I've just recieved my cam degree kit from Mike Belben and i'm nearly ready to get my block back together although i have a question.

Once i have degreed my cams in am i right in thinking that the cam gears will stay in that position no matter what?

 

I'm not sure what your asking, but the cam gears are keyed and can only go on the cam shafts 1 way.

 

When i degree my cams in i will be adjusting the cam gears so the valves start opening at the right time correct?

Its my understanding that degreeing in cams cuts out the need to adjust the cam gears on the dyno as they will be set to there optimum position already?

I dont want to cut up my new Type S rocker cover if i dont have to

 

Am I on the right lines or way off?

BTW Mike Belben offers a great degree kit

 

degreeing a cam is more of a referencing action. its saying that when the crankshaft is at this postion, the cam lobe is always at this position, in relation to the crankshaft which always leads the cycle.

clearance is a completely different story. while degree tells us the relationship of two shafts during an angular rotation regardless of anything else, differences in stroke, rod length, compression height, deckheight, valve seat depths, valve diameter, valve margin, valve lift, bearing clearance, operating rpm and so forth will factor into whether things have enough room not to collide.

optimum position is an entirely different animal that brings an entirely different level of complexity. for me personally, i focus primarily on intake valve closing period, and placement of torque peak within your powerband. but you can certainly split hairs and write books about the subject of optimum position, which likely changes with almost any part you change.

to try to start making some form a point here, you can ask where to degree your cams on the internet. and i can be the eager noob who says stick them here. you can degree them anywhere. thats the degree relationship, any number is possible. will that clear or will it lock on the first revolution? who knows. you have to measure clearances. so you measure clearances, you find that the position noobsauce told you actually does clear. the motor runs. is it the optimal position? who knows? now you have to test that. this is where a dyno comes in. can you tell if its the optimal position without trying different positions and measuring/comparing results? no. can you be sure that different cam positions are safe? not if you didnt measure them all.

i make cam degree kits more for the sake of measuring the entire range of cam positions relative to crank position that are safe for an engine to run in. not optimal positions, but OPTIONAL positions. if you know that there are exactly 31 cam gear cobinations for your specific engine that have adequate clearance so as not to contact moving parts, then you got your money's worth out of my kit. now you are free to really get your money's worth out of your cam gears and your dyno tuner. where you like your powerband is your choice, so "best" position for cams is in the eye of the beholder, so long as the motor doesnt self destruct from lack of clearance.




Modified by mike_belben@yahoo.com at 5:32 PM 4/12/2008

 

last, and seperate concept. not pertaining to any specific person or entity.

business and engine performance are two different realms that unfortunately have to co-exist. if i were a cam retailer, for example, and you had a question about degreeing, i may suspect that there is a cam position for maximum power output on your engine, however that position may be risky in terms of clearance. is it worth if for me to instruct you to run this, and risk the possibility of engine failure for a HP or two?

with engines, there is always a balance to be struck between optimum output and margin of error. closer and closer head clearances might make more power up to a certain point. two thousandths after that point they might only produce blown head gaskets and taco'd rod bearings.

in terms of business, there is always a balance between selling results and incurring liability. if i tell you put the cams here and you do, but the motor blows up, i lost more money on the lawsuit/reputation damages than i made on the sale.

no one is in the business of losing money intentionally.


Modified by mike_belben@yahoo.com at 5:34 PM 4/12/2008