Over the years I've read hundreds if not thousands of engine buildups in the various auto magazines. Ocassionally they make mention of degreeing the cam with some advance, other times they install "straight up", and once in awhile at the install they retard the cam. For some reason, I remember reading a buildup on a stout 383 recently, and it seemed as though the cam was installed with 1.5* advance. What are the benefits of advancing the cam a degree or two?

I'm in the process of beginning an Eagle 383 shortblock buildup, and was wondering on how I should have my engine builder install the cam. I'm using my current cam/head/intake setup for the new 383. They include a TPIS ZZ-409/Canfield Alum 197cc/TPIS Mini-Ram. TIA.:rockon:

 

Advancing a cam usually moves the torque peak RPM down a couple of hundred RPM. Retarding it has the opposite effect. It's fairly subtle in many cases; really just a fine tuning kind of thing.

Ask TPIS for their recommendations, since they made both the intake and the cam. Instinct tells me that they'll recommend installing it "straight up", since they probably designed it that way.

 

So in other words, retarding a cam will give it a bit more duration? If advancing it, lowers the peak TQ RPM, it would seem that retarding it would raise the peak TQ RPM, thus raising the peak HP RPM. Is it fair to assume that correlation?

 

Has nothing to do with duration. All you're doing is changing the relative timing of valve events to piston motion.

 

where you install a cam has nothing to do with degreeing. degreeing is basically checking the cam lift to degree rotation aginst the cam grinders specs, or making sure it's ground right and the timing mark is right.