gears. Has anyone come up with a good method to assure the alignment marks line up when you install one of these on the early camshafts. It took me a half dozen attempts to get the two marks just touching each other. I took one to a local machine shop and they said they would never attempt to install one again. I have an NOS 21A camshaft that I could install and it uses the bolt on type but I would how much that would affect performance as the valve timing is a little different I believe. Thanks for any info.
Chuck

Re: Installing Cam Gear on 1936 Camshaft
 

I use a small machinist square to scribe an alignment mark down the inside It works pretty good. Same with cam bearing alignment but with a sharpie of course

Re: Installing Cam Gear on 1936 Camshaft
 

If you've got a NOS 21A cam and bolt-on gear - just use it. The valve angles didn't change until the 59AB series and even then - I've not seen a modern cam grinder ask me if I was running a pre-WW2 cam and engine or a post WW2 cam and engine. There are very few of us that even know there is a slight difference - probably not enough to even tell on a dyno.

Re: Installing Cam Gear on 1936 Camshaft
 

X2

Karl

Re: Installing Cam Gear on 1936 Camshaft
 

I always use the aluminum press on gear. What I do is, after oiling the nose of the cam, is heat the gear...this expands it and allows it to drop on and gives enough time to correctly orient the marks. I once experienced a press on timing gear that moved in service, throwing out the timing. As a consequence, every gear I fit now, after checking valve timing with a degree wheel, I scotch key into place. This prevents any lateral/radial movement of the gear.

Re: Installing Cam Gear on 1936 Camshaft
 

Thanks to everyone for the info. I used a method similar to JETMEC before but may be too particular about aligning the marks. I also tried heating the fiber gear to 300 deg. in a toaster oven and freezing the cam. NO chance to adjust the gear once it was in place. I also have a Sportsman 3/4 cam for 59AB that I could use.

Re: Installing Cam Gear on 1936 Camshaft
 

It is not too hard to align the marks and press the gear on - using a regular hydraulic press. So if you have the parts, then a local machine shop should be able to do it without any drama. I'd use an aluminum press-on gear if it was mine . . . or update it to a bolt on cam gear setup (which you have).

Re: Installing Cam Gear on 1936 Camshaft
 

It is a very poor idea to use a fiber gear for replacement. Especially an NOS one that could be 60 or 70 years old. An aluminum gear is very cheap insurance.
As far as aligning the marks, if you are off 3/32 (.093) of an inch it is only 4 degrees and you will never feel that in the seat of your pants on a stock engine.
The accumulated manufacturing tolerances sometimes added up to more than that.
It does NOT require any special tools to install one of these gears. A 5 ton HAND arbor press is not considered a special tool in a machine shop.
It takes exactly 43 seconds to set a cam in the press, place and align the gear and press it on.

As a side note, aluminum gears come with a line scribed in the bore.

Re: Installing Cam Gear on 1936 Camshaft
 

Where do you buy “Press on Aluminum Gears”
Thanks

Re: Installing Cam Gear on 1936 Camshaft
 

Dan McEachern. He is on here.
He has straight cut also.

Re: Installing Cam Gear on 1936 Camshaft
 

Thanks Pete