I will be installing my new hyd roller this weekend along with a new 8" neutral balancer. I know a lot of guys don't bother to degree their cams, either because of being intimidated or not having the tools - degree wheel and dial indicator with base. For what it's worth, I do have an old degree wheel, but won't even bother to use it. I do have a good micrometer, so this is what I will use.

The procecure I use allows you to not only degree the cam but also to degree the balancer at the same time.

First - measure the balancer to be sure what it is. Mine measured right at 8". Mult the diam x 3.142 [8 x 3.142 = 25.136" circumference.] Apply masking tape to out side of balancer and install on the crank along with your timing tab. Using a TDC stop (this is really the only special tool you need to do this whole job believe it or not) locate TDC on the balancer - hopefully the machined TDC mark on the balancer aligns with "0" on the timing tab. You have now degreed the balancer.

With #1 at TDC, insert clean lifters into clean #1 lifter bores. Make a mark on balancer to indicate the desired ICL. You can figure this by dividing the ICL by 360, multiply the result times the diameter and mark the balancer. In my case 108ICL nets out to 7.54" past TDC.

Now using the EOIC method that you use to set the lash rotate the crank by hand. When you see the exhaust lifter just start to move, stop and scribe a line on the intake lifter with a fine perm. marker where it intersects the top of the lifter bore. You can also take a measurement from the top of the lifter to the top of the lifter bore. Continue to rotate the crank in direction of operation to TDC. At TDC the intake lifter should be raised. Measure from the scribed line to the top of the lifter bore [or top of lifter if you took a baseline measurement]. In my case the lobe spec is .079 lift at 106ICL, .065 lift at 110ICL. I want the cam installed at 108ICL, so the applcable measure is .072". Continue to rotate the crank until the ICL mark on the balancer lines up to "0" on the timing tab. Now measure from the scribed line on the lifter to the top of the lifter bore [or the top of the lifter to the top of the lifter bore if you did this and subtract the difference from the first measurement you made]. This measurement should equal the cam lobe lift - in my case .316".

If these check out - you are set. If the cam is advanced too far, the TDC number will be higher than what it should be and the ICL number will be lower. This is because the cam is further up the opening ramp at TDC and starting down the closing ramp at the installed ICL. If the cam is retarded, both the TDC number and the ICL measurement will be lower than you should have. Adjust as necessary.

I have used this simple method over the years with good success. Hope this helps.

graemlins/thumbsup.gif For sharing that information.

Mike

I just did mine and all I did was find TDC then turned the crank until I got .050 lift and then looked at the degree on the wheel, then I kept turning until it was .050 on the other side of the lift and then looked at the degree, this matched the cam card. I did the same for the exhaust.

Is there any difference between the two methods? Seems the way I did it would be faster and easier.

Lee

Lee,
Really just doing the same thing. Measuring lifter travel against crank rotation. If you have a degree wheel and a dial indicator, great. In my case, I have an old degree wheel that trust me has seen much better days, but I want to verify timing mark on my new damper anyway and will do so at the same time. I have a Starret mic with a dial gauge but do not have a spring loaded dial indicator w/ stand. So as long as the reference point is TDC, the results are the same. The tappet lift numbers for cam have been provided by the manufacturer. For a cam installed at 108ICL I need to have .072 at TDC for the cam to be correct. Really doing the same thing, just different reference points. For this cam, I don't have .050 event numbers, just .006. But I do have a TDC number to validate. If I had a spring loaded dial indicator it would be even quicker.

Also, the point I was trying to make was that even in the worse possible case, where you don't even have a mic available, you can still degree your cam just by measuring the known tappet lift at TDC. Sure to get feedback on this but I have used stacked up feeler gauges and a machinists rule to measure the tappet lift in a pinch. Anything is better than not doing it at all which is what a lot of guys do because they don't have the gear.