Engine Timing Components 2000

U20 TIMING COMPONENTS - INDIVIDUAL PIECES & SETS

History: 3 of the 4 original Tsubakimoto timing component sprockets that were manufactured for Nissan for the U20 motor were cast in a mold using a material known as "gray iron". After casting, the parts were machined to specification and then hobbing was performed. As a side note you can actually see some of the evidence of the mold on the rear jackshaft sprocket near the hub and of course the casting marks are clearly visible on the large jackshaft gear. The cast parts in the original Nissan set were the camshaft sprocket, the rear jackshaft sprocket and the front jackshaft sprocket. We have an original Crankshaft sprocket in a old Nissan Red, White & Blue box that was machined without any induction hardening
At some point Nissan found that the smaller tooth count, crankshaft sprocket, needed to be made out of alloy steel, machined and then the sprocket teeth induction hardened to the proper hardening to prevent accelerated wear which was reported to Nissan as such and a manufacturing change was made internally at Nissan. This is the only gear that had any Induction hardening on the teeth in the subsequent production of these parts. The other sprockets are soft and fall off the low end of the Rockwell scale for hardness.
Cast sprockets are most often chosen by manufacturers because of the large production run and the cost savings to the manufacturer. In the old days, large automotive manufacturers generally did not machine gears and then induction harden them for large production numbers. Rather they would have molds made and cast gears which would offer enormous savings. Nissan's move to manufacturer the crank sprocket differently was not one to save money, but one of necessity.
Fast forward to 50 years later. Cast OEM, and replacement gears are still being manufactured today, although some OEM companies have opt for machined alloy gears with induction hardening which offers greater longevity.
We decided to manufacture the camshaft sprocket, rear jackshaft sprocket, front jackshaft sprocket and the crank sprocket in alloy metal and then have the sprocket teeth induction hardened. Even though the large jackshaft sprocket has a large contact area, tooth count in relation to chain roller engagement, we also decided to have this gear made in alloy steel with induction hardening performed after the machine processes.
We decided not to take this project to a regular sprocket manufacturer. Instead we chose an Aerospace firm in Burbank, California, Gerhardt Gear, who manufacture sprockets and gears for many high end Aerospace companies as well as high end, one off race cars and motorcycles.SEE ALL THEIR AWARDS FROM TOP AEROSPACE MANUFACTURERS They own some of the best CNC equipment in the world!
The choice to go to them instead of a regular automotive gear maker was God awful expensive and we wanted to keep the manufacturing local to be available for conferences.
Aerospace products have to meet very strict performance criteria and each step of the process is handled with the up most care and handling. We wanted this kind of attention during the manufacturing processes.
Their credits include GE Aerospace, Airbus, Boeing, General Atomics Aeronautical "Predator" drone manufacturer and many others.
ISO 9001:2008 AS9100 Rev Certificate International standards authority Inc #1422
The move to a make a material and manufacturing change was recommended by an automotive engineer to offer a longer life cycle than the original parts. Drawings were examined and compared to the original factory parts and to the new production parts during production. Two other Datsun manufacturers products were also examined for material use and fitment. Drawings were ordered for new Nissan sprockets and drawings were also made of the two other manufacturers products. Comparisons were made rendering a final drawing for our production parts.
Heat treating was performed by Cook Induction Heat Treating in Maywood, California.
The 5 steps of production were: Nissan & other new sprocket samples were held in a bonded area, Blueprints were made and a comparative analysis was performed, Certification of US metals, Induction hardening with certification, Certification of conformity & Certification of inspection as per Aerospace standards.

Tensioners: Upper & lower tensioners and newly re-designed upper & lower guide rails are US engineered parts, NOT MADE in China or India
All these parts are exact to original in design and function, except for noted changes and some have past testing while the guide rails are currently in the testing face with the manufacture a US based organization.
In addition, they meet and exceed OEM standards for quality & durability.
Chains: Tsubakimoto original OEM to Nissan Japanese chains.
All of the timing parts, except for the chains, were made as new production parts and are not modified parts from another vehicle.

Kits, individuals & extras: You will note that there are many different kits being offered here in this section as well as individual items. We've taken a versatile approach to selling these parts. Replace what you need to replace. This translates into a proper diagnosis. Check your timing parts carefully so you order EVERYTHING that is needed. Ordering just the upper and lower tensioner set when your gears are "toast" and your cylinder head is cut .100 may not be a wise decision. We won't force you into buying a complete kit or charge a ransom for these parts, but we will advise you that more often than not this part of the engine has been left ignored and the parts re-used many times beyond the normal life cycle. Things to consider before purchasing replacement parts that effect chain rattle are: Height of the cylinder head, worn sprockets, cracked rubber in the guide rails and tensioner shoes and stretched out timing chains.
An extra bonus that has never been offered below by us are replacement tensioner shoes with the correct springs as well as a washer shim pack for the upper tensioner.

4 things happen when you purchase these new items:
1: You get some well engineered parts that will last a long time.
2: You have a lot of variety of kits to choose from saving you money.
3: You pay a reasonable and affordable price.
4: Most important. A portion of your purchase, as stated on select part numbers, goes to help the Homeless and people in need. Your help does good in the world! See individual part numbers for more information concerning donation amounts and charity

RETURN POLICY: Roadster owners need to feel confident when purchasing items from us that the products have not been installed or tampered with. There have been a fair amount of returns of items where the original box is missing or the box is returned with grease or paw prints on the boxes. Items returned need to be returned in original condition. One example was a clutch disc that went out in a sealed box, was returned opened with a grease print on the disc and paw prints on the box. We can not resell or expect our customers to receive goods that look like this.

There is also an alarming amount of factory and aftermarket parts being returned. Please note the following before returning any items:

Items must be returned unopened in original sealed packing and must be free of damage to the packaging and the part. Oil on a box disqualifies the item for refund. Items deemed in non salable condition will not be refunded. You are responsible for the freight back to you of these items.

All items returned have a 20% re-stock fee. Some items and special order items engine & electrical items are not returnable. Some exceptions will be made for exchanging one size for another.