I have a flat tappet lunati bracket master cam in my pre-85 350. I am converting to tpi and am forced to use the distributor from a roller-cammed small block. Is the roller cam distributor compatible with the flat tappet cam gear?

 

Yes. Also, a regular dist gear is compatible with most hydraulic roller cams.

 

Wouldnt the hard roller cam gear chew up the flat tappet cam gear? Why not just go get an old gear off an old HEI distributor in a junk yard and put it on the TPI distributor?

 

If you have it out then you might as well install a brass gear while you're rebuilding it

 

There seems to be a great deal of misinformation and misunderstanding out there about this.

You don't need either a hardened or a brass gear to go on a distributor when used with a regular cast core cam blank like that Lunati one. You only need a brass gear when you are running a cam ground from a billet steel blank. It is strictly a question of material compatibility; it has nothing to do with the design of the lifters.

AFAIK the factory uses the same dist gear in their motors, whether they are rollers (L03, L98 etc.) or flat tappet (such as truck 350s).

 

I have to agree with you on that one RB... I always like to replace small, inexpensive parts when I do a rebuild... I think the brass gear is the cheapest way to go if you decide to replace it at all.

 

"AFAIK the factory uses the same dist gear in their motors, whether they are rollers (L03, L98 etc.) or flat tappet (such as truck 350s)."

This is all I needed to know. Thanks!

 

For roller cam engines, the factory uses "melonized" gears, basically a surface treated gear. It provides a better wear surface for the slightly harder factory roller cams. They are also compatible with the softer flat-tappet cams.