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Purchased from Patrick in 2003 was a Howard cam and Mallory Electronic Distributor. The engine ran (2014) just long enough to break in the cam per directions, and has been parked since. Sprayed the cylinders with Marvel Mystery Oil and poured the remainder over the top end. I have rebuilt a 2403 distributor with the help of my Stovebolt friends. My question is how can I be sure if the cam is Cast or Forged?
I have contacted Howard cams and and they tell me there is no way of knowing without pulling the cam! there should be a number stamped on their cam.Unless the cam was actually made by a different manufacture. I surely don't want to ruin the cam and or the distributor with the wrong gear installed on the dizzy. I do not want to use the Mallory. I have a bad feeling this will be a lesson of Hard Knocks.

Thanks Red

Patrick isn't around to ask any longer and I'm surprised somebody at Howard's would not be able to tell you what type blanks were used for the camshafts they made for him. I looked on the Wayback Machine and found his catalog, however it only had a digital image of the cam, pushrods, etc he sold...not the description of it. Without removing the camshaft it will only be a guess. Tom Langdon might possibly remember.

If I couldn't (or didn't want to) remove the camshaft to see what it actually was I'd see if I could find a composite gear for the distributor. Those are soft and usually won't damage the camshaft gear. Or a bronze gear. Those usually won't wear the camshaft gear out either. Just my 2 cents worth here.

Another thought...if that Mallory distributor was sold as one which was a match for the Patrick's camshaft, you could remove that gear and swap it with the gear on the 2403 (assuming the shaft size is the same). Just watch to see if the distributor gear is indexed and copy that scheme.

Use a bronze gear for a Chevy 250/292 inline six. It's the same diameter and pitch as a stovebolt gear, and it will work with either a cast iron or a steel cam. JEGS, Summit, and the other online racing parts places sell them.
Jerry

Once again you guys save the day.
Thanks Red

The steel cams were used by GM early on, 216 motors. Over the last 46 years, I have purchased 235 and 261 cams from Chet Herbert, Jack Clifford, Schneider, Howard’s, Isky, Sealed Power. Always for 56-63 motors. All were cast cams. One exception might be A Chet Herbert Cam. He made a few with roller lifters that were very likely steel but that would not have been something Howard’s would have sold in 2003. What year motor are we talking about here? That, and I would take another run at Howard’s. There is no way on god’s green earth they can’t tell you what their 235 cams were made from, no way. I think you got a lazy customer rep who did not want to take the time to track down someone at Howard’s who could actually answer the question. Was just easier to give you the canned response.

Just purchased the bronze gears from ebay. Not sure what is meant by indexing the distributor. I intend to spin the oil pump to insure oil pressure and that the furthest rocker is getting oil. Then with the flywheel ball set to the pointer, and not 180 degrees out for the number 1 cylinder. I will install the dizzy with the points open and on the high spot for number 1 cylinder. Then finish my check list for engine start following with test and tune. If something is off with my thinking please let me know.

Dragsix, the cam was purchased from Patrick in 2003. The tag said is was a Howard cam. When I spoke with Howard Cams they told me that they produced both steel and cast cams for the 235 in 2003. And if it was in fact their cam it should have a numbers stamped on the tail opposite the cam gear.

Thanks Red

Indexing is more important on some engines and less so on others. Basically most Chevy distributors have a dimple on the gear and that dimple should (as I was always taught) line up with the pointer on your rotor. If your replacement gear is marked to show index position, just match it to where the index mark was located on the gear you removed. It can only go that way or 180 degrees off and on the 235 it won't mean a lot. So if the gear you get isn't marked, don't lose a moment of sleep over it. Below is an image of one that was marked and on the HEI distributors I've been working with all are indexed.

You can see the dimple on the HEI distributor I recently converted for the 216/235/261 below.

Now I see, just looked at the used HEI dizzy I purchased from 12 Bolt Tom, and sure enough it has the dimple just as you have shown When I rebuild that unit I may have some questions. Strike that. I will have some questions. LOL

Thank You
Red

Red:

I read that the first time and will repeat that I don't believe that person you spoke to knew what they were talking about. Steel cams for a 235, other then the stock early steel cams, were ungodly rare even back in the day. There was just not enough call for a steel cam as Herbert was the only source (that I am aware of ) for roller lifters and he did not make many of those at all. An early steel cam will not fit a later 235 motor so no chance its a retrofit. Also, a steel cam would have been very expensive. But if Howards says they made a steel cam for a 235, who am I to argue.

I am pretty sure I have an old Patrick's catalog that may be in and about 2003 or so. I may even have a price sheet. I seem to remember that he listed a couple of cams, mild, 3/4 and so forth. Let me see if I can find it and that may shed some light on the cams that Patrick's sold.

On the bronze gear, those gears are not really designed for street duty. They wear out really fast. You usually run them on race motors not because they are strong, but because they will wear out before damaging the cam driven gear or break up before damaging the motor on a failure of some sort, so soft metal designed to give rather then destroy.

Ok let me know what you find,

Thanks Ed

I can, and do put early steel cams in late model engines. In fact, I'm about to send Schneider a handful of 216 cams to regrind with a roller lifter profile. All that's needed is a sleeve pressed over the bearing journals and machined and/or ground to the diameter of the larger 235 cam bearings. I use MOPAR big block roller lifters by sleeving down the lifter bores a few thousandths. They're about 1/32" smaller diameter than a stovebolt lifter. On a low stress application like a stovebolt with relatively low oil pressure, a bronze gear will last about three days past forever. They wear out on race engines because stupid people like wasting horsepower that could be making the car go faster by driving a high volume oil pump.
Jerry

I have no doubt that you can and that you will, lol. But that is a different animal altogether.