How to Degree a Camshaft

[@richardharris492]

You MUST disable rocker arm assembly before you can use piston stop because it will contact valve instead of piston therefore giving you an incorrect TDC

[@blubu68]

Nice video, Ive always used the .050 lobe lift method over the intake centerline method

[@deankay4434]

The events are more important than lift. Great point to make, but I would have started with checking these events rather that pointing there importance at the end. But, that just me. The piston chases the exhaust valve closed and the intake chases the piston as it drops! Thanks.

[@mrmysterious6006]

Brian these videos need to be longer. Too short!

[@daniel3-d98]

I really appreciate the videos and parts. I'm really interested in the BTR stage 1 cam. I'm putting a LM7 5.3l in my 82 F150. I'm locked in on using your Stage 1 cam. When the budget allows. Lol When it's good it GOOD. Thanks. And keep on making power

[@TheReverb1]

Why the BTDC is after the TDC mark and not before?...I do not get it

[@stevesalisbury6865]

Does the truck norris nsr cam have a good lope to it ,and what would be a good cam for a Z71 4x4 2010 5.3, everyday driver with good performance and lope

[@hotrod76.]

Why does this matter.? What benefits u getting?

[@ahmadalfailakawi7562]

Nice video and very helpful

[@barriefarmsjr]

So you do the 40 and the 42 and then pull out the piston stop and set it to 41 then do you pull the wheel off and put the 0 there?

[@MichaelJohnson-cm4wp]

No..When you adjust the pointer to 41, you are 41 degrees from TDC..Then you rotate the crank to zero on the dial and you will be at perfect TDC

[@fourstarman1]

Yeah, I don't get this either...

[@deltabravo5719]

Hey Friend, Pretty sure the piston stop tool usage idea is tricking us into thinking it found TDC when the piston stop is bumped into... When really... the piston stopper is too wide to show us Zero degrees(tdc). Instead ithe numbers where the wheel gets stopped shows us a known degree count as the crank rotate first in one direction... then the other. Picture an apple pie with a slice cute out. The missing slice is at 12 o clock in a mental picture. We have a wheel degree measuring tool that can be anchored to the pie and 2 stops that can anchor to the exact edge of the missing pie slice. Now... turn the wheel until you bump one edge... its at 340 degrees... turn to the other stopper... its at 022degrees. See how the hole... shown is 42 degrees wide?? Split the 2 numbers by 2 pieces and you know the absolute location of pie center (TDC) is 21 degrees away from the 2 edges of the imaginary pie cuts. Remembering All holes have exactle 360 degrees... we can see that... "Top dead PIE" (Tdc) will be found... 21 degrees before the 022... and... 21 degrees after the 340. Now you found and showed true tdc in a pie via these process steps. Apply the same missing pie slice concept against a crankshaft and only think about the crankshaft even tho you utilize the piston stop in the cylinder of which you are finding TDC for. Hope this helps... i likely wont be back to re explain. Best wishes.

[@AMERICAN_GEARHEAD]

Must use test springs if using reading off of rocker or lifter will colapse giving false reading. Eithr that or remove rocker all together and read off of pushrod directly

[@naveedaka]

sir will i get a wrong reading if dial indicator is not align with retainer while measuring duration??

[@mmbg123]

Do you need lube the cam for the degree process?

[@briantooleyracing3554]

Yes, standard engine oil is all that's needed.

[@mmbg123]

Thank you for the fast response! First time doing LS cam swap and wanted to make sure I get everything correct.

[@JohnnyCTSV]

Dot to dot.... all I know how to do. 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@lindajones1592]

Lol Exactly! I've built dozens of 400-450HP sbc in my time and never used anything but a $40 Double roller chain from local parts stores. This is for the racers that have $10,000 in an engine trying to get every 100th of a second at the track but not us normal street light to street light guys.

[@blakefrizzell4616]

@@lindajones1592 hey I’m 15 and trying to learn how to degree a cam. If you get a cam that’s the same size as your stock cam, would you still have to degree it? And I’m still trying to figure out how to do rod bearing clearances too

[@SaGeRPM]

@@blakefrizzell4616 define same size? Like same lsa, same lift same duration same everything? No u wont have to degree it. Set timing marks up, 2 rotations and make sure they line up. If so then send it

[@thevtecnician]

How do you get a good measurement with the head on? It looks like he was reading off the rocker arm. But how does reading off a collapsible lifter work?

[@SaGeRPM]

Reading off the push rod for lift degrees, disassemble the first cylinder rocker arm and check like that

[@alejandroamaya5907]

what is the kit you used for timing chain!?

[@jameswinstead8840]

I need that block that sets above the valley pan for the dail indcater

[@dangerousfreedom4965]

It amazes me that cams can be so out of spec

[@nickhale117]

Its not always the cam thats out of spec. Could also be the timing gears, or the key on the crank.

[@gregjustice7013]

Lol man NOTHING is out of spec, the engine is DIALED in with the stock cam that the Automaker has designed for the EXACT application it was built for mostly everyday use, with that said, when you install a New Different cam the cam duration and opening time it TO has to be dialed in the EXACT same way and so instead of machine another crank for the specific cam your about to install in the engine every time you change cam to make up the timing difference you just do it in the New Hi Performance cam Ajustable gear and Degree wheel, but I’m Definitely not trying to be rude Sir I was just saying that’s why,

[@garlandjones7709]

​​@@gregjustice7013OEM manufacturers do not degree camshafts on production engines. This is what your dowels in your cam and slots in your oem timing chains are for. They have allowable tolerances built in and are not always, and not usually, exactly what they're supposed to be. The aftermarket camshafts aren't either. This is EXACTLY why you degree one in, and you have to have an adjustable timing set to do so or otherwise all a degree wheel is going to do is tell you how far off your camshaft is, OEM or aftermarket, either one. Edit: That Comp Cam he installed wasnt "exactly" in spec or he wouldn't have adjusted it to align it with that degree wheel. It would e been aligned already by its dowel. I think Comp allows +/- 2 degrees variance to go out the door. They may have tightened that up since I checked last. At one time, they were looser and caught a whole lot of shit for it.

[@bryanrobbins7390]

It's not the cam, it's the gear, slack in the chain, or machining that throws it

[@garlandjones7709]

@@bryanrobbins7390 they're doing it because of the cam, I assure you. Chain slack that causes advancing and regarding of the cam is out of the control of the degree process as slack In the chain rotates the gear wherever you set it.