[VETTE GUY]

I just installed a new cam, lifters,and timing gear/chain set....have"nt even got it put back togather yet ,BUT....after finishing installing the chain i noticed that it is really tight..like no free play at all..is this normal on a high performance timing chain set ? or is it that i am just so use to sloppy oem type ?................oh, a little info on the car and type of cam set-up: chev 350/goodwrench 250hp.......crain street racing cam #100052 energizer (454/454 lift) matching cam & lifter set, and a eldelbrock performer dual width-link chain and matching steel gears..(#7800)...its in a 79 vette..........to finish it off i have a new polished elderbrock performer intake to stick on top of it all...thanks for any info you might have on this, i am sure a lot of you guys have installed performance timing chain sets many times in the past ...if they are really that tight ,that should gain a little performance over the oem kind..its sure a sturdy one...VETTE GUY.......

[4 Jaw Chuck]

Roller chains usually fit tighter due to the roller design compared to the involute factory style chain. Clearance in a roller is determined by the clearance space between the pin and the roller, wear will make the chain looser and hence a new one should be snug.

Involute types (OEM STYLE) actually ride out farther on the sprockets to take up clearance and self adjust for wear as a result, this makes them particularly useful for high mileage/stock applications. This feature also reduces noise and will quell harmonics in the valvetrain. The best part...the higher it is loaded the tighter it becomes, a very desirable valvetrain characteristic.

The only reason to ever choose a roller over a stock involute type is for the higher tensile strength of the roller design, the pin is larger than the involute pin. I think most builders will agree that an involute type is by far the superior design for every application other than pure racing where durability at high rpm is more important than harmonic dampening and noise.

In most cases a steel gear involute design will be strong enough for any application, if you are breaking them and need a roller, you have other problems that need solving first. The exception to this rule is chains that must reverse direction such as overhead cam chains where an idler is required to take up slack, the roller can reverse because of it's symetrical design, the one sided involute cannot. There are reversing involutes available but they very thick compared to a roller and are typically used only for timing critical drives where self adjustment under load is of paramount importance (old punch card CNC machinery is a good example).

Unfortunetly the magazines make it out to be quite the opposite because a roller is sexy. :skeptic:

[VETTE GUY]

4 jaw chuck............so are you telling me its ok and dont worry because it doe not have any free-play in the chain,its not bound up or anything the cam spraket went on easy but there is not anty give or slight bend in the chain at all, you can push and pull it from the sides and its like a steel bar,i just want to know its ok and that its just the nature of the beast type thing and i can put it back togather .and get my vette back on the road
....................THANKS FOR THE IMPUT....VETTE GUY........

[4 Jaw Chuck]

It will loosen up in the first 15 minutes of starting, it's good to go.