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anybody running them?would you do it again if you did it over?i know you can get quiet versions ,but does or did the noise get on your nerves after awhile? just trying to make a decision and appreciate your opinions......dave

I have one in my Chevelle. It is a Pete Jackson "noisy" one for a small block. I haven't had any problems with it, but it is also basically a street legal drag car. I kind of like the sound of it, but the car also has 11:1 compression and 3" exhaust. So, you really don't hear it too much. I don't know that there is enough advantage over a double roller chain to justify the cost difference on a more stock engine. I have built several other "mild" engines since the one I put in the Chevelle and have just used chains on them. I'm not sure if any of that rambling helps you in your decision.
Jeff

I always thought of them as a poor mans blower. Or the sound of a bad alternator.

I would much rather listen to a high compression engine with solid lifters.

my 2cents.

Sounds more like a cash register opening up.

me too jeff,i like the sound also, really not lookin for an advantage over chains just noise.finaly made a decision to not run a bigger cam so i thought this might help to take the sting out of that.....dave

i bought one of the 54 dollar quiet ones from ebay,ill have it in the ol truck runnin very soon!!!!!!

Dave,
I too had a Pete Jackson gear drive in my 72 Chevelle. I decided to put it in when I re-built the motor and at first I loved it. However, its been 2 years since I rebuilt the motor and I've decided to pull the thing out this winter. Yeah, it sounds cool for awhile, but personally it got to be a pain in the ***. The gear drive was so loud I couldn't hear any other aspects of the motor or the dual exhaust I put on it, so I suppose it's a bit of a craps shoot. Then again, that's just my preference. Hope this helps. -Jake

Noise is a form of wasted energy, like heat in the radiator.

A completely efficient engine would make no sound, need no radiator, and have cool exhaust. Then you know that every bit of energy in the fuel is put to work moving the truck, or what ever.

So, if you think a "noisy" gear drive is "high performance", think again, the "quiet" one is actually higher performance....

Anyone have another hair, I have a knife.... :rolleyes:

Grigg

Stay with a chain, I have yet to see any peformance guide (either published by GM or aftermarket) that suggests a gear drive for an engien that originally had a chain. None of the Nascar engines run a gear drive.

Because the metal to metal friction between the gears of a gear drive don't provide enough give for a chromemoly crank. Remember that even though a chromemoly crank is stronger the a cast or factory Chevy forged crank, it is also more brittle. I will choolse to use a chain and not risk snapping the end off or cracking my crank. The guys that are making lots of HP will even opt for a belt system over a true roller chain. I figure if a Nascar engine (and sprint car) will live with chain, then so will my 4340 crank. So like Longbox55 suggest, stay with a chain.

If noise is what is wanted a better idea would be to drop your mufflers and run straight pipes.

Or go with a Blower if that is the sound you want

Big-ol 671 or even a 471 sitting on top of the engine.

If noise is what you want... Don't stop with just the 4-71 or 6-71 blower, go ahead and install the whole engine.

A Detroit Diesel is the most efficient device for turning #2 Diesel fuel into noise.

Also the only engines mentioned in the bible:
"...and the earth was inhabited by screaming monsters..."

The Detroit that makes the most noise is a 6V53, no turbo, straight two lobed blower rotors, and 2,800 rpm goverened....

Grigg

I don't know about that. We had a 6-71 in the Deisel class workshop when I was in college, 5" x 4' stack, no muffler. They could hear that thing run clear across the campus when we ran it up against the governor (3200 rpm). The thing sounded like a Top Feuller leaving the line.

I don't recall what series it was, i do know it came out of a '63 GMC cement truck, we had the Allison 6 speed auto that came with it, too.

Ahh, it was an n series then, no turbo.

N is a series after the standard early Detroit's, they have newer pistons, liners, and injectors. The injectors are N type, for needle valve, the valve in the tip.

N is usually understood as "Naturalized", or non turbo, but it's more complicated than just that.

An N engine sounds different than an older engine, or one with older injectors.

A turbo quiets an engine.

Grigg