Cam install questions

[WADS56]

Originally posted by chris91LX
Maybe it's a good thing I'm having problems with my timing chain cover, I can still get at the cam. Anyway, I'll check it again, but I don't have a degree wheel or a piston stop and i know of several people who have put their cams in this way and they say it's worked for them.

Hey Wads56, can you educate me as to how the degree wheel and piston stop works?

I agree allot of people do cam swaps without all the stuff I was talking about and it works fine. But do they have there engine tore down to a short block? Did they spin the crank when they took out there old cam? If they didn't you can put a new cam in because nothing has changed, but they still don't know if the cam is degreed to specs.
You may have good luck or a good eye but the only way to know for sure is to get a cam degree kit.
Here is how it works...

Install the degree wheel on the crank, and the pointer on the block, and the piston stop over the bore.
Turn the crank till the piston hits the stop and mark the wheel where the pointer is. Now turn the crank in the other direction till the piston hits the stop again and put a mark on the degree wheel where the pointer is. Now look on the wheel and find the half way point between the two marks you made on the wheel. that is TDC.
You may of came close by doing it by eye, but now you will know for sure.

Now degreeing the cam is another story, but if you have TDC it is not required for a street engine.