Cam degreeing help me understand!

JoePole1 said
I am a weekend warrior not an engine builder. I am also on a budget. Actually waay over. It appears that my cam was not ground to the advertised spec. So you are saying that the set-up I am using is the cause of the 4 degree offset keyway actually being 10 degrees and that by spending another $250 for a one time use cam measurement tool and 8 way timing set will fix all of this? Please understand that I am not trying to be a dick about this I am just getting frustrated. This is a simple process. The set-up I am using has been used thousands of times with success. There has to be something wrong that I am missing here.

What I think is the offset key is probably wrong. I think that’s what PRH may have been suggesting as well.

It’s possible the cam is off by 5 degrees. It’s also possible the cam isn’t off and the cam/crank keyways are off. Or both.

Again, this is why you degree every cam, every time. And the 250 dollar tool won’t do **** except lighten your wallet. I’ve been degreeing cams since 1980 and never used one. Ever.

^^^^^The above^^^^ isn’t directed at you. It’s for anyone reading this who is thinking about the dot to dot deal. Friends don’t let friends do dot to dot.