Is there any way to tell if the distributor on my 86 F150, 5.0L M/T has a steel or cast iron gear on the distributor without pulling it out?

 

If the motor is original it has a cast iron gear. The only way you would need a steel gear is if somebody swapped in a roller motor at some point and if that was the case the plugs would be wired for the HO firing order.. 13726548