Engine and Transmission Tech

Not sure how Curtis dealt with that issue, on mine I kept the stock bushings and oiling method.

Jim

Hey Fred,

I was thinking of exploring Larry's idea to shorten the engine by a few inches. Just bouncing ideas around. I wouldn't have to modify the cam because there's not the extra length for the distributor drive gear. How much room would it save? I won't know until I can get to the junk yard and measure. I have to wait until the copperheads and rattlesnakes are down for the winter. I don't do junk yards in nice weather around here. Killed a rattlesnake two weeks ago. Hate those things, yeeesh!

Tim

Hey Tim,
I've got a CUX engine and a GEMS engine sitting here side by side (and no rattlers)
Measured from the water pump pulley flange, the Gems engine is 2.5" shorter.
I don't know about the 3800 covers but I would suspect that they are even shorter to clear a FWD installation.
Sounds like Larry is the guy to talk to about that.
Cheers
Fred

I've never tried the 3800 cover but, you better get all the accessory brackets and use that water pump also as it is serpentine belt. There was a thread here where they used the bottom half 3800 cover and used the gearotor oil pump by modifying the damper and welded to the top stock half for distributor and water pump. Or the uncommon Rover late 3.9/4.2 transitional cover which has gearotor oil pump and distributor hole. I think there is a rare 87-88 Buick V6 cover also but it maybe serpentine drive also, so again you would need all accessory brackets.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/16/2013 12:06AM by mgb260.

Sorry for resurrecting an old thread, but this thread provided a good insight into cam sensors. I have now completed an installation on my TVR (rover) V8 so thought it worth the time to provide an update.

The concept: A wheel designed to sit in front of the JP duplex timing sprocket on the cam. It's balanced by design. The pin is designed to give a clean signal with the readily available 1gt101dc Hall sensor from Honeywell, fitted in the standard cam sensor location in an intermediate Serpentine timing cover.

CAD drawing of the wheel


Water jet cut cam sensor wheel on engine


The engine is now complete and I'm pleased to say the cam wheel and sensor performed flawlessly from the beginning, and the installation is nice and tidy, even if I did have to hack a corner off the inside of the timing cover. (It's not there on the later timing covers)

Looks fantastic David.
And it's doing the job as intended, can't do much better than that.
Cheers
Fred

I need to do the same thing here. Any of these for sale yet? Or do I need to make one. I was just planning on using the crane optical pickup in the distributor as a cam sensor, just fill in all but one slit on the chopper wheel.

Another question. How are you setting the Sync on the cam sensor? Like how to index it. Ford uses a tool that goes in place of the sensor when you install it, it indexes it in the correct position.

Anyone? Anyone? So I got a synchronizer out of a Ford 4.2L V6, it's the 3 wire sensor. Now just need an old distributor to cut apart.

Well... with a half moon set-up (180 degrees "on" and 180 degrees "off",) you don't have to be very precise. I just eyeballed it. I'm probably within 45 degrees or so!

Wow!! LOL. That's not very close!! Ever think of using a Lab Scope? Dual channel, then line up the waveforms? So at #1 TDC, you'd want the half moon vane just at the edge of the sensor?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/26/2014 12:51AM by parrisw.

As I understand/recall, MegaSquirt polls my Hall effect (3-wire) cam sensor just once while I'm cranking the engine and immediately after sensing the missing-tooth gap in my 36-1 crank position trigger wheel. It only needs to know whether I'm on the compression stroke or the exhaust stroke. Just after top-dead-center it's got to be one or the other, right? The half moon wheel gives me a whole lot of leeway.


(The sensor on the left is a Hall effect sensor. The sensor on the right is a two-wire VR sensor... and that's the kind you don't want to use in combination with a half moon wheel.)

I've got the Hall effect one with three wires.

I've got my sensor all done. Was pretty easy actually.

Pics to come.

Post on my site about building a sensor.

[www.tr-8.ca]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/08/2014 12:29AM by parrisw.

Thank you for all the info.I am going to try the GN cam sensor I was able to buy on a close out sale for about $75




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/02/2016 05:09PM by donkelly23.

Sweet!

Curtis, I am in awe of what you, Mr Nichols and Mr Blackwood do.
I am getting help with this from Will Parris and others on the TWOA site for my Wedge.
Most NW people I noticed. Should have done this before I left Seattle for the Beaches of Charleston



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/03/2016 11:27AM by donkelly23.

Don, that's a nice find on the GN cam sensor. Mind telling where you got it?

Jim

Jim, I bought it a least 2 years ago from Rockauto on a closeout.
Just looked at the pic. Took it 12/15/2014
Somebody mentioned it somewhere and I knew in the back of my mind I would MS the car eventually.
It's been sitting in my office closet since then

Got a part number for it anywhere by chance?

Jim