Jeep Strokers

Check this thread http://www.jeepstrokers.com/forum/viewt ... 638#p20638
Check the last post. Degreeing it DOES make a difference.

Dont have the rockers on when checking, just put the indicator on the pushrod.

You don't need to pump up the lifters when degreeing. juts put the pushrod in and set the dial indicator on the push rod. Won't be enough force to compress the lifter. I would strongly recommend degreeing the cam in. I have been a tooth off a few times and wouldn't have known it if I hadn't degreed it.

I see. Well, I've just made a degree wheel, I printed one out and glued it to some cardboard... Now I need a dial gauge, I tried eyeballing it, but I can't tell well enough, obviously.

So then it's just to check to see if it's installed right, cuz I put a straight edge on the timing marks and lined em up with the centerline of the pulleys, so hopefully I'm good, I'd hate to pull all this stuff off to fix that. It will be nice to know for sure though.

Eye balling won't work at all. Finding TDC is the most important step.

X2 quite a few cams have some advance or retard built in so its best to check/ fix. Take your time with it. I rushed through my 1st time and it was so-so. Went back reset it and HOT DAMN! ( I got a timing set with 2* increments and was a little off)

Finding TDC? its on the crank pulley?

I just meant I couldn't eyeball the cam events, they seemed close, but they would have seemed just as close if it were a couple teeth off.

I am trying to find a decent dial gauge with magnetic base for cheap. looks like they aren't though.

TDC on the pulley isn't precisely tdc you'll see when you put the gauge on it.

4.whoa wrote:TDC on the pulley isn't precisely tdc you'll see when you put the gauge on it.

Isn't it? Cmon, I can't go taking all this apart, throwing away a 40 dollar head gasket just to put a dial gauge on a piston, there has to be another way. Maybe I can get the gauge on the bottom of the rod as its almost at the top, same difference.

Degree kits have a piston stop (sold seperately @ summit for about $8.00) you put it in place of #1 plug and mark where it "hits" turning crank both ways(slowly!), and split the diff.-TDC
If you still had the head off you could see it easier, but when the piston is at the top of cyl theres a "dead spot", for lack of a better term.

As they say "timing is everything"

a piston stop! brilliant!

Well I think I'll just pick up a bolt from the home depot, spark plug threads are m14-1.25 right?

And hopefully harbor freight has cheap dial indicators.

You need to google how to do this, particularly the part about finding TDC with a piston stop. Crane and comp have some pretty good directions.

SilverXJ wrote:You need to google how to do this, particularly the part about finding TDC with a piston stop. Crane and comp have some pretty good directions.

Will do. Thanks!

I got my trend pushrods in yesterday, and I picked up a cheap dial indicator at harbor freight ($30). I measured the lifter preload to be exactly .060, so I guess thats good. I also took some material off of the intake manifold to clear it from the header (that was nerve racking, grinding on the #6 runner).

Making my own piston stop was a bust. turns out they don't make bolts the same size/thread as a spark plug... who knew? I even sat there for a while trying to figure out how I could modify a spark plug for it to reach the piston. Couldn't come up with anything. So I ordered one, hopefully it doesn't take forever with all of the christmas shipping.

Now I have to figure out where to get this header sandblasted. The only kind of place I can think of is a body shop. Who else does sandlbasting?

powder coating shops blast stuff

sudo chop wrote: Making my own piston stop was a bust. turns out they don't make bolts the same size/thread as a spark plug... who knew?

I made one by breaking the porcelain out of the plug and using a bolt through it.


As for sand blasting.. machine shop, paint shop, metal working shop, powder coating.