The Blue Oval guys have been using a Ford timing belt on many of their smaller engines for years now, and they're all too familiar with the benefits. A Ford timing belt offers great reliability, smooth, quiet operation, and light weight. We're not kidding about Ford timing belt reliability either: As long as the Ford timing belt is replaced at the manufacturer's recommended intervals, the Ford timing belt almost never breaks. Some of you folks just won't use anything that doesn't have a Ford timing chain in it, and that's okay. Particularly on the older pushrod V8 engines, the Ford timing chain was short, well lubricated, and nearly indestructible. And, unlike the Ford timing belt, when a Ford timing chain failure occurs it usually occurs over the course of about 20,000 miles. A Ford timing chain doesn't break under normal circumstances-it simply wears out slowly but surely. If you've ever had a Ford timing belt break on you, you know that the case is quite different for the Ford timing belt. Like a vacuum cleaner belt or a fan belt, when a Ford timing belt goes it goes quickly and violently. Since most Ford designs are not interference engines, Ford timing belt failure generally just involves getting a tow to the shop. Some head designs, however, are interference engines and a Ford timing belt failure on these motors may also mean a new head or engine rebuild. If that sounds like a poor design, it's really not: Interference engines have tighter tolerances, allowing more efficient design. It also requires that owners replace the Ford timing belt regulary, so be sure to do so. If your engine has a Ford timing chain, be on the lookout for an engine that just refuses to be tuned properly. When the Ford timing chain stretches, the valvetrain and distributor won't play nicely. If in doubt, throw in a new Ford timing chain and gearset and chances are you'll fix your tuning problems.