Cam degreeing is more than a twist of a couple of adjustable cam gears. The process ensures that a cam’s centerline is in its correct position for your engine.

The anatomy of the camshaft. This diagram reveals some of the fundamentals that you should understand before attempting to degree cams.

It’s important that the dial indicator’s needle remains parallel to the valve. This is the only way to achieve an accurate reading.

This cam diagram reveals the cams’ relationship to the four-stroke cycle. The big red curves represent each cam’s profile. As their centerlines are adjusted by the degreeing process, their curves may shift either left or right across the diagram.

When degreeing cams, it’s important to close the valve lash completely and take all measurements from the top of the retainer, not the rocker arm.

Most forced induction and high-output naturally aspirated engines will respond positively to small overlap adjustments, even after being degreed. Even so, cam degreeing allows for a sound baseline in terms of centerline position, essentially speeding up the tuning process.