Hey ya'll, ....does anybody have a link or info on timing marks on the timing gears on a 216..... I installed a new gear, but couldn't find any info on lining the timing marks. I'm not sure I did it right, but I lined up the dot on the top gear with the line on the bottom gear....... like this..... ....somebody PLEASE tell me that's right......
Cam Timing No ; That's wrong on two levels : firstly , the crank gear's timing punch mark is plainly visable two teeth left of the 6:00 position instead of in mesh with the cam gear . When the gears are correctly lined up , the punch marks will be aligned , one will be in the valley between two teeth and the other punch mark will be at the tip of a tooth . Occasionally one gear will have two punch marks , one each at the tip of two teeth . Secondly , you're using a fiber cam gear and that's not wise ~ the teeth tend to rip off without warning in less than 60,000 miles.... I hope this helped .
A tip on finding timing marks when they're not obvious is to look at the picture in an old Motors Manual. Don't use a Chiltons, it is useful only if your out of paper in the restroom. The picture is dead accurate so you can count how many teeth the mark is from the key way in either the crank or cam and that is where it should be on your gears. On Cloyes gears their trademark was a "c" with a circle around it and was sometimes mistaken for the cam gear timing mark. We set ours with a degree wheel and dial indicator for several reasons but the marks are fine if aligned right.
GOOD NEWS!! GOOD NEWS!!!! ...the timing on the gear is obviously correct.....because I got it started today.....and it purrs beautifully!!! ....I guess I just got myself in a panic Friday.... I only had about 20 minutes to try and get it fired up (for the first time) before I had to leave.... I recall when I was installing the new cam gear, there were no punch marks on the crank gear.... I cleaned it very well, all I could find was the single line, which I lined up with the dot on the cam gear..... that was about 6 months ago...... ...Friday, when we tried to fire it up, it was popping out the carb like the timing was off..... but that was after cleaning the points and finally getting fire to the plugs..... then I had to leave..... of course the timing gears was the first thing that popped in my mind as being the problem.....I've built many small blocks.....Chevy, Ford, and Mopar, and never had a problem figuring out the timing on the gears..... until this one..... ...Today, I went to the shop to figure this thing out cause it was bugging me all day Saturday...... I pulled the number one plug, got the piston up on compression stroke.....lined up the ball and pointer on the flywheel...... pulled the dizzy cap..... and BAM!!!! .......it was 180* out...... instant relief...... pulled the dizzy, flipped it 180*, dropped it back in..... it fired right up and sounds great...... it idles smooth and accelerates nicely without any hesition...... that's after setting the timing of course...LOL!!!! ...but anyway, thanks for all you guys help...... ....as for the fiber gear, I think it will be okay for this truck...... it won't be a daily driver...... this is more of a Sunday-driver/parade/ show -truck...... probably won't see 60K miles in 15 years...LOL!!!!
