i was trying to find out more info on these pete jackson gear drives... any info. like how much they cost....can you set them up for the m block to advance the timing (no more retard)
...are they as easy to install as a reg timing set....
thanks
brian

 

Yes, gear timing sets allow you to use various cam timing (advance, 0 degrees, or retard).

The gear timing sets with double idlers (like the Pete Jackson units) require modifying the 351M/400 block (grinding clearance reliefs in the front main bearing boss) because the main bearings are bigger in the 351M/400 than they are in the 351C that the timing sets were designed for.

Gear drive timing uses more engine power than a conventional chain-and-sprocket set. They are unnecessary unless you run at over 7K rpm on a routine basis.

The Pete Jackson gear timing sets are $236 at Summit.

Just get an aftermarket performance timing set with a roller chain. All of the conventional aftermarket performance timing sets allow you to select advanced, 0-degrees, or retarded cam timing.

If all you want to do is eliminate the factory retard on the stock cam, just install the aftermarket timing set in its 0-degrees position.

 

Hey Bubba if he gets a stanard chain set for a 1971 cleveland, wouldn't it come with just the one setting of 0 degree? That's what I plan on doing or am I wrong about that?

 

supercab78, you are correct, but an aftermarket double roller chain will not stretch, and is more accurate than a factory setup IMO.

 

I have a pete jackson gear drive in my 351M and all I had to do is cut the axel of the ilder gear. No clearance of block or main boss

 

From Bubba's web site:
"Several unique parts were developed for truck M-blocks, including ... The original “non-retarded” crankshaft timing gear was also re-introduced on truck engines. "

If this is so why are we always talking about the retarded timing?
Yes I know not ever one has a truck moter but most of us should. "FTE" Or am I on the wrong page all together?

 

I thought I read on the site that the '71 timing set used a 429 crank gear and a 351 C cam gear.

 

The original "non-retarded" cam timing set on 351Cs and 400s used a crank sprocket that was originally designed for the 1968 429 Thunderbird engine (part #C8SE). That crank sprocket was used on all 335-series engines (all 351C variants and 400s) until retarded cam timing was introduced in MY1973.

When retarded cam timing was introduced on 351C 2V and 400 engines, they got a new timing set (all new components) designed specifically for those engines. All of those components carry the '73 400 part number D3AE.

The timing set for 335-series engines was revised in 1975 (still retarded, though) when the 351M was introduced to replace the 351C 2V. All of those timing set components carry the '75 M-block (351M/400) part number D5AE.

When Ford introduced M-block (351M/400) engines in trucks and vans in MY1977, the truck engine timing set used the original 351C cam sprocket and timing chain (part #D0AE) and a new truck-only crank sprocket (part #D7TE) with retarded cam timing, which replaced the original (part #C8SE) non-retarded crank sprocket. The truck timing set was essentially the original 351C timing set, with retarded cam timing.

In MY1978 and MY1979, some 351M truck engines were equipped with the original non-retarded C8SE crank sprocket. From what I can tell, it appears that the 351Ms with non-retarded cam timing were used only in '78 Broncos and '79 trucks with HD-certified engines (F250HD and F350). It is possible that Ford also used the non-retarded C8SE crank sprockets in some other M-block truck engines (probably only in '78 and '79), but I cannot confirm that.

Many aftermarket suppliers of OEM-type timing sets produce only the retarded version, even for early Cleveland engines. If the manufacturer's catalog shows only one timing set for all 351C and 400 engines from 1970-1974, then it is probably a retarded timing set.

If I was looking for non-retarded cam timing with an aftermarket OEM-type timing set, I would inspect the crank sprocket to determine if it is retarded or not.

You can tell if the timing is retarded by looking at the alignment between the crank sprocket keyway slot and the index tooth. If the alignment is perfectly straight (i.e., you can place a straight edge on the index tooth center and it runs straight through the middle of the keyway slot), then the timing is not retarded. If the edges of the keyway slot are not parallel to a straight edge centered on the index tooth, the timing is retarded.

 

Thats Bubba for ya, always on top with good info.