I assumed that if my camshaft and crank gears are aligned dot-to-dot that my CompCams camshaft would be set up on the intake centerline. Is that true?

The reason for the question is something my machinist said when I asked him about degreeing the cam. He said he set it up and it was 110 degrees. I noticed that the dowel was in the stock hole in the Cloyes double roller cam gear and no offset bushing was present. The cam specs say lobe separation 110 degrees and intake centerline is 106 degrees. So. Did he just dot-to-dot the thing (and said he degreed it) or did he really set it up at 110 degrees? If so how did he do it?

bwhitejr

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'72 Duster (Performance 360)
'83 Ramcharger (Performance 318)
'80 TrailDuster (360)
'80 D-150 Truck (See Below)
CompCams 252S, Holley 390cfm, Offy manifold
Ported, Polished and Gasket Matched
P4286813 Springs,0.040 Overbore,
0.090 Shaved Head

If he said it is 110*, he either measured it, or is just BSing you. If he just did "dot to dot" he would not know how many degrees it was. If it is really at 110* the cam is installed 4* retarded. Ask him why he installed it 4* degrees retarded.

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Charrlie_S
65 Valiant 100 2dr post 170 turbo
66 Valiant Signet 170 nitrous
64 Valiant Signet
64 Valiant 4dr 170
64 Valiant 4dr 225

110 deg is a BAD idea. Depending on the cam, I would run between 98 deg and 104 deg, but not more than 104. Degreeing takes some time, but it's worth it.

As a rule of thumb, my experience is that you should advance any cam spec'd for a 225 by 4 deg over the cam company's recommendation. For example, if they say 106 deg centerline, then you should degree it at 102 for better performance.

Lou

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988

The only thing you know if you line up the dots is that the dots are lined up. That goes for any cam from any maker, not just the ones from "sometimes we almost tell the truth about our cams" Comp. You gotta degree it with a wheel!

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

So how would I change the timing of the cam unless I used offset bushings?

bwhitejr

_________________
'72 Duster (Performance 360)
'83 Ramcharger (Performance 318)
'80 TrailDuster (360)
'80 D-150 Truck (See Below)
CompCams 252S, Holley 390cfm, Offy manifold
Ported, Polished and Gasket Matched
P4286813 Springs,0.040 Overbore,
0.090 Shaved Head

No, no, you would use offset bushings. That part's no problem. The problem is guessing or lining-up dots instead of measuring to determine which offset bushing to use, in which direction.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

OK... So I would degree the cam with a wheel knowing I will need some offset bushings to set it up, even if I am going to put it on the factory intended 106* intake centerline. Or at some other timing.

What is the probability that I am at 106*, already?

bwhitejr

_________________
'72 Duster (Performance 360)
'83 Ramcharger (Performance 318)
'80 TrailDuster (360)
'80 D-150 Truck (See Below)
CompCams 252S, Holley 390cfm, Offy manifold
Ported, Polished and Gasket Matched
P4286813 Springs,0.040 Overbore,
0.090 Shaved Head

1 out of 360

Like everyone is trying to tell you, you MUST use a degree wheel and indicator, to know where the cam timing is. guesing does not cut it. If you spent the money for a performance cam, spend the time to get the performance out of it. If you paid the machinist to degree it, take it back, and tell him to do it right. 110* is not right.

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Charrlie_S
65 Valiant 100 2dr post 170 turbo
66 Valiant Signet 170 nitrous
64 Valiant Signet
64 Valiant 4dr 170
64 Valiant 4dr 225

one in three hundred and sixty.

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Yeah....Im the one who destroyed this rare, vintage automobile.....

I have looked around for a degree wheel, but I can't find one that says it can do a slant. am I just not finding the right one or is there one out there that will do the job but isn't labeled right? (or one where I can get close enough)?

I ask because everything is labeled a v-8 wheel

-dave

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what part of "illegal" is so confusing???

Actually it's better than 1:360.......

Probably

90% it's 106 +/- 4
98% it's 106 +/- 10

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Ed
64 Valiant 225 / 904 / 42:1 manual steering / 9" drum brakes

There is no such a thing as a V8 degree wheel, slant-6 degree wheel, etc. Degrees are degrees. There are 360 of them in a circle.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

On a related note... is there any suitable substitute for a timing tape on a /6. I know the harmonic balancer will not accept a conventional timing tape.

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David Kight
'62 Valiant Signet, White
'98 Dodge Dakota
'06 Jeep Liberty

Growing older is unavoidable but growing up is strictly optional.

Let me see if I understand how I got here.

The machinist was lazy and didn't really degree the cam. Or he did and didn't bother to set it up at 106*. So what I am dealing with is a collection of production tolerances? If it really is 110*.

I have the Mopar Degree wheel at home. Is there a way to check the degreeing without taking the whole front of the engine off. And can it be done like that with sufficient accuracy.

By the way. I got Cloyes to send me the drawings for the double roller gears, so I could check the dot-to-dot alignment. Good info!

bwhitejr

_________________
'72 Duster (Performance 360)
'83 Ramcharger (Performance 318)
'80 TrailDuster (360)
'80 D-150 Truck (See Below)
CompCams 252S, Holley 390cfm, Offy manifold
Ported, Polished and Gasket Matched
P4286813 Springs,0.040 Overbore,
0.090 Shaved Head

You can just set up a dial indicator on the pushrod sitting on #1 intake lifter or on the cam end of that rocker arm, then use a 3/4" NF thread bolt/nut to fasten the deg wheel onto the crank, then screw a piston positive stop into the #1 spark plug hole, then follow standard procedure for degreeing cam. You do not have to even take the balancer off if you just want to check cam timing.

If you are <106 or close, then it may not be worth taking the motor apart. What is this cam and what is your intended usage?

Lou

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988