[Bored&Stroked]

My positive stop is a big-ass washer and a 7/16 coarse bolt . . . the crown of our domed pistons will hit the hard washer stop and you now have a "dead stop".

Two is Better Than One: I always double check TDC - with both a positive stop and the dial indicator . . . helps me sleep at night. Of course I also mark my front pulley in 5 degree increments - from 0 to 30 degrees BTDC (for future ignition timing settings).

Cam Gear Mesh, Thrust and Backlash: Depending on what year flathead you're building and what type of cam gears 32 - 48 versus 49-53 . . . the cam thrust will vary. On 32 - 48 engines the cam thrusts toward the block - on 49-53 it thrusts toward the timing cover. The reason this is important is that in order to get accurate cam timing events, you need to know that the cam is fully against the block - or fully against the cover. On 49-53 engines it tends to "walk" away from it. This screws all your calculations up if you don't have the cover on!

So, on a 49-53 engine it is really best to have the timing cover in place (with the correct backlash amount) before you do all the cam timing work. As the timing will change as the cam walks forward. You really want the cam to be touching the cover before you start doing all your timing checks. On earlier engines, I use a small rubber mallet to tap the cam gear - making sure it is flush with the block.

Timing Cover Gaskets: On a side note, make sure your timing cover gasket is the correct thickness! I've seen gasket sets from Speedway that have timing cover gaskets that were about .0245 thick - the correct/stock gasket is .0145 thick. By using the Speedway gasket, you've now increased the cam backlash by .010 - that is not good. This also effects your cam timing as the cam can now move forward an additional amount (more than it should) - and since the gear teeth are angled, the cam rotates as it comes forward and the timing changes.

In the end, the little stuff matters . . . . but Hey, I'm a tad bit of a perfectionist! LOL

Good luck,
B&S