small block chevy timing belt vs timing chain

Small block chevy timing belt vs timing chain install#

The tensioner was initially designed for the LA and Magnum V6 engines, which suffered from noisy timing chains. This increased camshaft height is beneficial for a stroker engine build because there is no need for a small-base cam to clear the rotating assembly (crank counterweights, rods, and rod bolts).Ībove: To reduce the timing chain slop we were currently experiencing, we contacted Hughes Engines and picked up a Cloyes tensioner (part no. The center distance (the measurement from the centerline of the crank snout to the centerline of the camshaft) on a small block is 6.125-inches, while the Chevrolet 350 or the Ford 302 of the same era is 4.521-inches and 4.804-inches, respectively. Many other manufacturers would consider the block a “raised cam” design.

Small block chevy timing belt vs timing chain install#

The reason many engine builders elect to install a chain tensioner on a small-block Mopar relates to the block dimensions. To evaluate a tensioner on our ’67 273 engine, we contacted Hughes Engines and picked up a Cloyes tensioner (part no. It did not take long for Mopar devotees to begin installing these on the LA/Magnum V8 engines they rebuilt. The TSB required the dealership technicians to verify if chain/lifter noise existed, and if present, they were instructed to install a timing chain tensioner. Soon after its late-1980s introduction, the LA 239 V6 (and later the 3.9-liter Magnum V6) engine experienced a rattling or lifter-type noise in the timing chain cover area.Īs a fix to this problem, Chrysler issued technical service bulletin (TSB) #9-07-97 for the 1990-1997 V6 engines. The Magnum engine, a contemporary of the LA, continued the small-block tradition from 1992 until 2003 in displacements of 3.9 (V6), 5.2, and 5.9-liter offerings. Production of the LA engines occurred between the years 1964 to 1991 in cubic inch displacements (CID) of 239 (V6), 273, 318, 340, and 360. While the latest trend might be to swap a Gen III Hemi into an early-model Mopar, many of us continue to find, rebuild, install, and enjoy our old school small block engines.