Shod be able to fire up a fresh rebuilt 235 for the first time in the next day or so. Do these engines need the same 20 minutes at 2,000 rpm cam break in procedure as a v8? Or can I fire it up and let it idle? Thanks
Ok I have some break in supplement. For the initial start should I set the distributor to the factory setting? What about the vacuum advance? Thanks
I also hope the guy that put it together used assembly lube! Was machined at one shop and assembled buy another old gm mechanic. Then it sat for about 3 years.
You could rent one of the pressurized oil tanks to hook up to the oil system and use it to fill the system and it will prime the system as it fills it up.
Pull the lifter cover off & check a lifter , should have a grey paste type lube on the face of the lifter, I'd pull the pan & check if there's assy. lube on he bearings , costs alot less to check than to fix !!! After sitting that long a little oil in the cylinders certainly wouldn't hurt.. dave
Uh, cam break in. I kinda wonder why the big auto manufacturers don't do it. They assemble an engine and at the end of the line it's filled with oil, started and driven to a parking lot where it waits to be loaded and shipped. They certainly do not have 20 or 30 people waiting in these new cars revving them to 2,000 for 20 minutes. I have assembled at least 7 moderate cam and lifter sets and did not use that procedure. I start it let it idle check the timing and look for leaks then drive it. No failures or problems. Results may vary.
Ya that is true, back in the old days when all vehicles had flat tapper cams they prob did t do anything like that.
Back in the day there was zinc in the oil , today there isn't , hence the need for special procedure , don't take a chance , & yes. this is the voice of experience !! dave
Hi. Hopefully I will soon be able to start putting my 235 engine together with a 264 grind cam, new lifters & push rods, speings, dual 2 Barrel Webers, headers & other assorted goodies. My local mechanic has been ill & I have been waiting on this for a while. I found some of the Valvoline VR1 motor oil (they now call it off road racing oil) at a local Auto Zone store. It was even less expensive than what I had been paying for regular motor oil at local NAPA store (our NAPA store has gone sky high on prices). It has all the old Zinc additives so there is no need to add zinc in the gas tank. They had it in 30 & 50 weight. Not all of their stores stock this but they do have it avalible and in other weights as well. They can get it case lots of either 6 or 12 quarts. The one I found is a 12 quart lot. next time I go by that store I will check and if they have more I am going to pick up 24 quarts for just in case for later. Or have them order more of it if needed. You need to really wipe down the cam & bushings & lifters & tappets with some of the Zinc additive for a safe break in though. Many grinders will not warranty the cam if you do not do this & if cam or lifters fail it can screw up a lot more in the engine. Keep us posted on your build. Good luck, Jimmie
Back to the original post, YES, you need to break-in the engine if it has a new cam and lifter set. After setting for three years you need to do some pre-start work. First, pull the rocker cover to verify oil flow, pull the distributor to run the the oil pump with a drill, drain the oil pan of any oil or lube that has settled, fill the engine with correct level of oil. use VR1, Comp Cams, or Brad Penn oil, or your oil of choice, with a bottle of additive made for flat tappet cams. Fill the coolant system and verify no air pockets, fill the carb with fuel and be sure fuel system is working with no leaks, have timing light handy along with a few tools, garden hose for cooling, and fire extinguisher. Prime the oil system till you get oil flow and pressure, rotate the engine two full revolutions while priming the oil system ( only after you are sure oil is flowing). Set #1 cylinder at TDC using the front valves as guide while looking down the spark plug hole. Reinstall the distributor and hook up the ignition. Turn on the ignition so you can set the timing. Using number #1 spark plug that you removed, ground it to the block and hook up the plug wire. With the key in run position, you can now twist the distributor back and forth to create a spark at the plug you have grounded. If you keep twisting back and forth, you can narrow the twists till you have the timing almost dead on the timing marks. This will aid in the start up. One you are ready to fire the engine, have plenty of time set a side, you do not want to shut it down once you start. As soon as it fires and runs, get the rpm up to 1500-2000, don't mess with timing or carb if the engine will run on its own. The first few rotations are the most important. In our case, the cam is mild so its not nearly as important as a radical race cam would be, but still treat it the same. The only way a cam lobe gets oil is splash oil from the crank and rods, with out rpm to throw oil, the cam can run low on break-in additives, rpm is you friend! Keep the engine running steady and keep it cool, use the garden hose over the radiator or extra fans, it must stay cool. After the first 12 to 15 minutes, raise the rpm 300 more for the last few minutes, if you you last that long. Do your final tune up after the break-in. You will hear somebody say its a whole waste of time and they never do it, great, good for them, but I can tell you matter of fact, no cam maker or dealer will honor a cam warranty with out proper break-in, and even then you are going to have hard time with it if it fails. Oil is cheap, even the good break-in oil is cheap compared to a new rebuild, so why cheap out now. And for those that think new cars are fired up and ran off the line, think again, the motors are run-in before leaving the engine plants and all new cars use roller cams of some sort, flat tappets went out years ago. Joe
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