To advance or Not

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RAT ROD AL

RAT ROD AL

MOPAR ARCHAEOLOGIST - one parts hoard at a time!
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I have this cam-COMP Cams Thumpr Hydraulic Flat Tappet Cam and Lifter Kits CL20-600-4
When I initially installed it I on the factory timing marks . I have the front of the enigine opened up . so I thought it might be a good time to ask and find out if it should be or advanced. Anyone could give me some info / help , would be appreciated
AL
 
RAT ROD AL said:
I was afraid someone would ask me that, LOL.
No I haven't. I cannot grasp the concept of or understand how to degree a cam.
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I didn't know until I bought a kit and went at it. There are several methods, I suggest following what your cam MFG suggest to do.

Plus you know you'll get some good advice here if you get lost along the way.
 
I'm in the same club as Al, and 4spdragtop. Currently working on a LA 360, Torn between stroker , and stock. Block is ready.
Dave
 
Well , thanks guy's but I don't have the stuff needed to degree one in so I'm crammin this cam in on the factory marks. I ran good enough like that.
As you where !:thumbsup:
 
You all would not believe how far some of the cams are out of spec and even the gear sets you buy. I watch my son now and I cannot believe how technical he gets. . Our motor he did it a couple times and kept making changes . Even bought another timing set before he was done.

I remember the days you just slapped them in straight up and prayed for the best. Who cared, The factory chain always came loose anyway. We could Toss a cam in to make it rumble in a couple hours. It was all about the idle LOL
 
If anything advance it 4*, The chain will stretch and retard it anyway.
 
If it ran "good" before, it'll run "good" again.

It's a thumper, as long as the valves don't hit the pistons, ever, how much is it gonna matter!, I mean sure, it might be out, but you'll never know it,lol...... The window of install is so big you could drive a dumptruck thru it.

But if you have a low-compression engine, it will be easy to make a bad situation worse, and lose bottom end fast.
 
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4spdragtop said:
Al are there 3 position choices for crank gear? If so take the middle one.
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brian6pac said:
If anything advance it 4*, The chain will stretch and retard it anyway.
Click to expand...
Yes my crank gear has 3 keyways. A - 0 - R. So If I put it on the "A" on the key on the crank , then just line the Other "A" to the Cam gear ? and that's 4* Advance
 
RAT ROD AL said:
I was afraid someone would ask me that, LOL.
No I haven't. I cannot grasp the concept of or understand how to degree a cam.
Click to expand...
Al, it would be worth the effort to find a local engine Guru to degree for you.
That way you can learn we it's done on your engine.
There is a good chance that the dots are off.
And yes it can make a difference.
Good luck
 
That's the part I don't understand. If your gear is 4* adv and 0 and 4* retard and you check the cam and it wants 2* one way or the other :wtf:
 
Harbor frieght for a dial indicator and magnetic stand. Degree wheel printed off the internet. Maybe $40 in tools to get it right and learn how to do it. It's not hard.

It's a bad idea to assume that anything is machined correctly. Seen cams were supposed to be cut with 4* advance that were 2* retarded based on pin/keyway relationship.
 
I was reading and it says if it's a hyd cam I would need to get a solid lifter and an adjustable push rod to degree it also ?????
 
brian6pac said:
Al, $20 and you are set

Summit Racing® Cam Degree Wheels SUM-G1057-16
Click to expand...

I printed one off the internet and mounted it on a piece of plexiglass I already had, cut into a circle. Essentially it was free. But when I do it again I'll probably put it on aluminum. That plexi was a bit brittle. $20 for a genuine one isn't terrible either. Probably get half that back on craigslist or here if you want to get rid of it when you are done.
 
Intake is off... nope don't need anything but a lifter. If you have two old lifters you can crazy glue them top to top so when you place it in the lifter bore there is a nice flatish surface to reference.

You can do it with a the lifter iun the bore, you put indicator on the flat upper edge of you lifter. Having a long dial indicator extension can work for this as well. You can even put the indicator in the pushrod well in the lifter!
 
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The big question is did you like the rpm range the engine made power when it was dot to dot? Advancing or retarding moves the powerband around a little. But you have to start with it installed straight up and degreed to have any idea where it is or where you want to put it. If you need to move it less than the key ways on your timing set allow, you can get offset keys to add fine adjustment.
 
As long as it thumps that's all that matters. I remember when all I wanted is my 62 361 dodge to sound like the 68 440 police car that pulled me over.
 
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