1987, Timing gears or timing chain?

[Dav]

The head gasket blew on my '88 2.9. A few years ago I bought a parts motor from a '89 because it has the better heads.
Being just about broke, I can't afford to rebuild the spare motor or have a valve job done on the heads.
Many, and I do mean many, years ago I put a '76 2.8 in a Toyota truck. I had a 74 2.6 also, both from Capri's. The 76 had a plastic timing gear and the 74 had a metal one, maybe aluminum.
My neighbor had a 2.8 in something and had to pay a school kid to reach into the front of the oil pan to get the pieces of the plastic gear out when his disintegrated. I swapped the plastic out for metal and got approximately 250k out of the truck before it rusted out. Gotta love New England winters.
I have stumbled onto a 87 2.9 motor cheaper and faster to get into the truck than doing the valve job. (I think). While the motor is new motor is on the hoist I figured I'd changed seals and gaskets that need it and see about timing.
Reading other posts here, it seems that the gears have gone away and it's back to timing chains.
Is this so? I'd prefer the gears.

 

[bcschief]

2.8 engines have timing gears, 2.9 has timing chains and gears.

 

[gaz]

@Dav
If you can scrounge it up, last valve job I paid for on a Ford 60° V6 was $250, including parts. It resulted in new valve guides, reground seats, new seals; combined with a proper follow-up hydraulic lifter preload adjustment (which I performed), I had a big !!

Cloyes is my go-to timing set.