Hi Mike & everyone, I'm not going to have my heads ready for a couple of months. Can I degree my new cam without them ? If so, how ? I also need some help selecting one of the two valve springs (& specs) that are in another post of mine titled, "Spring ? for UD Harold concerning 301B3 cam." If anyone cares to comment, I'm all ears ! :D Thanks. Dave H

You can, and probably should, do it directly on the cam. that's how I like to do it, without the heads on. Drop in a lifter and carefully setup the dial indicator. It has to be perpendicular to the cam and directly in line with the lifter. The hard part is getting the dial indicator located properly. An extension on the DI's plunger helps a bunch since you can mag base it to the deck. Once that is done, go ahead with degreeing.

Hi Dave,
I'm with Pat, I almost always degree the cam without heads.
It is so much easier to be sure you have TDC located accurately with a very simple "positive stop" & set everything up without the heads on.
I use a fixture that holds the dial indicator in the lifter bore but you can do it just as pat said.
If you have a couple of old lifters epoxy them together at the faces & you will have a nice big flat surface to indicate off of.
Makes a nice free little tool that will work in any Chevy with standard lifter bores ;)

Hi Pat & Mike, thanks for your input on this matter. I'll keep you posted on the results & holler loudly if I need any help ! :D Thanks. Dave H