i can get a degree wheel localy and harbor freight dial indicators are cheap enough...what else do i need and what size dial indicators to get..

 

for the most part a degree wheel is a degree wheel, but bigger is more accurate. but dial indicators are definitely not made equal. personally if i am willing to put the money and time into a build then i should be willing to spend the money on a quality tool to make sure its not going to destroy itself. there are 2 brands that ive used and recommend, snap-on and mitutoyo. as for what kind of indicator you need.........0-.5" should be fine. id want one thats accurate to .001" or better....... .0005" is preferred. after that all u need is a magnetic base, and a piece of coat hanger to use as a pointer.

 

the harbor freight indicators are not long enough to reach into the head and sit properly on the retainer to measure lift. or TDC.
and the ghetto extensions from coat hanger are not the best idea either.

ive used the kit from summit racing.which is good for some but was a pain in the fn *** to use on a honda.

the magnetic stand is very hard to adjust and properly position on top of the head, i had to zip tie it to the head to stop it from moving around.


this is the type of kit i wish i had. it would have cut my degreeing tine by about 3 days of ****in around with settign it up so it reads properly.
http://www.xenocron.com/bseries-vtec...kit-p-360.html


here it is in use




this is the one i got and would not recommend it unless you like suffering
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-G1056/

 

I was going to suggest the one from xenocron also.

 

Xenocron kit is ideal, However I have the summit kit and it really wasnt too much pain in the *** to use. I had a few simple solutions to where to mount the magnetic base and what to do about the short needle on the dial indicator. I used a small chunk of 90* angle iron with 2 holes drilled in it to mount to the power steering bracket holes on the ex side of the head and same on the intake side. I also had a friend make an extention for the needle of the indicator at a machine shop that was a very clean fit, and still gave me accurate readings. I also had to bore the center hole in the degree wheel so it fit over the crank, and put the pulley over top of the wheel, so I could use my crank pulley tool to turn the motor without disturbing the orientation of the wheel once I had it set on true tdc. OP good luck to you.

 

well how many of us have a friend with the machine shop to make a needle for us?
and shops dont really let people borrow their tools since they are damn expensive.

 

This is true, however the kid that made the part for me said it only took a minute and would have been cheap if i was just some guy walking in the door.

 

Are you guys talking about an extension for the dial indicator tip? summit has 5" ones for like 9 bucks. you can get different length ones also if needed? thats what I did for mine.

 

can you post a link to it please
i was looking for it but didnt think to look on summit

and for people that buy their kits, i guess meke sure you buy the extension as well.
id say the vice grip mount dial gauge would work a bit better than magnetic base, its very hard to adjust it without moving the whole thing.

 

I know of one very good builder that uses a steel plate that he bolts to the cam rails (Just slips it under the shoulder bolts and tightens them down holding it in place) and uses it for the magnetic base for the dial indicators.

 

x2