New Timing Chain Set Loose?

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Brian Barone

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Hello all,
I've already learned a LOT from you guys but at the moment I am stumped. We're rebuilding the slant out of my girlfriend's 69 dart and decided to replace the timing chain set since it was decently worn out. I've done a few motors before such as the ford 302 and an LA 318, and the new timing sets always going on very snug with essentially no slack.
When I tell you this new chain was LOOSE, I mean it was worse than the old worn out one! I didnt check degrees, but there's easily an inch of play on this chain, if not more. It's a Cloyes C3022k set.

Is this a fluke and I should warranty it? Is there another set I should try? I was hoping to get a double roller (not that I really need one) but couldn't find any online. I saw another forum say it could be from a bad hone job on the crank or cam, but this seems too much for that.
The engine is sitting until we can figure this out, but I dont want to drop money on a new set if something else is wrong. Thank you in advance FABO fam!
 
Lots of possibilities...

Quality Control ain't what it use to be so a bad chain is a very real possibility...

If the engine had been rebuilt I'd be looking at the possibility the distance between the crank centerline & the cam centerline was below spec & I'd be looking at an undersize chain...

The fact you say the original chain is tighter than the new chain points strongly to a problem with the new chain...

One other thing you might be shocked at how much slop in the chain is allowable and considered within spec....

The service manual suggests using a ruler and measure how much travel a single pin of the chain moves at the top center of the cam sprocket when using a wrench to rock the cam back & forth without moving the crank.... The allowable spec is 3/16".... This photo I found from Autozone shows 1/8" but the OE manual shows 3/16"... N

IMG_8137.jpg
ot saying I want that much on an engine I'm building... Just that that is the spec...
 
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@toolmanmike Ill take pictures tonight and post them, but I'm definitely leaning towards quality control. The previous owner is a family friend and he doesnt remember having the motor rebuilt at all.
@1WildRT that is more than I thought. Ill do the ruler check and see what the play is.. I'm pretty sure its more than that though.

In general, does anyone suggest a different timing kit besides the cloyes kit? Cloyes seems to be well recieved (not to mention the set for the 318 was perfect), but I'm open to different options.
Does anyone happen to have the measurement between the center of the crankshaft and the camshaft?.. I'd love to verify. I definitely dont feel any slop on the bearrings, its a nice split fit still.

Thank you both for the quick responses!
 
Actually the FACTORY crank to cam centerline could be "loose." I'm told you can buy ??undersize?? chain sets whatever they are called.
 
Well guys I got home, tested, and measured up, and it seems its to spec. I swear I remember it being worse, and it still is compared to what I'm used to, but its really not that bad. The chain moves a bit under a 1/16 of an inch from tight to tight. Guess I was just being a big baby! I'll emberass myself and send pictures just for everyone to see. The old one apparently wasnt that bad, but at least I got rid of the nylon teeth!
Thank you everyone for the quick responses! I wouldnt have known without the spec post.

20230717_183717.jpg
 
Getting rid of the nylon teeth is a huge step up in reliability... Nylon was marketed as being "Quiet" well I don't hear much out of steel chains & gears either... And the nylon is generally trouble free for twenty plus years, though sometimes not... But it's been over forty years & I'd hate to be out for a cruise a hundred miles from home & have the gear fail...
 
Cloyes of today is absolute Chinese junk. I went through the exact same issue on a 4.0 Jeep engine last year. Finally (after three sets) got a good one (??). They have only gotten worse since then. I own a repair shop and refuse to buy Cloyes products. Was talking to my guy at O'Reilly's the other day, and he told me that he had to quit selling Cloyes to shops because of extremely high failure rates ( labor claims $$). I would keep taking them back until you get a tight set. I had to switch vendors before I got the good (??) set for Jeep. It was kind of funny that everything was different, packaging, color of metal, instructions,etc, except the part number between vendors. Obviously from a different factory. I have also found out that Cloyes, along with many other companies (Standard for one), offer two different lines of the same product, quality wise. If you find a good fitting Cloyes, it would probably be OK for a stock slant six. I mainly deal with late model 3 or 4 chain set-ups.
 
At least that's not the garbage cast gear with three thin spokes. I ended up using a Roll-Master double roller timing chain in my build - expensive by slant six part standards, but they're the best quality one you can find for a slant six.
 
I found an NOS Mopar performance double roller set for my most recent/6 build.... I think the package was dated like 1987 or something like that. But yes I e been done with cloyes for some years now. I do more SB stuff but with them I've had good service out of the Edelbrock true roller sets. I don't think they have them for a /6 unfortunately
 
I put Rollmasters in all my slants. They run a bit north of $100 but are well worth it.
 
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