Reply to "Engine rebuild"

I'd suggest neither of the issues you mention have anything to do with the fact a composite gear was being used.

Shearing roll pins is a common problem with some Ford engines and certainly has nothing to do with the type of gear being used. I'd guess Jack DeRyke has written a dozen articles on this subject over the years, in various POCA publications. Part of the solution is to use split pins, not roll pins and to double pin. That means driving a 3/32" pin inside the 1/8" main pin.

Also, if the gear is installed at the wrong height on the shaft, it will destroy itself in no time. That's why Ford doesn't sell dist. gears with holes drilled through them. That way, you're forced to figure out where the gear should be located on the shaft. If you buy a distributor with a gear already mounted and throw it in your engine, without confirming the gear is in the correct location, you're asking for trouble.