Few things excite us more...
Few things excite us more than new parts right out of the package. They glisten and pump us up to start building the engine. But make no mistake, defective parts are made and shipped every day. Degreeing a camshaft is important because it confirms camshaft and crankshaft integrity.
You lean on the throttle and your classic Ford runs like it's chained to a tree. Maybe it's overheating or the exhaust headers glow red-hot under a light load. Performance and reliability begin with proper cam timing during an engine build or cam swap. It's crucial to performance and engine life as well.
We take so much for granted when we plan and build engines. We install new parts right out of the box under the assumption they are ready for installation. Did you know, however, that each and every new part should be thoroughly inspected before installation? Trust the manufacturer-but verify quality control. Assuming you have a good part can become time consuming and expensive if you don't inspect it before installation.
Take, for example, camshaft/valvetrain parts and installation. If you believe degreeing a cam is unnecessary and a waste of time, consider this: The single greatest cause of engine failure across the board is camshaft and valvetrain malfunction. Improper valve timing and irregular cam-lobe indexing can cause engine failure in a nanosecond. Failure typically occurs at high rpm when an engine is most vulnerable, when you're on the throttle and need power most.
How to Check Cam Timing
Why should you check a camshaft for proper timing? Degreeing a camshaft is what separates engine builders from engine assemblers. Engine assemblers gather parts and screw them together. Engine builders are architects and engineers who know what to expect at the end result. They want absolute assurance that all parts will work together in perfect harmony. This mandates fierce discipline and close attention to detail in every phase of engine planning and execution.
When you buy parts, there's no guarantee they'll be safe. Even the most reputable manufacturers in the industry experience failure issues from time to time, in everything from Main Street to NASCAR and NHRA competition. As long as human beings make the parts-or program the computers that make the parts-there will be failure. Inspection, your last line of defense, is what saves you the expense and inconvenience of engine failure.
Degreeing a camshaft helps to confirm valve-timing events as they relate to piston travel and crankshaft rotation. Although most cam manufacturers have a good track record when it comes to cam-card accuracy, there's always a chance you might wind up with a mispackaged camshaft or a defective cam out of index that doesn't match specifications. It's always better to discover a defective or mispackaged camshaft during installation than to wonder why performance isn't as expected once an engine is buttoned up. Camshaft flaws don't have to be huge to adversely affect performance. Lobes that are off one or two degrees will alter performance significantly and can lead to serious engine damage.
You have to think of your engine not as a V-8 or a six-cylinder, but as eight or six individual single-cylinder engines sharing a common crankshaft. Each bore has endless variables-compression, airflow, chamber size, piston-to-cylinder-wall clearances, ring dynamics, piston weight, deck height, cylinder finish-that make it different from the rest. Each cylinder is as unique as a human fingerprint.
A camshaft consists of egg-shaped lobes and journals on a common shaft. These elements are positioned on a core machined to specifications. Each cam lobe has a base circle and lobe. A pushrod V-8 has 16 of them, sixes have 12. Lobes open valves and springs close them. Each lobe consists of two clearance ramps, a nose, and two flanks. When valves are closed, lifters (also known as tappets) sit on a base circle 180 degrees opposite the nose. Flanks control the speed at which valves open. Clearance ramps take up valve lash. Lifters ride cam lobes to convert rotary camshaft motion (roundy-round) into linear (back and forth) motion.
Get all of your cam-degreeing...
Get all of your cam-degreeing equipment from Comp Cams. Complete kits are affordable and easy to use.
Valve timing is related in the number of degrees of crankshaft rotation (not camshaft rotation) as before top dead center (BTDC), after top dead center (ATDC), or top dead center (TDC). When the piston is at its highest point in travel, it's at TDC. At its lowest, it's at bottom dead center (BDC). Cam specs also include before bottom dead center (BBDC) and after bottom dead center (ABDC). Expect to see these terms on your manufacturer's cam card.
The amount of time expressed in crankshaft rotation is the number of degrees between valve unseat (opening) and valve seat (closed) and is called duration. Cam manufacturers have two ways of expressing this specification-duration and advertised duration. Advertised duration is almost always different than actual duration. Cam-shaft manufacturers tend to show both duration and duration at 0.050 inch in these specifications. It has been said that Harvey Crane of Crane Cams started a camshaft revolution by establishing the industry-standard duration of 0.050 inch.
Duration at 0.050 inch refers to the number of degrees of crankshaft rotation from 0.050 inch of lifter rise until the lifter reaches 0.050 inch of rise before the valve closes completely. True duration is from valve unseat to valve seat. Cam cards typically have both specifications. Some manufacturers base their numbers on duration at 0.006 inch or duration at 0.002 inch, so be fully prepared for any possibility. It's a shell game based on the desire to look better-on paper-than the competition.
In reality, duration is as unique as the cam grinder's specifications. Any way you slice or dice duration, it's the length of time in crankshaft degrees that the valves are off their seats.
 The first step in cam degreeing...  The first step in cam degreeing is determining top dead center (TDC). True TDC is when the piston travels as far as possible during that brief crank rollover upstroke. At TDC, there is piston dwell time of 1-2 degrees, depending on rod ratio. The same is true at bottom dead center (BDC). Here, we check TDC with a dial-indicator-the most accurate way to determine true TDC. |  This is another type of TDC...  This is another type of TDC indicator, one with a mechanical stop. It's not as accurate as a dial indicator, but it's effective. Move the piston to TDC; then adjust the stop to touch the piston crown. Gently roll the crank back and forth and feel the TDC 1- to 2-degree dwell. You want the crank dead center in the middle of TDC, which will feel like a loose spot in rotation before the piston moves into the downstroke. Find the middle of the loose spot in crank rotation, which is dwell time and true TDC. |  Cam degreeing isn't just to...  Cam degreeing isn't just to determine camshaft integrity; it's also intended to examine crank index accuracy. Not all crankshafts are spot on. Some cranks are off due to manufacturing irregularities or abuse. Determine journal accuracy with a degree wheel and TDC indicator. |
 Although timing sets are marked...  Although timing sets are marked with timing marks, this doesn't mean cam timing is accurate. Cam degreeing determines the accuracy of both these marks along with cam lobe indexing. |  To set up a degree wheel,...  To set up a degree wheel, begin with the TDC indicator to determine true TDC. This will be "0" on the degree wheel. You also need a pointer, positioned just about anywhere on the front of the block near the degree wheel. Here's the 180-degree position, or 1/2 turn of crankshaft rotation. This timing pointer is at 163 degrees. |  Crankshaft degrees are directly...  Crankshaft degrees are directly proportional to piston position. For example, when the No. 1 piston is at TDC, so is the No. 6 piston. You can degree both at the same time. Although most engine builders degree cams on the No. 1 cylinder only, we suggest degreeing all eight cylinders for added assurance. The best approach is to follow firing order. Document information from all eight bores and compare findings. This provides the most accurate cam-timing information possible. |