Passing Time

after a couple of hours in the basement cleaning parts and prepping to begin installing the cam and front. On a whim, I purchased the cam degree kit and video. (I have never installeda cam before)
Now I find myself on here to ask if I need that. I do want to be as prepared and precise as needed.
Question: Is the cam degree kit something just for superfine tuning or is it a practical tool for a novice?
Lesson: DO NOT Shiner Bock and SHOP!!

tyler72

No, you do not need to degree your cam. Basically, you are right, it is to just fine tune your cam to make sure it is exactly the way it is supposed to be on the spec card. There is always a small room for a slight error in the timing of the cam, so degreeing it will allow you to catch any of these small errors, if there are any, and fix them by adjusting the timing chain. Personally, I have a cam degree kit at the shop, and I have never used it. I have always just put them in and ran them. Just be sure to run your engine for at least 30 minutes at 2500 RPM as soon as you start it up so that the cam can break in and not round off the lobes. I also would reccommend using Comp Cams break in lube oil additive and Vavoline VR1 Racing oil because they have ZDDP abundance that is crucial to flat tappet cams (which is what I assume you have).

Starfury

I second that. I installed both of my cams without degreeing them and they run just fine. I'm pretty confidant in Comp Cams' quality control