Hey folks, I've picked up another Vortec 350, am outfitting it with an LT1 cam and Edelbrock Performer intake. This is all going into a 1983 Trans Am I picked up last week. I am going to use the factory HEI ignition, but I read that the distributor gear is not compatible with the roller cam. Anyone have any idea on what gear I should try to find? Part numbers? I looked at some websites and saw that Chevrolet had different diameter distributor shafts, one was .500 and the other was .490. Which one would be right for my application? Thanks in advance.

The dist gear you already have is compatible.

Virtually all hydraulic street roller cams are ground on cast-iron cores, the same as flat tappet cams. The ones you have to change the dist gear for are the real racing rollers, made on a billet steel core.

If your cam lobes aren't smooth and copper-colored on the sides, but rather gray and bumpy, then you need a soft gear.

Just FYI, I'm running a stock 83 L69 dist gear with about 165,000 miles in the OE motor on it, now installed with a hydraulic roller cam, and about 25,000 more miles like that.