Here is what I put in my car for the "factory look" …. Notice the description says hardened gear …. http://www.pertronix.com/prod/ig/flame/dist/cast/default.aspx “The four most common types of distributor gears are composite, bronze, cast iron and hardened steel. Composite distributor gears are manufactured from a super-strong polymer that both increases durability and is the lightest in weight. Bronze distributor gears are made from extruded aluminum bronze with 5 percent nickel added. These gears conform well to the mating camshaft and will not damage the cam gear. Since cast iron contains two percent carbon, these gears work well with cam gears made from the same material. The hardened steel distributor gears are most often used in mass production by original equipment manufacturers and designed for the longer life of a mild factory engine.”
I stopped using the bronze gear because I heard that it would "dissolve" over time, slowly disintegrate from grinding with the cam gear. Is that true? The quote above mentions nothing about a short lifespan. If the bronze will not deteriorate, then I have a like-new one available if someone needs it.
There are more than one bronze alloys, the one mentioned in the post above may be harder than others so the description will not apply to all. Me personally ? I would not use either the composite (plastic engine parts have never lasted in any engines over long periods of time) nor the bronze gears
