Well I have a little time to think about it. Probably won't buy the cam for another week or two. I still have to assemble the crank and pistons, then move that off to the side and spend like a day cleaning up the garage so I can get the Maverick in there and have a place to put everything I'm going to have to take out of it. Then get that old engine out, move the Maverick again probably, and start getting everything I'm going to use off the old engine and onto the new one. Valve springs, timing cover, intake, balancer, flexplate, oil pump and pickup tube assuming they aren't thrashed... Need to work on the GT40 heads too at some point in all this, and all while going to my real job every day and doing everything else I do. So it will be a little while before I need to have the cam in hand. I still think flat tappet is what will end up happening, but if I do that then I will at least make certain I get US made lifters.
If you go flat tappet be sure to run a oil with the most Zinc in it, Brad Penn is good if they have it in your area.
Never heard of it. I used to run Rotella when it still had enough zinc in it. I think I'm going to give this stuff a shot for the new engine, probably at every oil change at least for a while: It seems to be well liked by the oil geeks at bobistheoilguy.com, which is a pretty strong endorsement to me. ...So while we're talking about zinc, etc., let's talk about break-in. I've broken in cams and lifters before, but I have never had the pleasure of owning a 100% virgin engine build with new rings, bearings, etc. Every engine I've owned had at least a few thousand miles put on it by someone else. After this is all assembled, how do you veteran engine builders suggest I proceed? Not that it's necessary, but my engine stand is stout enough that it should have no problem holding a running engine. I have an extra radiator, manifolds, even pipes and mufflers. I could set up a test rig. Although that's some extra work the idea of being able to see leaks while they can still be addressed easily, of being able to look at the lifters and potentially the cam after running it seems like a very attractive prospect to me. I might not do it. Just throwing it out there, that the option exists.
Retards.....every one of them. Complete idiots. Fire it up, run at varying rpms (2500-3500) for 20-30 minutes to seat rings and break in the lifters/camshaft. Shut it down, drain oil & change filter, let it cool completely, refill with fresh oil, go for an extended drive (30-50 miles) at varying speeds (50-80 mph) then bring it back home. Let it cool off, change oil & filter again. You're done. I typically change the oil/filter again at around 500 miles then go on to the normal oil change schedules.
How important do you think the whole zinc/ZDDP issue and the lack of it in modern oil is with a new flat tappet cam? Should I just use a break-in additive like Comp sells for those first few runs, then use nothing but plain off the shelf oil from then on out? Or continue using that additive or something like the Rislone zinc additive for every oil change? I only mention that particular one because it's readily available at the places where I buy my oils and filters. And what weight of oil do you suggest in these critical first runs? After this I promise I'm done talking about oil. I know how this topic can get. ...
Important for the initial break in. Either a high zinc motor oil or a zinc additive to a conventional oil. I usually pour them directly over the cam/lifters in the engine before bolting on the intake. Use it for the initial break in and for the initial drive. Then go conventional until 500-ish miles. After that I typically switch to Royal Purple synthetic. 10W-30 Valvoline always worked well for us. That's no bullsh!t.
This is what we use: http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-ZDDP-MAXX...Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item415220d52e It is in our 1964 Buick Convertible, 1928 Ford Model A and 1972 IH bucket loader. No complaints and no problems.
Here's my 2 cents: When you go to install the lifters, I apply a thin coating of Moly grease to the bottom of the lifter ONLY. And a similar thin coat of Moly to the lobes. After lubing the lifter bottoms, then dip the lifter in motor oil (weight is unimportant here) When you drop the lifters in place, make sure the lifter spins freely in it's bore. As for break in, do as Shadowmaster suggested. But also prelube the oil system before starting the engine. And try your best to have the ignition timing dead on to avoid unnessesary cranking before startup. A thinner oil would be preferable for break in too, like 10-30 or 10-40. ....................I also use moly grease on the cam gear and rocker fulcrums, just as added insurance.
I did this, and documented it in my webpage. You only need to drill and tap two small holes. The rest is aftermarket parts. I got them all for free or from trading. The two tapped holes are just where the two hex-heads are in this picture. The "spider thing" is just the rusty sheet metal thing across the middle...sorta a spring loaded jobby to hold the "dogbones" down, which are the H shaped items that hold the roller lifters horizontal to the cam lobes. The dogbones are the metal items gobbed up with lube in these pics.
I don't know about that, the guy I know that's been doing it for awhile says he's never bothered, unless the Ford alphabet cams are small base circle? I was doing to do this to my 73 block...
I am pretty sure mine is a small base circle. I didn't realize this (since all the parts were donated and/or traded) until assembly. I found that I had a bunch of slack on my exhaust valves, and after precise measurements, found that COMP 621-16 lashcaps on those valve stems solved the problem. Cost me $15 extra.
IIRC Scott had a late model 5.0L block, which means he wouldn't need to run a small base circle cam. That is only needed on vintage blocks(or actually pre-roller blocks.) I think the way to tell is looking at the lifter bores, if they're notched it's a roller block. Doesn't mean it has a roller cam because there were some that came with flat tappet still. If you look at Mavoholic's build he did the conversion on a vintage 302 block and he had no issues revving to 6,300 with a reduced base circle cam.
