Variable cam timing

[Edward Hernandez R]

"note that the ascii drawing shows the crank cog moving side to side.
 i claim artistic license. :)  so, what do y'all think?  how much
advance/retard could one get, and how would such a timing adjustment
change what kind of grind one selected?"

You can calculate how much this can phase the cam. It's pretty simple,
it's been tried, and it's how I would do it on a SB Chevy or other
cam in block motor, DIY style. The drawback is increased wear on the
chain guides, but you could concievably do it with a cable to the
driver's compartment! Okay, so you'd really want both hands on the
wheel, but that was just to illustrate how simple and doable this
is.