You can set your cam timing anywhere you want as long as you have an adjustable timing set that allows it.

Be careful of P to V clearance when moving the cam around. Also make sure you have top dead center accurate, that could be where your error is. How did you set TDC?

 

Advance it 8 and you are where you wanted to be in the first place.

 

Yup. Check your events until you get it as close as you can to the cam card. Then, it will be "straight up" as you say. 2 advanced or retarded. 4. It is what it is. Dictated by the tolerances as everything stacks up. If you want it 4 advanced, adjust from there accordingly and check it again. Once you have the cam where you want it, its PTV time.

 

Select the 4A slot and you'll match the card -- select 8A and you'll be 4 degrees advanced as you desire.

 

Top dead center was found with a dial indicator.

I put it in the 8° advance slot which would be 4° at the cam and degreed it again. It actually moved it 6° so now the centerline is 101°. I figured I'd try it there but piston to valve clearance is only .040" to .050" which I think is to close. I have another crank gear with 9 keyways. I'm going to try the 6° spot which is 3° at the cam and see how that works put. I want to be at 103° to 104° and I'd like to have .080" of piston to valve clearance.

 

Top dead center was found with a dial indicator.

You're probably fine, but make sure to find TDC by using a piston stop and a large degree wheel next time...I've found it's much more accurate.

Just goes to show you that putting a cam in dot to dot or 4° advanced isn't the right way. I'm glad I degreed this one. First time degreeing a camshaft and it isn't hard at all.

My cam would have be retarded about 4 degrees if I didn't check it. I also verified all the timing events @ 0.050" and found them to be slightly off on both intake and exhaust. I split the difference.

 

I got it where I want it now. Used another timing set with 9 keyways. Started with it in the 6°keyway and was still at 101°. Put it in the 2° keyway and got it almost exactly where I want it at 104.5°. Opened the piston to valve clearance up to .090" so I'm happy about that too. Thanks for the help guys. Just goes to show you that putting a cam in dot to dot or 4° advanced isn't the right way. I'm glad I degreed this one. First time degreeing a camshaft and it isn't hard at all. Thanks again!

 

Yeah same here.... I first went by the timing events to check if I was advanced or retarded. I then went with intake centerline and found it to be more accurate.

 

TDC with indicator is not that accurate

 

Depends on how you use the indicator.... If you use the indicator to measure down the same distance on either side of TDC and then split the difference on the wheel, it's the same as using a positive stop.

 

I just degreed my HO cam. The problem with using a dial indicator to find TDC IS there is a little bit of a dead since the crank pin is it's at it's closest in moving parallel to the top of the piston and the piston is not going to move all that much in relation to degrees of rotation. I just stuck a BMF screw driver in #1 rotated in one direction until it stopped and marked the degree wheel the turned it in the opposite direction until it stopped. There was 112° between the two. Rotated the engine 66° and got my TDC and moved the pointer to 0°. The lobe lift on my cam was .278" and I had the heads on. Stuck a tappet on ,#1I along with a push rod and set my dial indicator to measure as straight as possible of the end of it's. Rotated the engine until I read .278" which stayed that was for a few degrees, went past that then rotated the engine back until about .178" then rotated back again CW until .238", noted the degree, kept turning past .278" to .238" on the intake closing and noted the degree. Between the two .238" marks was 232°/2=116° to count to locate the ICL. It just happened that the ICL for the HO cam is the same number and everything matched up. My cam was spot on

 

The problem with using a dial indicator to find TDC IS there is a little bit of a dead since the crank pin is it's at it's closest in moving parallel to the top of the piston and the piston is not going to move all that much in relation to degrees of rotation.

The problem is that's not how you're supposed to use the indicator....