Ford 302 Hyd. Roller Cam Question

Hello I recently purchased a 302 Ford engine out of a 1985 T-Bird and was told it had a hydraulic roller cam. Can any of you Ford Wizs tell me how to tell the difference short of pulling the intake? Thanks

 

metal that the timing gear on dist has???

no ford expert here but got one used
does it have injection and electronic??
my 89 had carb and points and they changed drive gear on dist so its compatible

 

Pull a valve cover, rocker arm, and push rod and check the length of the push rods.
6.258 Hydraulic Roller
6.875 Hydraulic Flat Tappet

 

The major caveat, as mentioned above, on these motors is that the distributor drive gear needs to be compatible. Flat tappet cams use a cast iron distributor gear. Rollers have a steel gear on the cam, so need a steel gear on the distributor as well. If they are mismatched, you will eventually have wear problems.

 

On an 85 T-Bird, chances are that it is not a roller, but sure doesn't hurt to check.


cheers
Ed N.