Before any engine can be built, certain parameters about its usage need to be outlined and addressed. For one, you need to decide if you are building an engine for street or race use. Also, is the engine going to have a longer-than-stock stroke? And finally, will the camshaft be in the stock location? What, wait, what do you mean “in the stock location?”

For years, engine builders have been using engine blocks in high-performance applications that feature a camshaft location positioned higher in the block than stock production-style engines. The reason for raising the camshaft location is that it provides increased clearance between the rotating assembly and the camshaft, and this extra clearance allows the use of a longer-stroke rotating assembly, and heavier-duty components that provide greater strength and stability.

The housing is machined from 6061 billet aluminum.

At the 2015 SEMA Show, we came across a cool product in the Milodon booth that caters to big-block Chevrolets with a .400-inch raised camshaft, small-block Chevy with a .391-inch raised camshaft, as well as Mopars and Hemi engines with a .250-inch raised camshaft. These new billet gear-drives are designed to allow easy degreeing of the camshaft using Milodon’s adjustable bolt pattern camshaft gear and hub assembly. They do still offer cast-aluminum gear drives for those applications with a standard camshaft location. They also manufacture units designed to fit under the stock timing cover of Chevy, Ford, Mopar, AMC, and Pontiac engines.

Ken Sink tells us, “Milodon has been manufacturing high-performance gear drives since 1967. These new gear drives incorporate a 6061 billet-aluminum front cover with a removable camshaft cover that allows quick and easy access to the camshaft gear for adjustments and removal.”

The idler gear is mounted solidly into the main cover itself, and will fully compensate for any crankshaft location, even if the block has been severely align bored. “No block machining is required, however, simple hand tools are required to drill and ream the dowel-pin positioning hole, which can be done at home” Sink said.

The cover uses positive camshaft end-play adjustment, and there is a three-piece roller bearing behind the cam gear to control camshaft movement, reduce drag, and stop block face wear. The cover is available in their standard “flat cover” configuration, which allows the use of a stock-style water pump, or an “injected/blown with fuel pump drive” style that does not use a stock-style water pump.

Finally, for small-block Chevy guys, short water pumps will fit over the PN 12000 gear drive with the hardware provided. For those with big-block Chevys using short water pumps, you will need additional spacing for the pump, as it will not fit over the PN 12600 gear drive without the additional spacing.