O.K. I am degreeing in my custom ground N2O camshaft and right now the intake centerline is 105. I need it to be 109. If I understand correctly I have to retard the cam to get 109 from 105. I have three keyways in the crankshaft gear. Right now it's at 0. If the crank gear is removed and spun counter clockwise to the next keyway that should retard the cam 4 degrees and end up at 109 right? Is this on track or way off? Any help is appreciated. 94-6spd

 

It's hard to say which one of the 3 keyways you should use. What you are thinking that you should do though, is not dependable.

First, answer this question honestly: if you don't know which keyway is "advance" or "retard", then how do you know which one is "straight up"? how do you know which one you're in now?

Typically, crank gears have 3 different marks on the keyways. Most often, they're a square, a circle, and a triangle. The circle, "0", is "straight up". The triangle, "A", is "advanced". The square is "retarded". Sometimes they have letters "A" & "R", which require no further interpretation.

It's impossible for me to guess which way you'll have to turn the gear to get to the right keyway. So don't bother with that. Instead, look at which one you're in now, remove it from the crank, and re-assemble it one notch retarded from there; so if it's in "A" now, put it at "0", and if it's in "0", put it in "R". If it's already in "R", you need a timing set with more adjustment built into it.

You are exactly correct that if it's at 105 degrees now, 109 degrees is "retarded" from there; those degrees are ATDC, as I'm sure you noticed while degreeing it, so larger numbers = later (more retarded) valve events.

 

HERES instructions to read over , theres NO subsitute for KNOWING EXACTLY what your doing

http://www.thedirtforum.com/degree.htm

http://www.hotrodder.com/kwkride/degree.html

http://www.454ss.com/whitess/Camshaft.htm

http://www.cranecams.com/?show=article&id=3

but be aware that retarding the cam 4 degrees only tends to move the tq curve about 200rpm higher in the rpm range
(heres a kit that contains most of what youll need to do the job correctly AND a taped instructions on how to do it
part #
CCA-4796

http://store.summitracing.com/defaul....asp&x=20&y=10

knowing its installed correctly is FAR SUPERIOR to GUESSING

 

3 keyway sprockets are typically marked in the following way:

0 = "straight up." No advance or retard.

rectangle = 4* retard

triangle = 4* advance

Don't try to figure it out from which way the crank is turning or which keyway is before or after the current one. It doesn't work that way and you'll just get confused. Gotta go by the marks on the sprocket.