LOTS of good info above. Porknbeaner said it above...use Comp Cams procedure. They also have a YouTube video if I am not mistaken. Don't idle for sure.
Not sure if anyone has mentioned it but depending on which valve springs they supplied you with I would remove the inner spring if there the dual type. Reinstall after break in.
Adjusting the lifters on a hydraulic cam with the engine running is totally unnecessary if you adjusted them properly in the first place. After the 20 minute break-in, change the oil & filter. With new valve springs, the motor should cool back down completely before firing it back up & driving it.
I build my engine with a lot of assembly lube, and use generic store brand oil for cam break in, change the oil, add the zinc additive, tune and drive it 100 miles, change oil, go 250, then change at 1,000, then every year after, which with where I live may only be 4-500 miles, but would be 3,000 if I lived where I could drive it more.
just my 2 cents. i bought a new flat tappet solid cam from Isky. Had a sheet of paper saying use Brad Penn 1 oil, not the synthetic. next best was Valvoline VR1 racing oil. Isky should know, right?
Always good to follow the advice of whoever makes the parts. My engine builder suggested the VR1, 10W-30 so I went with that. I was plain and simply steered away from synthetics as well.
I used VR1 cam shield and removed inner springs and the cam still took a shit. I think it boils down to if you feel lucky. Before the lose of the zinc in oil I never had a cam fail.
I have heard 1600-2000 ppm for flat tappet cams. Remember, too much zinc and phosphorus is bad. I think 4000 ppm for cam break in is pretty much standard practice. The lifters not turning is what flattens a camshaft. Make sure lifter bores are nice.
I use Brad Penn Break In. It's the old Kendall Oil brand.... the green stuff. Works great and never had a problem.
If you want it to run fast, you need to break it in fast, at least thats what we said back in the day.. We were never very fast for some reason, cb1
The Instructions for a Chet Herbert cam. Suggested running the engine at 3000 RPM for thirty minutes. When first started. I have a old 283 2 bbl worn engine but runs well. Ive installed new cams & lifters in it fired it up and broke the cam in on it for 30 minutes at 3 grand and then installed the cam in the new engine. Insurance against a lobe going flat and circulating metal through the engine. Many times there are bugs that prevent a newly built engine from being fired up and run at three grand at initial start up. Be certian to run the lifters on the same lobe they are broke in on.
If the motor was assembled properly with the appropriate assembly lube and the cam you described. I would do as follows... Pre lube motor with valve covers off so you see oil at rockers and a working oil pressure gage. Double check your timing and valve adjustments. Make sure you have fuel pressure. Having a timing light set up in advance and know what you need to set it to with clear marks on engine. Use a quality break in motor oil ! There are lots of oils for this purpose. DOUBLE CHECK EVERYTING ! Once engine fires check for leaks and read all your gauges oil pressure especially. USE mufflers and listen for any and all noises. If all is good set timing and run at 2000rpms for around 20 minutes and check everything at all times. Just my opinion.
If all is good after break in. Double check all adjustments valve lash etc. Change oil and filter. Drive for 500 miles or so and check again with another oil change and enjoy your new motor.
All great advice. I skipped the muffler thing this trip, but everything sounded fine. They are essential for listening for odd sounds. We pre-oiled the crap out of this one, used a cam break-in additive, and an oil that flows immediately.
All good advice. After pre-oil ( hand turn crank & preoil couple times ) & drop in distributor, I us little battery powered "buzz-box" to set timing spot on. Next, like electric fuel pump to get fuel in carb. Fuel + correct spark should fire right away. Do NOT crank for 20 minutes trying to start - should fire right away - timing & fuel. Timing light & revs like everyone says.
Thats just fine if you are running a roller like ol' Ronnie. The 2000ish rpm thing isnt ONLY about oil splash, if the motor has an aggressive lobe design, the higher rpm also insures that the lifters will not 'stall" and stop spinning as they go over the nose of the lobe. If that happens, the lobe will be damaged almost immediately.
I also static time it, as others have mentioned, you do NOT want to cranking it on the starter and waggling the distributor all over hells half acre hoping it will light. I hook the timing light up before I start it, have the hose laying on the ground running so you can top the rad when the thermostat opens without frantically ruuning around looking for the hose, and have all other tools out of the way. You want to be WELL prepared before you spin it over. I usually have a piece of coat hanger that is hooked to something on the back of the engine or firewall and a pair of pliers, and a dwell tach hooked up, that way I can read the rpm off the dwell tach, bring it up to about 2500, line the end of the coat hanger up with a hole in the throttle lever and quickly bend a hook in the end of the wire, so it holds it at 2500. That way you aren't frantically yelling, "WIRE! GIMME A PIECE OF GODDAM WIRE OR SOMETHING!!" and they are yelling "WHAT??!! WHAT??!! I CANT HEAR YOU!!" or yelling at someone to "HOLD THE THROTTLE ABOUT HERE??!! and then searching around for something to hold the throttle open, or searching for a screwdriver to turn the idle screw in, thinking you have turned it enough and letting go, and it drops to around 1500 for a moment, and you freak out and grab the throttle give it a yank and turn it in more...you get the idea. Be well prepared ahead of time, and it will be a LOT less stressful. Once the cam is broken in, I turn the idle down, check the timing, roughly set the idle, shut it off, check the lash, let it cool, and re-torque the heads.
yup! Slick walls honed with torque plates and modern rings, put the rings in pretty much dry, just a wipe of 30w on the skirts and ring face, and as soon as the cam is happy I WAIL on 'em...
There was a time when I used a test light hooked up to the points, or even an ohm meter to static time engines. but with the solid state ignitions in use nowadays, about all I've been able to do is get the rotor pointed at the correct post in the cap for static timing. Is there a trick that can be used to more precisely static time with solid state ignitions such as MSD?.
I have an HEI on mine and we took our best educated guess on the initial timing. It was retarded but it lit off quickly. Agree on having anything not essential out of the way and a clear path around the car. Have a fire extinguisher close by in case things go very bad. The radiator was filled with a 50/50 coolant mix. On the advice of a real mechanic friend, we took a heater hose off at the firewall and filled the engine as well.
I use straight water instead of coolant. If there is a problem, water in the oil is far less damaging than coolant, and easier to clean up too.
The Jalopy Journal
