Reviewer: Tim Feeley
from northern Illinois
March 21, 2005
I have used Cloyes timing products in the past and was hoping to build a street/strip Ford 390 with quality parts. I chose Cloyes hex adjust timing set as it offered billet steel gears and timing flexibility without repositioning the gear set. There were no advertised compresion or horsepower limitations, I assumed it was a performance part. The hex adjust survived cam break-in but broke when the engine was placed on the dyno....very soon. The engine compression is 10.75/1 with standard Edelbrock Performer RPM heads and valve springs, 415 h.p. @ 5000 rpm. Not real stout. The engine was saved before serious damage but I incurred a $400 bill in extra dyno and machine time. I did receive $329.80 of the $400 but it took about 10 weeks and a lot of anger. I was told that the Ford cam nose design with only one bolt and dowel was the root of the problem. Numerous fixes. Out-dated design, etc. Future disclaimers and b.s. The part has a weak spot...the adjuster. Cloyes other Ford timing sets may not be a problem but I would steer clear of the hex adjust . It is not worth the possible grief.
