Mod Motor Cam Timing I’ve come across a lot of rumors floating around online about mod motor cams being installed as many as 4 degrees advanced or retarded from the factory. Wanting to verify this, I checked my engine’s cam timing before removing the cylinder heads. We won’t document the entire process here, as we’ve done about half a million cam-degreeing articles in the past 58 years. The mod motor’s overhead cam arrangement only adds a slight twist to the process in this boilerplate article. Though you can probably get by without it, we recommend buying Trick Flow’s cam degree supplement kit. It includes a height-adjustable dummy lifter and a base to mount the dial indicator. The remaining components I used are from Proform Parts’ 13-inch Universal Degree wheel kit. Pick a cylinder (it doesn’t matter which one) and use the spring compressor tool to remove the lash adjuster, replacing it with the dummy lifter from the kit. This dummy lifter contains a set screw you can turn with the supplied Allen key to raise or lower the height of the tip, changing the gap between the roller and the cam lobe. I set the clearance to 0.020 inch because, according to Trick Flow’s specs, collapsed lash adjusters (engine off, no hydraulic preload) should have between 0.015- and 0.025-inch clearance between the roller and the cam’s base circle.Though you can probably get by without it, we recommend buying Trick Flow’s cam degree sup Though you can probably get by without it, we recommend buying Trick Flow’s cam degree supplement kit. It includes a height-adjustable dummy lifter and a base to mount the dial indicator. The remaining components I used are from Proform Parts’ 13-inch Universal Degree wheel kit. Pick a cylinder (it doesn’t matter which one) and use the spring compressor tool to remove the lash adjuster, replacing it with the dummy lifter from the kit. This dummy lifter contains a set screw you can turn with the supplied Allen key to raise or lower the height of the tip, changing the gap between the roller and the cam lobe. I set the clearance to 0.020 inch because, according to Trick Flow’s specs, collapsed lash adjusters (engine off, no hydraulic preload) should have between 0.015- and 0.025-inch clearance between the roller and the cam’s base circle.Though you can probably get by without it, we recommend buying Trick Flow’s cam degree sup The rest of the process is the same as with a pushrod engine. Find the exact TDC of the cylinder you’re measuring and record the No. 1 intake valve opening and closing degrees. Add the two numbers and divide that sum by 2 to determine the cam’s installed centerline. The stock cams are supposed to be installed on a 114-degree intake valve centerline. My cams were within 1 degree of spec and within 2 degrees of each other.The rest of the process is the same as with a pushrod engine. Find the exact TDC of the cy Cylinder Head Flow Chart I brought the stock heads and the new Trick Flow heads to Westech for flow bench testing. The difference is dramatic. There is a lot of potential in these Trick Flow castings. Stock: Valve Opening Intake CFM Exhaust CFM 0.050 27 22 0.100 51 50 0.200 96 86 0.300 133 111 0.400 156 124 0.500 171 131 0.600 177 135 Trick Flow: Valve Opening Intake CFM Exhaust CFM 0.050 26 23 0.100 54 50 0.200 124 93 0.300 173 129 0.400 210 155 0.500 232 165 0.600 239 170 *Cylinder heads tested at Westech Performance’s SuperFlow 300 flow bench with a 3.580 bore adapter. Stock 4.6 bore is 3.552 inches. On the Dyno The engine fired on the second crank and ran surprisingly well. After fixing the previously mentioned oil leaks from the gallery plugs in the cylinder heads (and fixing an unrelated wiring nightmare under the dash), my car felt really strong running on Blue Oval Chips’ programming for the Mercury Marauder MAF installed in our June ’11 issue. However, Trick Flow recommends reprogramming the ECM after installing its Top End Kit, so I spent the better part of a day on Westech’s chassis dyno, as Ernie Mena fine-tuned the air/fuel ratio and timing. Tuning Ford ECMs requires some sort of handheld programmer that goes between the tuning shop’s laptop and the ECM. Ernie used the SCT X3 Power Flash programmer I bought from Blue Oval Chips. As a result, my car is now making 70 more horsepower and nearly 50 more lb-ft of torque. The torque band is much flatter than stock, as well, making about 300 lb-ft from 3,500 rpm all the way to 5,000 rpm. The car feels much more powerful and a lot more fun to drive. We’ll have some dragstrip numbers to back up these horsepower figures soon. « | 1 | 2 | 3 | » | View Full Article By Ohn Mcgann Enjoyed this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed, or use your favorite social media to recommend us to friends and colleagues!
dfelt4820 12/9/2011 at 7:35 PM I just slammed a 32v 4.6 from a mark VIII into mine...waiting on tuning to dial it in. It's a beast though.
notoriousfpg 10/18/2011 at 4:51 AM Lets see if I got this right, big heavy full length steel frame AmericanV8 rear wheel drive car that actually has modern suspension. I have no clue why old school muscle car guy knock it. This sounds like a good formula to me for the ultimate sleeper. Which I must lay down a challenge. Who will be the first to lift the front wheels on one of these mammoths!!
