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If you want to save some money and do not want to check the center line - at least compare your old timing sets gears and marks to the new ones on the replacement set. At least you'll then have some idea if the marks are out of whack.

Once upon at time I had a name brand timing set that was mismarked. I installed it and low and behold the motor ran like crap. I pulled it apart and found one of the marks was a tooth off. Ever since then I check the centerline on every build I do. Better to know, than not know.


Amen from the cheap seats. You guys can brag all you want to about building a thousand or a million motors. I started about 30 year ago and have built maybe a hundred or so. I have found TWO motors that the timing marks were off from the factory. They were both 340 factory sets or may have been replacement sets. One was off 8 and the other off 16 degrees. The friend with the 16 degree off motor always wondered why it ran like crap. I have found a few aftermarket sets needing as much as 4 degrees to correct.I would say the chances are less than 2-3% it would be off more than a few degrees, but it can happen. Degreeing a cam is not rocket science and is just the first step in learning how to blueprint motors. Buying mics and tools will make it enjoyable to build motors. Get busy and learn.