SBC camshaft belt drives

[DRIVEN]

Just a side comment about the belt being out in the open; Harley Davidson has been using belt drives for decades...out in the open.

 

[565bbchevy]

I have no qualms with using it on the street. Why would I shelf a $1000 part? If I tried to sell it I might see ½ my money back…

But would you purposely go out and buy one to use on a mild SBC street application that would really see no benefit from it?

 

[David.C]

But would you purposely go out and buy one to use on a mild SBC street application that would really see no benefit from it?

I have on occasion been accused of having more $ than sense... That said, no i would not spend $1000+ on a part I couldn't use for it's intended purpose. I was only trying to point out that there is minimal risk to using one (other than the shotgun blast to the wallet). We've all spent excessive amounts of money on our cars, sometimes on stuff you didn't really need. But, "The heart wants what the heart wants", lol.

 

[tcracer37]

Even on a mild performance car a belt drive is heads and shoulders ahead of any other cam timing systems. Adjustability is second to none, with precise end play adjustments and adjustability of the valve timing to 1/2 of a degree. Even a "mild" performance application will see a performance increase with degreeing the cam precisely, not to mention it's critical to the life of a race engine. I have personally been using them for over 15 years, which includes well over a dozen Silver State Classic races in Nevada, street driving, and 3 Drag Weeks. No belt issues whatever, but it is wise to replace the belt every couple of years for cheap insurance. Make sure you get one with an idler, speaking of which if the belt gets a little loose, you can put on a slightly larger idler which are available.