Jeff Smith has been an automotive journalist for over four decades serving as the editor of Hot Rod and Car Craft magazines making him an icon of of cutting edge automotive tech and how to content.If you've read either of these classic magazines over the years, you've probably read his stories about engine building, innovative new products and the fine art of tuning classic and current performance vehicles of all kinds. Together with his Production Editor Cam Benty, another legendary editor of automotive magazines who charge Smith's passion for improving the efficiency and performance of all types of transportation.
Hey Jeff what's your opinion on a 454 gen v flat top with the aluminum assault heads victor jr single plane with lunati 605/613 hydraulic flat tappet 850 carb for index racing?
Does it matter if you’re on compression stroke or exhaust stroke of where the pistons cycle is at doing these EOIC sequences?. Making sure the Piston 1 is at TDC or something someone told me and every single piston is the same then onwards following the firing order of the pairs of rockers. I am getting confused with this and doing the EOIC sequence because I can’t start her up (I think I’m doing something wrong with the valve train sequence). Can you do the EOIC tightening the Intake valve when the exhaust opens, then keep cranking until you see the intake open and then about to close to do the exhaust tighten. While doing this does it matter where the piston is at during doing both on every rocker pairs?. I have a feeling I’m starting the EOIC sequence during the exhaust stroke and not before the compression stroke (TDC). I got told my v6 engine firing order is 1,6,5,4,3,2. (drivers side is 6,4,2) so 6|5 4|3 2|1 Front of car so that when number 1 is at TDC on the compression stroke the valves on 6 should overlap close (both the exhaust and intake are closing at the same time). So if this is not the case, I’m on the exhaust stroke with number 1 cylinder I believe. I haven’t tried looking at 6 when it does this yet, so I will give it a go doing this EOIC method in the video. I believe I have to make sure the piston is about to do its compression stroke on 1 when I do the tightening using the EOIC method 🤔
9:30 Right, if you have deep pockets, sure you can do it. In the end, I have a bare basic 454 bored .60 over to 468. A pair of oval port 781 heads and a mild cam. A performer dual plane intake and a 750 dual feed double pumper. It makes 550 ft. lbs. of torque at 4200 rpm and 500 hp at 5700. All on pump gas. As cheap as you can. No high cost roller shit. It's more money than you need to spend for the same result.
Good video! Trying to build my 427 back for my 56 Chevy. Starting over from scratch. :) I'm in my 70's, so I hope this is the last time I have to do this. ;)
Best explanation of concentric check!❤ loved the fact that you included the importance of both planes of alignment, both parallel to block face and of course the driveshaft check too, perfect and thank you for this! “Perfect explanation Sir”😊
just buy dynosim6 for 150, best investment i made on my engine development, endless what ifs, and virtual tuning adjustments, saved me wasting 340 bucks on the wrong cam
Hello great video i have a 57 coupedeville 365 and now i want to upgrade to a edelbrock which size do you recemand a 500cfm avs2 or the 650 avs2 its a have car
Kindly explain how to find angle for end of opening Ramp and Beginning of closing ramp by cam shaft drawing . Make video on actual Camshaft drawing for various calculation.
BuzzJones Yes absolutely. The biggest difficulty will be establilshng TDC. The msot common tool used is a spark plug piston stop. The only problem is taht with newer heads and flattop pistons that often the piston stop will not contact the piston. What I've done in tese cases is to use a lever-action, over-center tool that was originally designed to remove/change valvesprings. If you use a flat bar to contact the valvestem insted of the spring retainer, you can use this tool to push down on either the intake or exhaust valve and use it as a piston stop. You must be very careful here not to hit the valve very hard with the piston or it may bend the valve, so approach the top of the travel carefully and slowly and under no circumstance use the starter motor to bump the engine - you must do it by hand wtih all the spark plugs out of the engine. But first, try the spark plug piston stop method and see if that works - its much easier to use and quicker.
Yes you are correct - if the dial indiator is not pependicular to the surface, it will affect the reading but sometimes it's just too time consuming to get it square. I've checked it both ways and frankly can't see a significant difference - perhaps 0.001-inch. If you are concerned with total accuracy - then yes it's important- but with a spec range of 0.000 to 0.005-inch - an error of 0.001 isn't that critical.
I'm so glad that you took the time to document this procedure. I've watched several alignment videos, but yours is the first to mention that the face has to be aligned.
When you say install “straight up” do you mean just install it dot to dot? Reason I ask is because my cam has a 111 ICL and a 114 LSA and I was looking into if it needed to be degreed because it broke 3 valve springs, luckily they are dual so I didn’t drop valves
My dad bought a new Ford pickup in 1967 . The Ford dealership replaced the clutch do to shifting/dragging problems twice before one of the techs checked the bellhousing and found that the bellhousing was apparently drilled out of alignment . You never know ............
As mentioned in the video, this simplified HP estimator is just that - an estimate that assumes (there's that word again) several things like a really good camshaft that is likely a roller with more lift than a flat tappet. Plus as mentioned several other variables. I ran the numbers to get your 551 hp at 6,000 rpm. The Ford numbers of 450 lb-ft of torque and 375 hp is using a stock and very mild flat tappet cam with a stock intake and cast iron exhaust. If you put headers, a better intake, a nice hydraulic roller cam, and enough carburetor it would probably make 530 lb-ft of torque and somewhere around 550 hp. If you tested a bone stock 429 - it will probably make more than the factory numbers - the OE's often under-rated their engines in order to pass through car inssurance regulations back in the day. Plus, the Boss 429 was rated at 5,200 rpm peak hp - way short of what you plugged into it at 6,000 rpm - do the math - with 1.25 x 429 and then peak hp at 5,200 - it comes to 475 . So it should be obvious that rpmplays a big part in this estimate. We are working with 20 to 30 variables here and yet estimating power to come up with a single number as the result. These are just estimates - it's possible that the Boss 429 isn't capable of 1.25 lb-ft per cubic inch. But I think it probably is - again assuming everythign else. Also consider that this 1.25 lb-ft/ci is based on using modern combustion chambers - which is what establishes combustion efficiency. A Boss 429 chamber may not be that good. But then again - it might be capable of actuall more since its close to a hemi chamber.
You said at the beginning of the video one has to be within .001" inch of concentricity - FALSE. One has to be with .005" run out or .010" of total indicated run-out. So if one has a reading of 8 thousand on the dial indicator their run out is 4 thousand and within spec and they don't have to do anything with offset dowel pins.
I find it ironic you have a summit hat on. They can't even give out their cam info because they don't know it...they only know some of the info...real idiots at summit.
I think this post is dead. There is enough clearance within the bolt holes to allow movement. If you take a bolt and put it in a the bellhousing tons of clearance hence the need for dowel (alignment) pins. Have them on cylinder heads for the same purpose.
Hi Jeff I’m in the process of building a 489 and was wondering how you think the Mama Bear cam would work with 10:1 compression, and a set of AFR 335 Enforcers. Great video .. TIA
Hey Jeff I just watched your big block combo video I have a 427 that's 0.60 over so a 439 it's 10.5 to 1 compression it's got a Howard's hydraulic roller 235x241@50 with 618 lift and a 108 lsa it's got a forged crank good gm dimple rods and a set of AFR 265 oval port heads it made 661 hp and 605 torque on the dyno I know this is a great street combo but I want it to be a Lil more nasty I have a comp cams xr292r solid roller that is 254x260@50 with 660x666 lift on a 110 lsa what's your thoughts on doing this cam swap I don't mind the Lil extra mantnince with a solid roller?
I have always used a piston "stop" degree of 30 + / - in either rotation! Jeff's 47 degrees ensures even more accuracy.... but is not necessary. 30 +/- is near perfect. Keep in mind that this is not limited to camshaft degreeing.... it also serves as an excellent means for locating true # 1 TDC that can be used for Ignition Timing as well.
Excellent video thanks only had to do this one time before to make sure the bell was centered but i did not check for flatness that os a good tip keep up the good work.
Isn't the degrees of the lobes come with the manufactured cam? I'm not understanding the purpose of the degree wheel. Timing marks sets the cam, correct?
Not necessarily! The keyway in the crankshaft indexes the lower sprocket to the crankshaft....assuming that the keyway is correct. The "dot" in the upper sprocket is to align with the "dot" in the lower sprocket. This indexes the camshaft to the crankshaft, the chain locks them together! To further degree the camshaft, an offset bushing is used at the upper sprocket........ or, we use a lower sprocket with several offseting keyways in it. Now, to precisionally verify that all is good, we use the true # 1 TDC markings against the camshaft lobe operation, as per the manufacturer's specs.
@@hankclingingsmith8707 cylinders dont matter, engine build type is the only thing that matters, the FACTOR 1.25 must be changed DOWN for stock and UP for build $$$$$$
