I just finished the cam installation on the 225...here are my thoughts:
1) It's a 'good idea' to degree the cam but in probably 40-50 engines that I've degree'd the cam on, I've never found one that had faulty timing marks. So if you're OK with a 'straight up' installation, chances are good you won't have any issues if you just align the marks. Of the various cam degreeing instructions published by the cam companies, I find Isky's to be the easiest to read.
2) When it comes to degree wheels, diameter is king. I have an old Direct Connection wheel that is around 7" dia. and it's not that useful. I have an 11" Summit Racing wheel that is far better...and I've seen some guys with much bigger wheels. If I were doing this every day, in 'race' engines, I'd get a 20"+ wheel. The 11" wheel works well as the pointer can be a 3/8" stud threaded into a water pump hole. See photo.
3) Doug Dutra's new Slant Six book has a lot of good information on degreeing, but I gotta say Doug...your tools are the worst lol. See #2. And using the cylinder head as a stop? All kinds of bad.
4) So here's my offer Doug since I ragged on you - send me an address and I will mail you free of charge my degreeing tool. I don't plan to go through a Slant Six again for the next 30 years or so and I figure you can get some use out of it. It acts as a piston stop and provides an easy and reliable way of reading the lobe lift. It takes about 30 seconds to set up, and 15 seconds to break down. In this instance I used an old 426 Hemi pushrod that is spring loaded to ensure the lifter follows the cam lobe always.
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