I just installed my cam from FTI this past weekend. If you have a dial indicator and a degree wheel, you can do it. This was my first time and it's actually simpler than I originally thought....
Just as often, the installers will look straight at the timing events, notated as .050 lobe lift openings and closings, and then go right to peak lift and go .050 down from the peak lift point (opening side and closing side) and their numbers are not even close to the actual numbers, and with an unsymetrical lobe, may be as much as 4 degrees off. they will complain and say they have always aligned cams by the peak lift point. thats fine, but thats not what the degreeing points say with the cam they received.
So yes, you degreed it correctly to Ed's numbers and process and were rewarded with seeing your numbers match Ed's closely. and yes it is easy, and instructional too as you can see the events happening versus piston position and crank position
But I promise, if you sold cams, you would see all sorts of funky things that occur.
I had one cam that was installed by reputable shop (seriously) and told me that the degreeing points were not correct, and durations were all over the place, cylinder to cylinder, and the cam was junk. It was fine on my equipment and their numbers did not match mine. It turned out they were using larger diameter cam bearings in this aftermarket block, and the cam was actually rocking around as it was being degreed. I dont know why they didnt wonder why the cam went in so easily. I cant recall the final way they realized it, I think they put in a known good cam, and it did the same thing. Once sorted out, back with the original cam and correct cam bearings, this motor has surprised many people on this board as to its output.
MANY MANY times people try to keep the crank gear oriented in its normal position and rotate the crank to the position on the gear, placing the crank way out of alignment (possibly 60 deg out).
sometimes they align the crank and cam gears both pointing upwards.
One funky time, the cam gear wasnt fully seated. IT pushed the cam back just enough to the point that there was cross-talk from lobe to lobe on the same lifter, on multiple cylinders. the motor actually cranked and ran!! In their tuning, they determined the firing order had to be off. then they removed the covers and saw the valves going ape. Returned the seemingly junk cam, that, once again, degreed fine on my equipment (same as it did before it was sent, the first time). I played around with different scenarios and saw what happens if cam gear isnt fully seated. I cant believe it actually ran. Anyway, I got them to send me their timing set. I made sure it worked (and it required massaging), and sent it back.
Always check your cam gear and cam on the bench!!
Then there's the ones that insist they have a better position for the cam. These are the ones that automatically retard or advance on the crank gear without even looking at any degreeing numbers or process whatsoever. doesnt matter if the cam already has the proper relationship ground into the cam and was found to be correct on my equipment. These are also the same guys that automatically add 10 jets sizes to a carb becuase they have a race motor, becuase thats just how it is supposed to be.
Also there are the guys that say they have never degreed a cam that wasnt correct to the specs. dead give away, they havent degreed many, or any, cams. cams are rarely perfect, when degreed in the motor. they usually end up about off by some amount. this is due to set-up inaccuracies, and block geometry tolerances, etc. some manufacturers' cam cards provide the timing events from the lobe master, and these may not be what you see in your motor.
A custom will come with the numbers you should expect to see in your block, atleast within +/- 1.5 degrees, on the openings or closings. Your block will have different alignment, your measuring set-up will be different off etc etc. it will never be absolute perfection, but it will be close.
One time several years back, one of the cam venders was getting bad cores. the dowell pin holes werent straight. they scrapped them. there is no telling how many drop shipped cams had to be returned. there are times when a photo is worth 1000 words. This was one of them.
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