Distributor

Scrasauge

Active Member
Sep 24, 2003
118
5
29
Reserve, La
Will my hei distributor that is in my early model 302 flat tap engine work in my new 5.0 roller engine that I am getting in this week? The hei doesn't have any brand name written anywhere on it so I don't know the brand name of it to look it up! But I've read somewhere that it needs a different size gear but not sure. Can anyone help with this I don't want to mess anything up when I install the engine
 
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How can I find out what distributor and gear I have and which one will I need?
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It is the MATERIAL, not pitch, of the gear that matters. Rather than type it out from memory and maybe make mistake, I suggest a Google search. Roller cams are made of different material but the stock type cam could have a gear blah blah, please google.
 
That would be true if different pitch gears were the common problem. It is not, though.

Cast distributor gear, hardened steel, billet steel, bronze or polymer is the most frequent question and issue when deciding to go with a flat tapper, stock roller or aftermarket roller shaft.
 
Depends on the year of the 302 . the early dist. uses a different pitch on the drive gear and will not work on cams for 84 ,i think is the start ,and up . You can change the drive gear to the correct one for your roller motor.

Your posts are the ONLY ones on the web I can find that says the pitch is different. I believe you are confused. I have never read that in any Mustang/ ridding magazine either and I did the E7 block swap .
Here is a source if they let me quote it.
http://www.maverick.to/grabber/late302.html
 
I thought all Ford small block distributors ran the same gear. I made a mistake once of installing a 351M dist. In my 351W once. The difference, I learned, was in the diameter and pitch. To solve the problem, (at the track, mind you) I pulled a dist. From a 3.8 which was in an LTD II which had been used under a monster truck event, (I got lucky that the dist. Was still in one piece under that wrinkly hood.) removed that gear, and put it on the 351M dist. We raced it all season like that.
 
If I recall right, a 351w gear outside is the same as a 302, but the shaft drive is different on the bottom ( and maybe the length????) I never thought about a 351c or m being able to swap or not. Glad it worked for you!