It is an established fact that the camshaft is the brain of any engine, playing the greatest role in determining its personality. But what a lot of hot rodders overlook is the fact that if the cam doesn’t move the valves at the right time, power and consistency will suffer. To ensure your cam does the job it’s supposed to do, it has to be connected to the crankshaft by a reliable and steady timing set. In the sidebars below, we’ll look at the three dominant cam-drive designs so you can decide which is right for you. Consider carefully, because ignition timing can be affected as well as cam timing. Remember, there is no sense in carefully selecting a new cam if a faulty or poorly chosen cam drive is going to cause the cam timing to advance or retard at random after you hit the starter.
