How important is degreeing a new cam on install?
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 20
Likes: 1
From: CT
How important is degreeing a new cam on install? Just wondering how important this is opposed to setting cylinder 1 at TDC and lining the timing up at 12 and 6? I just installed a new cam this way without degreeing wondering if I should continue assembly or have it degreed.
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 20
Likes: 1
From: CT
It's an engine I'm rebuilding. Lq4 block 243 heads I have comp double roller that is adjustable the cam is an eps cam, speed pro flat tops scat rods comp valve train goodies. The heads are not back on yet so it was easy to find Tdc
My last comp cam was off more than 4 degrees. If you want to know the valve events are correct there is no other way. Degree it and know your correct or wonder later if the car doesn't perform as it should
I was pretty intimidated by the whole degreeing thing before I actually did it. It is very easy to do actually.
I made my own kit for around $70 I think. Comp degree wheel, summit dial indicator, a snipped metal coat hanger, and a piston stop.
I have a long bolt for installing my crank pulleys, so I put the degree wheel on that with 2 nuts, but they do make a specific crank socket for $50 so you can spin the crank without disturbing the degree wheel. Using the long bolt to turn the crank, I had to make sure to turn it real easy so it didn't slip and move the degree wheel.
Also, the summit dial indicator screws right into the rocker threads. Just take it off it's metal base and screw it in
.
The most annoying part for me was keeping the pushrod straight. An easy solution to that is just get a stock pushrod, and weld a dial indicator tip on it so it never loses contact with the gauge.
I made my own kit for around $70 I think. Comp degree wheel, summit dial indicator, a snipped metal coat hanger, and a piston stop.
I have a long bolt for installing my crank pulleys, so I put the degree wheel on that with 2 nuts, but they do make a specific crank socket for $50 so you can spin the crank without disturbing the degree wheel. Using the long bolt to turn the crank, I had to make sure to turn it real easy so it didn't slip and move the degree wheel.
Also, the summit dial indicator screws right into the rocker threads. Just take it off it's metal base and screw it in
.The most annoying part for me was keeping the pushrod straight. An easy solution to that is just get a stock pushrod, and weld a dial indicator tip on it so it never loses contact with the gauge.
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I bought a kit from Comp cams...
kit came with the piston stop(to find TDC), the degree wheel, the indicator, an arm for the indicator, and the special tool they make for the crank/degree wheel
its made for an LS motor, but its made for when the heads are off...
so I made an adapter so that allows me to use it with the rocker bolt holes
I also just did the same thing as the post above for the dial indicator, I took an old pushrod and welded it to a tip for the indicator...except that I wanted less mass, so I bought the Long extension they make for it, and just welded a tip of a pushrod to that...
works great.
the "in car" degree wheel has the 3 bolt holes for the front of a Damper...
which happens to work with the ATI damper I have...
so I put in my cam, and left my front cover off, then I put on my damper, and bolted the degree wheel to the damper....
the ATI damper is removeable from the ATI mandrel, so when I had to make a change, I just unbolted the damper and it gave me plenty of space to work..
kit came with the piston stop(to find TDC), the degree wheel, the indicator, an arm for the indicator, and the special tool they make for the crank/degree wheel
its made for an LS motor, but its made for when the heads are off...
so I made an adapter so that allows me to use it with the rocker bolt holes
I also just did the same thing as the post above for the dial indicator, I took an old pushrod and welded it to a tip for the indicator...except that I wanted less mass, so I bought the Long extension they make for it, and just welded a tip of a pushrod to that...
works great.
the "in car" degree wheel has the 3 bolt holes for the front of a Damper...
which happens to work with the ATI damper I have...
so I put in my cam, and left my front cover off, then I put on my damper, and bolted the degree wheel to the damper....
the ATI damper is removeable from the ATI mandrel, so when I had to make a change, I just unbolted the damper and it gave me plenty of space to work..
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well if it is a newer eps cam it should be ground by cam motion. and if thats the case it should have a cam doctor card for the actual cam you have which will tell you exactly how it was ground. if it was ground right as it should have been then installing it straight up dot to dot would be fine.
being you already have an adjustable timing set it wouldnt hurt to triple check. but if the doctor card says its ground correctly I wouldnt buy the 100 dollar degree kit... adjustable timing sets are for people who want o add more advance to their cam or check a cam that has not been put on a doctoring machine.
comp sends out a generic cam card but does not send out a doctor card with each cam. so it is wise to measure here.
In short if i had the degree kit i would triple check. if I was installing a comp cam I would def buy the wheel and check. If i didnt have a wheel and installing a cam motion cam with the doctor card in front of me i'd install it straight up and let her ride
being you already have an adjustable timing set it wouldnt hurt to triple check. but if the doctor card says its ground correctly I wouldnt buy the 100 dollar degree kit... adjustable timing sets are for people who want o add more advance to their cam or check a cam that has not been put on a doctoring machine.
comp sends out a generic cam card but does not send out a doctor card with each cam. so it is wise to measure here.
In short if i had the degree kit i would triple check. if I was installing a comp cam I would def buy the wheel and check. If i didnt have a wheel and installing a cam motion cam with the doctor card in front of me i'd install it straight up and let her ride
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Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 625
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From: Raleigh, NC
My timing chain was off seven degrees when I installed it, brand new. The cam as timed seven degrees retarded relative to the marks on the crank sprocket.
I would not have found that if I had not degreed the cam.
I would not have found that if I had not degreed the cam.
I have a Manley Adjustable Double Timing Chain...
Dot to Dot was off by 4*
I had to advance mine 4* to get the cam installed at the specified values on the cam card
I bought the Comp degree wheel kit. It's pretty nice, but very expensive. However, it does come with everything you need and it works very well. I've used it for a lot of different things on the motor.
And I would degree. It's to make sure you cam is right, and that it is right within your motor with the timing set and crank. I was off .5 degrees. You can't do much better than that.
And most custom Comp Cams can be off by up to 4 degrees, so it is worth the time to verify.
And I would degree. It's to make sure you cam is right, and that it is right within your motor with the timing set and crank. I was off .5 degrees. You can't do much better than that.
And most custom Comp Cams can be off by up to 4 degrees, so it is worth the time to verify.
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 625
Likes: 0
From: Raleigh, NC
My degree wheel is a generic Summit part which had adapters for small block Fords that I bought probably 18 years ago. I set the impact gun on the lowest setting to tighten the bolt enough so that it would not loosen while rotating the engine backwards.
The OEM LS balancer bolt would not go through the SBF adapters so I put the OEM balancer bolt in my milling machine and spun it at about 1000 RPM while holding a long strip of 120 grit sandpaper against it untill the 16mm OEM bolt would go through the 5/8" (15.88mm) diameter SBF degree wheel adapter.
The pointer is a scrap PVC tube with an AC compressor bolt down the center and a welding rod wrapped around the end of the bolt and sandwiched between the bolt head and PVC tube.
My piston stop is an old junk spark plug with an old scrap bolt from a small block Ford welded through the center.
The dial indicator and indicator mount was the most expensive component in the whole "kit", but it's because I bought it to use for setup on the milling machine. One could get by fine with a $15 cheapo dial indicator. For SBFs I built a cheapo indicator mount out of some scrap steel, but it doesn't fit LS engines.
Stuff doesn't have to be expensive to work.
The OEM LS balancer bolt would not go through the SBF adapters so I put the OEM balancer bolt in my milling machine and spun it at about 1000 RPM while holding a long strip of 120 grit sandpaper against it untill the 16mm OEM bolt would go through the 5/8" (15.88mm) diameter SBF degree wheel adapter.
The pointer is a scrap PVC tube with an AC compressor bolt down the center and a welding rod wrapped around the end of the bolt and sandwiched between the bolt head and PVC tube.
My piston stop is an old junk spark plug with an old scrap bolt from a small block Ford welded through the center.
The dial indicator and indicator mount was the most expensive component in the whole "kit", but it's because I bought it to use for setup on the milling machine. One could get by fine with a $15 cheapo dial indicator. For SBFs I built a cheapo indicator mount out of some scrap steel, but it doesn't fit LS engines.
Stuff doesn't have to be expensive to work.
