Topic: Degreeing unknown Kenny Harmon D

[Garage_guy_chris]

Ok so i have a Old Kenny Harmon D grind in great shape im gonna be installing. The issue is i dont know who made the cam and i also do not have the cam specs or a cam card. From the reasearch i have done the specs seem to very a little bit between manufactures.

Im thinking the best thing to do would be to degree it using the lobe centers and balance the intake and exhaust centers based on average specs from whatever specs i can find. I know dynoman has the DP117KHD, megacycle has the 125-D and satanic mechanic has specs for "Kenny Harmon Cams" which seem connected Action Fours.

[scottly]

The Satanic Mechanic states that the K H cams were Distributed by Action Fours and others. If you have a cam marked as a Kenny Harmon D grind, I would use the specs listed there. Note that these numbers are with zero valve lash, and not at .040" valve lift. The intake valve should begin to open at 32* BTDC, and be closed at 65* ATDC.

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

If you have different sets of numbers when you are degreeing you should be able to match the numbers to the cam?? Lift and duration anyway??

[PeWe]

here some data @.04" lift  http://www.satanicmechanic.org/megacyclecam.shtml
IN: 26/59
EX: 70/30

You'll see what your cam will give.

Action Fours made these  (I have the SS-1 cam IN: 21/53,  EX: 22/54 @ 0.04" lift to compare the Data spec values @ 0.02 lift)
EDIT: Data at 0.02" (0.5mm) lift attached

[MRieck]

I wouldn't be so concerned with what grind or who made it. Set it up like a stock cam (with an adjustable sprocket) and start measuring to get some lobe center #'s. You can work from there.

[johno]

Dont see many cams with retarded settings.
So both settings vary from half a degree retarded to two deg retarded.    Anywhere between those two would be fine although I personally would set it between  zero or 1 deg advanced. 
johno

[Garage_guy_chris]

ive got most of my info from satanic mechanic so much good info on there. otherwise ive looked at the info on dynoman on his DP117HKD. I dont really care who made the cam there all very close in specs. thinking about it after reading the responses the specs probably differ because some specs are listing opening from start to finish and some at .040" to .040", some at .050" to .050" while degreeing i can get more detailed specs on it and maybe figure out the manufacture not that it matters.

Once its installed i can check it all three ways
1. Check angles at lift start and end
2. Check angles at .040" opening closing
3. Calculate lobe centers based on .040" angles

here some data @.04" lift  http://www.satanicmechanic.org/megacyclecam.shtml
IN: 26/59
EX: 70/30

You'll see what your cam will give.

Action Fours made these  (I have the SS-1 cam IN: 21/53,  EX: 22/54 @ 0.04" lift to compare the Data spec values @ 0 lift)
Data at 0 lift attached

The Satanic Mechanic states that the K H cams were Distributed by Action Fours and others. If you have a cam marked as a Kenny Harmon D grind, I would use the specs listed there. Note that these numbers are with zero valve lash, and not at .040" valve lift. The intake valve should begin to open at 32* BTDC, and be closed at 65* ATDC.

[Garage_guy_chris]

Well its time to button this engine up and setup the cam. I have been thinking about the running piston to valve clearance. The pistons are the ebay  cruzin image 836 flat tops. They are flat top and have the valve reliefs in the same place as stock 750 pistons.

 Now its fact a KHD cam is fine with stock pistons so it should be fine with the cruzin image 836's?

I was planning on assembling, degreeing then do the plasticine test and measure the running clearance but I question the need with this setup as its a fair bit of extra work.

Would you do the plasticine check or just run it?

[BPellerine]

that is not a real high lift cam if it is good with stock pistons and you have not milled your head or barrels too much it should be fine.bill

[PeWe]

I should check the valve piston clearance just for sure. Good timing training
Quick setup without head gasket (tape on the head surface to avoid metal to metal), not tighten that hard either.
No plugs in, time cam and rotate crank slowly. You'll feel if the pistons hits the valves. Check extra 15° before and after TDC and between there as well. Tighten the valve adj screw until valve hits piston. If you can tighten 1-1.5mm OK when you have no head gasket. More clearance on EX side if I remember correctly.

[Garage_guy_chris]

Well today I got the top end assembled and degree'd in the cam i got the specs within 2deg of opening and closing angles  everything went great in that regard.

The problem came  with the valve to piston clearance check.

the first time I put the plasticine on the number 1 piston and opened the valve into it while i was screwing with the degreeing, at first the cam was off almost 10 degrees the result of this was the intake valve lightly kissing the piston with no clearance, and the exhaust gave me about 0.030" clearance

the second time i put the plasticine on the number 2 piston and left the rockers out while i degree'd the cam with the number 1 cylinder / valves. Once it was degree'd in within about 2 deg i put the rockers into the towers for cyl 2 then adjusted the valve lash to 0.005" and rotated it through a few times. Upon dis-assembly I measured my clearances again and got 0.047" on the intake and 0.035" on the exhaust.

My research indicates 0.065" intake and 0.080" exhaust are about as tight as you would want to run.

I also measured my deck height and my pistons are coming higher then the deck by 0.011"

I already have a "thick" head gasket measuring at 0.057"

Im not exactly sure how to proceed here. I came up with 3 ideas:
1. make it taller with either 2 base gaskets or a base gasket > spacer > 2nd base gasket to add like 0.040" of space.
2. Get valve reliefs in pistons cut 0.040" - 0.050" deeper
3. Try milder / stock cam with less duration and lift and i should gain sufficient piston to valve clearance.

 

 

[Garage_guy_chris]

Well i decided to try option 3: Try milder / stock cam with less duration and lift and i should gain sufficient piston to valve clearance.

i assembled the engine with an F2 cam , degree'd it using 0.040" lift  observed the following within 2 deg with a non-adjustable sprocket.

intake opens 5 BTDC
intake closes 40 ABDC
exhaust opens 40 BBDC
exhaust closes 5 ATDC

After i checked the plasticine's thickness and found 0.085"- 0.090" which is well within safe limits, so i think in the interest of saving money and getting this project done im gonna go ahead and run the F2 cam and maybe down the road build something beefier like a high compression wiseco 836 or maybe a 915

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Did you get a lift measurement for posterity?