That is some ingenious R&D !

While I have no doubt you enjoyed the intellectual challenge and creativity, most people don't have access to the necessary precision equipment to fabricate the external reluctor ring to the necessary tolerances.

Also, that setup while being highly creative, is also completely external and unprotected.

For the average person the least expensive / complicated route is:
  • purchase a 4x CKP reluctor from GM (less than $15) - was used on the 5.0 & 5.7 Vortec engines from 1996 to 2002
  • purchase a billet timing cover from EFI Connection ($310) - money well spent (these won't leak when used on a SBC)
  • you could try fitting the plastic (supposedly single use) Vortec timing cover ($50) - but the mating surface is slightly changed compared to a traditional SBC - quite a lot of silicone is required to prevent oil leaks
  • use a 1996+ Vortec harmonic balancer - or machine the snout of the existing SBC balancer the thickness of the 4x CKP reluctor ring
  • use a 1996 to 2002 5.0 or 5.7 Vortec distributer (an upgrade to an aftermarket Vortec style distributer is also money well spent - the OEM ones are mainly made of plastic)


The base tune would be best from a 2001 or 2002 V8 Vortec van, but would end up being a completely custom calibration given the TPI intake, injectors & TB, and the SBC cylinder heads & cam.

This doable on a modest budget, but obviously not doable on no budget.