Hi
Bought a 1966 Cutlass with a 455 in it. The previous owner have done som motor work on it. Headers, lifters, intake and I guess a another cam installed. Want to set the timing corrcet and was thinking of degree the cam but to do this I guess I need to know the specification of the cam wich I do not have. How importent is this? I noticed when the engine was in tdc that the damper mark not lined up correct so I was planning to open up so I could see the timing marks. Any advice??

 

Cam and damper mark have nothing to do with one another. If the engine is truly at TDC and the damper mark is not on zero then there is a problem.
Either you have an incorrect timing pointer or the outer ring of the damper has shifted.

 

But if cam is degreeded wrong timing could be advanced or retarded. Just wonder what to do? How could I know that the guy who put the motor together got it right.

 

Once again, the cam has nothing to do with timing. The cam can be advanced or retarded but distributor timing is practically infinite. You can't be accurate with timing if the damper or pointer is off. Get that straight first.
What year is the 455 and is the pointer correct for it? If it is the damper outer ring has shifted and that is a whole different set of dynamics to deal with.

 

Ok understand. No Idea of the year of the engine 60-70? Belive the marker is correct 5-10-? degr. Looks like the damper have slipped a little. To be sure what to do? Check the timing dots on crankshaft and cam gear?

 

Are you positive that you had it at TDC? What method did you use to determine that?
If you used a stop in the spark plug hole did you also turn the engine backward to get back to the stop and was the pointer now on the other side of the mark? If so and the distance was equal on either side you are fine.
Not knowing how you determined TDC leaves us up in the air. I'm just assuming you have the engine completely together and used the above method.
Let's start there and see where we are.

 

When I replaced head gaskets I looked when cyl 1 was in tdc and noticed mark on damper not align with marker. Wich way is best to get tdc right?

 

You can't just eyeball TDC; you need some form of a tool (piston stop or micrometer dial indicator) to ensure actual TDC since the piston moves very slowly at the top of its travel. This means the crank can rotate many degrees while the piston moves only thousandths of an inch, which you won't be able to detect using you eyes only.

 

Ok, some have made their own piston stops from a worn sparkplug. How long should the bolt reach in to the cylinder? Or is a micrometer better to use? What is the purpose of do cam degree? Is is something I should do If I could found out what cam I have?

 

Typically an old spark plug will have it's guts knocked out and a steel rod welded in it's place as a stop. Since you have the heads on the engine that is your best bet. These tools are also sold if you want to go that route. They also have an adjustable stop so things are more precise without the need to guess on how long the stop should be. This method goes back to what I said earlier about having equal distance on either side of the timing mark when rotating the engine both ways. It's not exactly precise but it will show you right away if the outer ring has shifted. That would be fine for what you're doing.

https://www.google.com/search?q=pist...+stop&tbm=shop

The purpose of degreeing the cam is to insure that the cam is installed as the manufacturer recommends. Due to tolerances in the block etc. a cam installed straight up may not actually be there. For example, my cam is installed straight up (no advance or retard) but once I degreed it it was actually 1* degree advanced. Not a big deal to me. You should know that most (many) cams are ground with 4* advance from the manufacturer. Once again, not a big deal in a street engine but if you had huge lift and higher compression you would want to check that so the valves don't hit the pistons, etc.
Should you do it? I guess that depends on you. My recommendation is to always do it so you know where you're at. If you find you have a mild street cam it's probably not a huge concern. If you find you have a cam with .600 lift and 300* of duration you really need to know.

 

Manufacturing tolerances are also present in the crankshaft keyway slot, the crank sprocket, the camshaft sprocket, and the camshaft. For example, there's no way you know for certain that a particular manufacturer drilled the dowel hole in the cam gear in exactly the right spot. Unless you degree the cam you won't know for sure that it is installed as it should be.

 

Ok, lets say I degree the cam and find out its out of spec. What could I do to sort that problem out?

 

Use an adjustable gear set.

- Eric

 

Does the engine run bad?

 

There are timing sets with assorted keyway slots to advance or retard the cam timing in reference to the crankshaft. That is the easiest way to adjust it. There are also cam sprockets with oversize dowel pin holes that will accept offset bushings to adjust the cam timing. Without the camshaft spec sheet you are just guessing though.

The problem with just "put it in and run it" can be a total crapshoot. Like mentioned above, the dowel pin can be a degree or two off on the cam. The dowel pin hole can be a degree or two off in the cam sprocket and the keyway slot can be a degree or two off at the crank sprocket. This can all add up to 5 or 6 degrees off. The engine will run and possibly run well if the cam is supposed to be installed offset. I have done it and was shocked at how well it ran. The only way to know for sure is to use a positive stop for the piston, turn the engine all the way around forward and back to the piston stop marking the stopped position on the damper. Half way between the marks is exactly TDC. Then you need to have the cam spec sheet so you can know exactly how it should be timed. That is the only way to truly know that you are getting the most out of your cam.

 

Well, cam sheet is out of question since the previous owner installed everything. I will fabricate a piston stop for sure and see how much the mark is off. And I guess a new balancer as well if that one is bad. And then set the timing correct with timing gun. I also need a marking tape for the balancer. This is a street Engine with modified original heads, holley intake, headers, demon carb, lifters and cam. When I changed head gaskets I saw it has over size piston as well. The Engine is running but timing is not right. I had never before heard about degreeing cams before, I thought you just slide it in and align the dots and it should be fine. Maybe overkill for my Engine setup.

 

Is there any kind of identification number on the front of the cam? You might be able to identify it that way.