Can you do it with the heads on the car?

If so how?

Do you need an adj. timing set?

Swapping cams soon need some help ... Thanks

 

Yes... Heads on or heads off, makes no difference. You need a degree wheel kit.. basically you just find top dead center, which isn't as easy with the heads on, but certainly not impossible, follow the instructions, and voila.. And yes, you'll need some kind of adjustable timing set... if you find that you have a timing discrepancy, you need some way to make adjustments. the process of "degreeing" is really only taking measurents to verify that the valve events are occuring at the desired times. once you determine those events are occurring 2, or 4 or 6 degrees out from your desired setup, then you need to make an adjustment by advancing or retarding the cam, and then degreeing again to see what effect you've had on the timing. You repeat that process until the desired cam timing is achieved.

 

It is actually more accurate with the heads on. Most of the specs these days are listed at 0.050" of valve lift. Make sure if you do the work with the heads off you get the TDC spec with the cam.
Good luck!

 

Thanks guys

 

how do you find tdc with heads on? i know you watch the rockers to see when botch valves are closed, but is there a more accurate way of telling true tdc?

 

I saw a tool you put in the spark plug hole ... does that work?

 

i would think u bring it as close to tdc as possible and pull a valve spring on the cyl and let the valve hit the top of the piston. u then use a dial indicator on the top of the valve. i have never done it with heads on before so that is my best guess

 

You use the positive stop method, stop motor going forward,take a degree reading,back
motor up till it stops, take a deree reading,split the readings for tdc .

 

Anyone heard of this ??

 

Eastwood (sponsor) sells this. It screws in to the #1 spark plug hole and it whistles as the piston approaches TDC, and stops whistling at TDC. I haven't used it.

 

You can get a piston stop from Summit/Jegs that goes in the spark plug hole. Personally, I made my own from a bolt and old spark plug. I degreed my last cam in with the heads on the car. Wasn't that difficult. You'll need a small degree wheel to clear the accessories/sway bar etc. I made one on CAD cause the one I bought from summit was too big. I think it's 8" diameter. You'll need an adjustable pushrod too so you can tighten the rocker arm down w/o preloading the lifter. Got that at Summit too.

I had to retard my cam 2* and did that with an offset cam bushing. Drilled the stock cam gear hole out. Don't have to have an adjustable timing set, but if you already have one, it's easier.

Craig

 

Wayne, you talkin about the posative stop kind or the whistle kind?

The posative stop kind works as said above - put it in the plug hole, turn crank all the way one way till it stops, mark the postition (number) on the degree wheel, turn the crank all the way the other way till it stops, mark the position on the degree wheel. Now split the difference of the two location numbers - take out the stop and turn the crank to that number - you are now at TDC - repostion the degree wheel to TDC (don't move the crank though). Got it?

You changin cams again??? You change cams like most people change underwear!