Cam install

[65MagnumFish]

Hello,
I just purchased a Hughes SER1418 ALN-10 cam. I am new to doing a cam install and really wanted to do it myself so I can learn. I understand that I can line up the dots on the crank shaft and cam shaft for install. I also know that I can purchase a cam installation kit that checks intake and exhaust with a timing wheel and other tools. One friend says to not over complicate things and line up the dots, another says it is a must to use the installation tool? Both ideas seem reasonable and obviously one seems quicker and simpler. Just didn't want to go "overkill". Figured I would ask the experts. Thanks for everyone's help.

 

[Bad Sport]

Using a degree wheel is nice, but not necessarily a must use. I installed my cam dot to dot and have had no issues..

 

[TT5.9mag]

You will never know if your cam is timed properly unless you degree it. You could get lucky and everything ends up being machined perfectly and the cam goes in right where the grinder intended it, but too many times one of the many variables is not perfect and the cam ends up 2 or 3 degrees from where it should be. A cam installation is done correctly when it is degreed. Yes you can just line up the dots but it will always be a guess as to if it’s correct or not.

 

[DionR]

Just make sure you use the right dots. I bought a timing set with multiple key ways and used the zero option as the dot and had my cam about 45 degrees off. Made a mess of my intake valves.

My point is, a degree wheel would have caught my mistake, and there were some that said that is exactly why they do it. Never know when something was manufactured wrong. In the end, it was my own mistake to which I did fess up to. But my mistake or someone's manufacturing mistake, either way, a degree wheel would have saved the day.

 

[80fbody]

Learn to use a degree wheel and you'll never need to install any other way. Do it right.

 

[Oldmanmopar]

Degree your cam its a must unless you willing to take the chance. different cams and different gear sets are never the same. Once its running and it has an issue you'll always wonder if the cam is degreed correctly. Its like the carpenter rule "Measure twice cut once"

 

[RustyRatRod]

Degree your cam its a must unless you willing to take the chance. different cams and different gear sets are never the same. Once its running and it has an issue you'll always wonder if the cam is degreed correctly. Its like the carpenter rule "Measure twice cut once"

What he said^^^^ you'll never know where it is unless you degree it.

 

[MRGTX]

There's a time to not sweat the small stuff and there is a time when the small stuff is the whole point. IMO, if half the point of this project is to learn it only makes sense to do it right.

Despite the hundreds and hundreds of hours I've spent wrenching on my Dart, I've never done a cam swap on this or any other car...so I will be embarking on this same process soon. Keep us posted!