tdc locater

[rustbucket]

Lunati is suppose to be sending out my cam this week. Its taken 3 full months to get it. Anyhow, Im using the lunati spring loaded roller lifters that you dont have to remove the intake and lifters to replace the cam. Problem is, my harmonic balancer isnt marked properly. I need to establish tdc perfectly and mark the balancer while Im changing the cam so I dont need to guess anymore. There is a gadget that screws into the spark plug hole that provides a positive stop to locate tdc.
Is there a better way to find tdc without removing the head?
thanks, tony

[DriveWFO]

Nope, use a piston stop in the spark plug hole. Make sure you remove the rocker arms for the #1 cylinder if you've got your cam installed. don't want the valves contacting the piston stop as you turn the motor over!

[rustbucket]

I made one out of a old plug. I cant believe how fast that porcelin inside the plug will burn up a drill bit.

[stroker1]

If you use the spark plug hole piston stop, remove or loosen all the rockers and remove all the plugs so the motor can be turned over easily. A friend of mine did this with the plugs in. Imagine what happened. He couldn't feel when the piston bumped the stop and he bent the heck out of the piston stop. When you get the degree wheel on and get your make shift pointer reading the same when rotating the engine in both directions, remove the piston stop and roll it over till your make shift pointer is on zero. If your timing tab don't line up on the balancer mark you can remark the balancer, remark your timing tab, or best of all if you have an adjustable timing pointer, just line it up with the mark on the balancer.

Listen to me rambling on. You didn't ask how to do it did you? Sorry about that. Maybe it will help someone.

Stroker1

[project71nova]

hey, it helps me =) i like learning