SkylinesSuck

Is it worth it? I have and adjustable double roller set and everything apart on the engine stand now. I heard some years Olds decided to retard the factory cam for emmisions. Is it worth degreeing to make sure it's actually straight up? I would have to wait 7-10 days for a degreeing wheel and dial indicator to show up is the only real negative.

cjsdad

Don't want to be just another number that looked, but didn't reply. I don't know if the factory cams are typically accurate enough to install without degreeing in, but it sure can't hurt.

MDchanic

In general, you should do it, if only because that way you're sure that it's right.

Once the engine's all buttoned up and installed, any tiny doubts you may barely notice can gnaw at you.

And, on that note, you should photograph the chain and gears once it's all set up, in case you wonder later, "Did I...?"

- Eric

ps: I used a fancy adjustable gear setup on my current engine, and the first time I set it up, I lined up the wrong dots with each other. I would have closed it up that way, and then wondered why it didn't run, and totally screwed myself up because I was on a schedule, but I degreed it and saw that it was off (and then had to figure out why...), so that's another reason to do it.

Fun71

Yes, definitely degree the cam. It doesn't matter if it's a stock rebuild or a max performance build, if the cam is not correct the engine won't perform as it should.

I once installed a cam with a generic stock replacement timing set and the engine didn't have much low end power. Later I checked the cam (degreed it) and found that it was 8º retarded, which explained the reduced low end power. Had I checked the cam when it was installed I would have found the issue and not suffered with reduced performance for many years until I corrected it. I don't know if it was the camshaft that was off or the timing set that was off, but not even knowing that it was off was he biggest mistake.