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Camshaft Accessories
Pontiac V8 Camshaft Accessories
The Parts That Keep a New Cam Alive — Camshaft Accessories for Pontiac V8s
Camshaft Accessories are the small parts that hold a Pontiac V8 camshaft in place and let it drive everything else: the cam bolt and washer, the cam key, the camshaft thrust plate that sets end play, the fuel pump eccentric, and the distributor gear the cam spins to turn the oil pump. Any one of them wrong and a fresh cam does not survive break-in.
Butler stocks Grade 8 and ARP cam bolts, standard and offset cam keys, steel and high-load nickel bronze thrust plates, BOP Carbon Ultra-Poly composite distributor gears in .491" and .500" shaft sizes, Comp and MSD bronze gears, the Butler Cam Degree Kit, and Butler cam install kits built for mechanical or electric fuel pump engines.
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1. Bolt, Key, Washer and Thrust Plate
Everything at the nose of the cam does one of two jobs: it locks the gear to the cam, or it controls how far the cam can walk forward and back. Butler sells these individually and as kits.
| Cam bolt | the Butler Grade 8 bolt is a 1/2" x 1" fine thread. ARP offers a Pontiac 350-455 cam bolt and washer in 1/2-20. Either one replaces a bolt that has already been torqued a few times in its life and should not be trusted again. |
| Cam washer | on a mechanical fuel pump engine the cam washer is what retains the fuel pump eccentric, and it has to be the correct thickness. On an engine running an electric pump with no eccentric, Butler's timing chain gear retaining washer/spacer takes its place. |
| Thrust plate | the standard 1964-1977 Pontiac V8 plate is .118" thick and fits 301 through 455. Butler also stocks a high-load aluminum nickel bronze plate that is the recommended choice when the engine is running roller cam bearings. |
| Cam keys | a standard 59-77 key for stock timing, or Mr Gasket offset keys in 2 degree and 4 degree versions when you want to move cam timing without buying a multi-keyway crank sprocket. |
| Install kits | Butler's Cam Install Kit comes two ways. The mechanical fuel pump version includes the cam bolt, cam washer, thrust plate, a two-piece fuel pump eccentric, cam key and Grade 8 thrust plate bolts with lock washers. The electric fuel pump version swaps the eccentric for a block-off plate and gasket. |
2. Distributor Gears: Match the Gear to the Cam and the Shaft
This is where Pontiac guys lose engines. The distributor gear has to match two things at once: the shaft diameter of the distributor and the material and size of the gear on the camshaft.
| Shaft size first | .491" is the stock Pontiac shaft, used with factory GM HEI, Pertronix HEI, points and Mallory distributors. .500" is the aftermarket size used by MSD, Pertronix non-HEI, Holley and FAST. A Mallory has to be drilled for the larger diameter pin to use a .491" composite gear. |
| Composite gears | BOP's Carbon Ultra-Poly gear is sold in both .491" and .500". It replaces worn bronze gears and takes the metal shavings problem out of the oil entirely, which matters on any engine running a billet or roller cam. |
| Ram Air V and 455 SD | those cams use a smaller cam gear, so they need the large-diameter BOP composite gear made specifically for them in .491". A standard gear is not a substitute. |
| Bronze and iron | Comp's bronze gear covers HEI, points, TSP, Mallory and Unilite in .491". MSD offers a bronze gear for racing roller cams and a ductile iron gear, both for the MSD 8563 Pontiac distributor in .500". Butler also stocks a plain steel replacement gear for the stock .491" shaft, roll pin included. |
3. Degreeing and Installing the Cam
Dropping a cam in on the dot marks and hoping is how a good cam gets a bad reputation. Both of these tools live on the bench at Butler.
| Butler Cam Degree Kit | this is the most complete Pontiac cam degree kit you will find, and it works with the heads on or off the engine. It includes a Comp Cams 4798 crank socket, a 4925 cam checking tool, checking springs, a piston stop bolt and the degree wheel kit. |
| Butler Camshaft Installation Tool | a 7" handle that threads into the cam nose so a long cam can be walked through the bearings without dragging a lobe across them. The hex handle can be turned with a box end wrench, and it fits 301 through 455. |
4. Break-In
A flat tappet cam either survives its first twenty minutes or it does not, and the oil in the pan decides which.
| Break-in lubricant | Comp Cams engine break-in lubricant and oil additive ships in a 12 oz bottle and raises the zinc and phosphorus level of an ordinary oil for the break-in cycle. |
| Why it matters | a flat tappet lobe and lifter face wear in against each other under high spring pressure. Modern street oil does not carry the additive package that job needs. |
| Roller cams | a hydraulic or solid roller does not have the same break-in requirement, but a roller lifter still has to be run in gently and a new cam always gets new lifters. |
If you are ordering a cam from Butler, order the install kit and the correct distributor gear at the same time. It is far cheaper to have the right thrust plate and gear sitting on the bench than to pull a front cover twice.
Not sure what your Pontiac needs?
Call our tech team at 866-762-7527. Tell us your engine, heads, car, and power goal, and we will put the parts together as one combination that works.