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Timing Chains and Sets
Pontiac V8 Timing Chains and Sets
Set the Cam, Keep It There — Timing Chains and Sets for Pontiac V8s
The timing set is what ties the crank to the cam, and on a Pontiac V8 it is also where you set cam timing. A worn factory chain lets the cam wander, and a set that is the wrong length for a line-bored block will run slack from the day it goes in. This is a part worth buying once and buying right.
Butler stocks pro billet double roller sets with 9-keyway crank sprockets from Butler, Comp, Rollmaster and JP Performance in standard, .005" short and .010" short lengths, Melling stock replacement sets, and the Milodon gear drive for engines that will not tolerate a chain at all.
Browse Timing Chains and Sets Products
Items 1-16 of 16
Description: Made in the USA for Butler by SA Gear
Pontiac Pro Billet Timing Set, Billet Gears, 9 Keyway Crank Sprocket
.005 Short for Line Bore Blocks
Item #: BPI-TCS-005
Condition:
New
Price: $124.95
Description: Made in the USA for Butler by SA Gear
Pontiac Pro Billet Timing Set, Billet Gears, 9 Keyway Crank Sprocket
Standard Length
Item #: BPI-TCS-STD
Condition:
New
Price: $124.95
Description: Butler Exclusive by Comp, Pontiac Pro Billet Timing Set - Billet Gears 9 Keyway Crank Sprocket
Item #: CCA-7112CPG
Condition:
New
Price: $158.95
Description: Butler Exclusive by Comp, Pontiac Pro Billet Timing Set - Billet Gears 9 Keyway Crank Sprocket , .005" Short for Line Bore blocks
Item #: CCA-7112CPG-5
Condition:
New
Price: $161.95
Description: Timing Chain and Gear Set, Magnum, Double Roller, Steel Sprockets,
Item #: CCA-2112CPG
Condition:
New
Price: $93.95
Description: Pontiac Pro Billet Timing Set, Billet Gears, 9 Keyway Crank Sprocket
.005 Short for Line Bore Blocks
Crank gears may need to be honed to fit some aftermarket crankshafts
Item #: JPP-5614LB-5
Condition:
New
Limited Supply: Only 1 Left!
Price: $109.95
Description: Pontiac Pro Billet Timing Set, Billet Gears, 9 Keyway Crank Sprocket
.010 Short for Line Bore Blocks
Crank gears may need to be honed to fit some aftermarket crankshafts
Item #: JPP-5614LB-10
Condition:
New
Limited Supply: Only 2 Left!
Price: $109.95
Description: Pontiac Pro Billet Timing Set, Billet Gears, 9 Keyway Crank Sprocket
Crank gears may need to be honed to fit some aftermarket crankshafts
Item #: JPP-5614
Condition:
New
Not Available
Price: $99.95
Description: Pontiac Replacement Timing Chain for JPP Timing Sets
Item #: JPP-DR602
Condition:
New
Price: $113.65
Description: O.E.M. TIMING CHAIN SET
Pontiac 326, 350, 389, 400, 455 Stock Replacement Timing Set
Item #: MEL-3-350S
Condition:
New
Price: $79.29
Description: STANDARD DOUBLE ROLLER TIMING CHAIN 3 KEY
Incls .250" Double Seamless Roller Chain, Cast Iron Cam Sprocket, 3 Keyway Steel Crank Sprocket W/+2 Degree/-2 Degree Cam Adjustment 3pc Set;
Item #: MEL-40408
Condition:
New
Price: $97.72
Description: Milodon Pontiac Gear Drive Timing Set
w/Torrington bearing in cam plate (does not use a stock cam plate)5"
Item #: MIL-13900
Condition:
New
Not Available
Price: $549.95
Description: Pontiac Replacement Timing Chain for Rollmaster Timing Sets
Item #: ROL-3DR60-2
Condition:
New
Price: $119.95
Description: Pontiac Red Series (Iwis Seamless Roller Chain) Pro Billet Timing Set w/ Billet Gears, 9 Keyway Crank Sprocket
.005 Short for Line Bore Blocks
Crank gears may need to be honed to fit some aftermarket crankshafts
Item #: ROL-CS7050-5
Condition:
New
Price: $129.95
Description: Pontiac Red Series (Iwis Seamless Roller Chain) Pro Billet Timing Set w/ Billet Gears, 9 Keyway Crank Sprocket
.010 Short for Line Bore Blocks
Crank gears may need to be honed to fit some aftermarket crankshafts
Item #: ROL-CS7050-10
Condition:
New
Price: $129.95
Description: Pontiac Red Series (Iwis Seamless Roller Chain) Pro Billet Timing Set w/ Billet Gears, 9 Keyway Crank Sprocket
Crank gears may need to be honed to fit some aftermarket crankshafts
Item #: ROL-CS7050
Condition:
New
Price: $114.95
Items 1-16 of 16
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More About Timing Chains and Sets
1. Stock Replacement or Pro Billet
Two different jobs. Pick by what the engine is going to do, not by what looks best on the bench.
| Stock replacement | the Melling 3-350S is essentially a stock replacement set for 326, 350, 389, 400 and 455. The Melling 40408 is a standard double roller with a .250" seamless roller chain, a cast iron cam sprocket and a 3-keyway steel crank sprocket giving plus or minus 2 degrees of cam adjustment. Both use cast timing gears. |
| Comp standard double roller | a billet steel crank gear on a double roller chain with 2 degrees of adjustment at the cam, which is 4 degrees at the crank. |
| Pro billet | the Butler set is made in the USA for Butler by SA Gear with heat treated, pre-stretched double roller construction, and fits 326 through 455 plus aftermarket IAII and MR2 blocks. The Butler Exclusive Comp set uses induction hardened, precision machined steel billet gears and a heavy-duty large pin chain, and Comp recommends it on roller cam bearings. |
| The best chain | Rollmaster's Red Series uses the Iwis seamless roller chain, which Butler calls the best timing chain on the market. It is the same billet gear and 9-keyway package as the JP Performance sets with a better chain on it. |
2. Standard, .005" Short or .010" Short
This is the question most Pontiac builders get wrong, and it has nothing to do with power level.
| Why short sets exist | line honing or line boring a block moves the crank centerline closer to the cam, which leaves the chain loose. The .005" and .010" short sets take that slack back out. |
| Order by machine work | if the block has been line bored or line honed, ask the machine shop how much came off before you order. A standard set on a line-bored block is a loose chain from the first mile. |
| Available across brands | Butler, Comp, Rollmaster and JP Performance all offer the short lengths, so you do not have to change brands to get the length you need. |
3. The 9-Keyway Crank Sprocket
This is what makes a pro billet set worth the money on a performance engine.
| What it gives you | 9 keyways allow 8 degrees of advance or retard in 2 degree increments, which is enough to move a cam meaningfully without buying an offset key or a different cam. |
| Marked keyways | the JP Performance and Rollmaster sets supply induction hardened crank sprockets with the keyways index marked, so the position you set is the position you can read back later. |
| Degree it anyway | a multi-keyway sprocket is a tool for degreeing a cam, not a substitute for it. Butler's Cam Degree Kit in the Camshaft Accessories category is what turns those keyways into a known number. |
4. Slip Fit and Honing the Crank Gear
A genuine Pontiac quirk that surprises builders coming from other engine families.
| The factory was slip fit | Pontiac timing set crank gears were slip fit from the factory. That is how the engine was designed. |
| Billet gears may need honing | the crank sprockets in these billet gear sets may need to be honed to fit as desired. Some builders prefer a tighter fit, some want a stock slip fit, and crank snout sizes vary from stock as well as between aftermarket brands. |
| Do not force it | if the gear will not go on, it needs honing, not a hammer. Hone it, fit it, then set the timing. |
5. The Gear Drive Alternative
When a chain is not wanted at all, the Milodon gear drive is the option Butler stocks.
| How it mounts | a Torrington bearing in its own cam plate, so it does not use a stock cam plate. The fixed idler gear is mounted solidly to a 3/8" thick steel plate bolted to the block, which fully compensates for crank position even on a severely align bored block. |
| Fit | it fits under the stock front cover with very slight fitting and requires no block machining, though some mounting bolt holes have to be drilled and tapped. The stock mechanical fuel pump may be used on some engines. |
| Adjustment | an adjustable bolt pattern cam gear and hub assembly give advance positions of 0, 6.5, 12, 4, 10, 2 and 7.5 degrees and retard positions of 0, 7.5, 2, 10, 4, 12 and 6.5 degrees. |
Replacement chains are stocked separately for the Rollmaster and JP Performance sets, so a stretched chain does not mean buying gears again.
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.