[czar97]

Again....stock 8:1 compression ratio with a sum2800 camshaft for the new 1971 quadrajet on 1972 4bbl intake manifold.

Headed to Autozone for the last of the parts and materials to get the engine back into the car and running.

I know it's critical to put in conventional oil (that's all I ever run anyhow) and also to add a zinc additive for the break-in period and maybe even beyond.

So...
What weight oil and what zinc additive for the initial break-in?
How long before getting all of that break-in oil out?
What oil weight to run after break-in?
What zinc additive (if needed) to run after break-in?

After 20,000 miles of Kendall 10W-30 over the past 25 years or so the original cam and lifter are in perfect condition. Bottoms of lifters still have the positive surface (not at ALL flattened out). Weak stock valve springs are a good thing lol.

[78w72]

Originally Posted by czar97

So...
What weight oil and what zinc additive for the initial break-in?- 10/30 or 10/40 of a quality brand oil but add a real cam break in additive from comp cams or lucas, not just a $10 zddp booster.

How long before getting all of that break-in oil out?- after 20-30 minutes of 2000+ rpm break in, drive the car for about 50 miles if you can to do the ring seating with a bunch of back to back 1/2-3/4 throttle runs under load (in 3rd gear without kickdown) then drain oil & change filter.

What oil weight to run after break-in?- depends on bearing clearances but if built to stock specs, a 10/30 or 10/40 oil is best for street driving.

What zinc additive (if needed) to run after break-in?- if you have stock springs & small stock type cam you dont really "need" a zddp additive, just use a good oil. if you liked kendall & the cam lived for 25 years thats proof you dont need an additive. i use any decent 10/30 oil in my stock cam/spring pontiac for 20+ years with no problems to speak of. same for a flat tappet cam daily driver jeep 4.0 i had for 15+ years & put over 100k miles... used walmart supertech 10/30 & the cam is doing fine going on 200k miles.

but being this is an oil question, be prepared for all kinds of opinions on what to use... you will get everything from, use any decent oil, to you absolutely have to add 10 bottles of zddp with $8-$10/qt oil. or you must use 20w50 oil because it cushions bettter & you need 90psi oil pressure & all other oils are too thin & will blow up the engine!

[czar97]

No question about that lol. I know what I potentially started. But I can digest all of the answers/replies and then make an educated decision.

[78w72]

another good option if you want a higher zddp content oil that doesnt cost a lot or hard to find is a good heavy duty oil or "diesel oil", most are 15/40 which is fine for seasonal driving but probably too thick for colder michigan temps in early spring/fall/winter. but most brands offer a 10/30 option.

all of them are very good oils with higher zddp than normal off the shelf oils & are 100% compatible with gas engines. i use delo 400 in my mild cam 400 with about .480 lift & one step above stock springs.

[pastry_chef]

https://www.summitracing.com/int/parts/crn-99003-1

https://www.summitracing.com/int/parts/cca-159

https://www.summitracing.com/int/parts/luc-10063-1

[78w72]

that lucas is good stuff, it tells you how much zddp is added based on how much you use. ive used it as an additive before, about 1/4 bottle to 5 or 6 qts of oil boosts it up to a good high number for bigger cams. & for $12.99 its the best value for an additive, you get 4 treatments from 1 bottle.

but for initial cam break in i;d use the comp or crane stuff. plus be sure to use a specialty cam break in paste type stuff to coat the lobes & lifters etc.

[czar97]

Cam lobes are fully lubed up. Bottoms of lifters too.

10w-30 (any conventional) oil good for summer break-in?

[78w72]

Originally Posted by czar97

Cam lobes are fully lubed up. Bottoms of lifters too.

10w-30 (any conventional) oil good for summer break-in?

yes 10/30 is fine for summer break in, maybe 10/40 if it makes you feel better... but depending on where you are located in michigan, summmer is no where near what the rest of the country sees. i have relatives in the U.P., lucky to hit low to mid 80's during the worst of summer!

the oil itself isnt as important for break in since you already have crazy high zddp levels from the cam break in additive. whats important is getting good flow & splash to the cam/lifters, to lube, cool & wash debris away. going too thick on the break in oil just hinders that.

[PunchT37]

I always use straight 30W on break in. This oil will have enough zinc for ya;

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/VAR822401

[Formulas]

Kendal 10-30 will be fine as you already indicated use of and probably have a source for it should have a high zinc level that and a bottle of STP for added values
An effective simple proposition

[Scott Roberts]

Originally Posted by PunchT37

I always use straight 30W on break in. This oil will have enough zinc for ya;

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/VAR822401

Agreed...straight non detergent 30W. All I ever used..

[F ROCK]

...and so what is everyones break in procedure for a STOCK motor?

I think i used straight 30wt. i dont think the zddp is that important w/ stock springs but i'm no expert
I think I ran engine for 5-10 minutes at 1500- 2000 rpm's, shut down for ten minutes and repeat...then I think I changed the oil and took it for a drive.
Worked for me.

[tom s]

I have posted this before,Nunzi Romano told me to use a good dyno oil along with a 1/2 bottle of GM EOS and a 1/2 bottle of STP.I poured the STP in all the rockers and let the oil wash it out.FWIW,Tom

[Dragncar]

Non detergent 30 WT, EOS, fire it up. I have seen guys break in cams with just STP all over them. Most important thing is make sure it fires immediately. But, if you line up the timing marks as the Motors manual shows, you are up on # 6. Just time it off #6.

[PunchT37]

I usually use 30w and EOS. But, on this stock engine, that VR1 will get it done.

[czar97]

I'm going to go with a Valvoline 10W-30 or 10W-40 (or Quakerstate) whatever Rural King has.
-Adding the Lucas engine break-in additive (ordering from Summit)
-2500 RPM for 10 minutes
-2800 RPM for 10 minutes
-2000 RPM for 10 minutes
-Then I'll change the oil and filter with the same 10W-30 or 40 and continue to use the additive with all oil changes.

Thank you for the information.

[64speed]

I have broken in 10 flat tapper cams in the last 15 years. Each time I used Rotella engine oil and a full bottle of the Lucas zddp even though it says measure for quarts blah blah. Haven’t lost one yet

[Squidward]

Czar97, sounds like a good plan. I break in at 2000-2500 for 20-25 minutes. Your plan should easily satisfy mild build component break in.

I run 10w-30 with a bottle of Rislone zddp additive as my sustaining plan, nothing exotic. I've used Brad Penn 30 wt break in oil for break in.

Keep us posted on how you like your build. I am a Summit 2800 cam/350p fan.

[Schurkey]

Originally Posted by czar97

stock 8:1 compression ratio with a sum2800 camshaft for the new 1971 quadrajet on 1972 4bbl intake manifold.

WHAT VALVE SPRINGS? What is the seat pressure, and over-the-nose pressure?

Was the cam nitrided? Were the lifter bottoms polished?

Originally Posted by czar97

I know it's critical to put in conventional oil

Nope.

Originally Posted by czar97

and also to add a zinc additive for the break-in period and maybe even beyond.

Depends on valve spring pressure.

Originally Posted by czar97

After 20,000 miles of Kendall 10W-30 over the past 25 years or so the original cam and lifter are in perfect condition. Bottoms of lifters still have the positive surface (not at ALL flattened out). Weak stock valve springs are a good thing lol.

You've been using a fine oil. NO reason to change except your fuel economy may increase a tiny bit with 5W-30. This will somewhat depend on your bearing clearances, as that affects oil pressure.

Originally Posted by 78w72

another good option if you want a higher zddp content oil that doesnt cost a lot or hard to find is a good heavy duty oil or "diesel oil", most are 15/40 which is fine for seasonal driving but probably too thick for colder michigan temps in early spring/fall/winter. but most brands offer a 10/30 option.

all of them are very good oils with higher zddp than normal off the shelf oils & are 100% compatible with gas engines. i use delo 400 in my mild cam 400 with about .480 lift & one step above stock springs.

IF (big IF) the oil is rated for spark-ignition engines in addition to compression-ignition engines...yup, that works.

Originally Posted by czar97

Cam lobes are fully lubed up. Bottoms of lifters too.

Lubed with WHAT? If they're lubed with thick Moly paste, the oil filter can plug in twenty minutes of run-time.

Originally Posted by F ROCK

...and so what is everyones break in procedure for a STOCK motor?

I think i used straight 30wt. i dont think the zddp is that important w/ stock springs but i'm no expert
I think I ran engine for 5-10 minutes at 1500- 2000 rpm's, shut down for ten minutes and repeat...then I think I changed the oil and took it for a drive.
Worked for me.

The weaker the valve springs, the less need there is for high-pressure additive in the oil to keep the cam 'n' lifters happy.

I do like the idea of allowing the engine to cool after ten minutes, then re-starting and continuing the cam break-in for another ten minutes. If moly paste was used as an assembly lube on cam lobes and lifter bottoms, change the oil filter at 20 minutes, and top-off the oil.

After that, drive it. Take it 20 miles out-of-town on some semi-deserted highway, turn around, disconnect the auto trans kickdown. Then punch the gas pedal in HIGH GEAR as far as you can without "ping" (detonation) from 30 mph to 70 mph. Coast to 30 mph. Punch it again to 70. Repeat until it stops being fun. Rings are now seated. Adjust speeds as needed for safety and of course the speed depends on gearing--the whole point is to get high cylinder pressure but to keep the RPM fairly moderate--4500 or 5K max is PLENTY. Maybe even less for long-stroke engines. Coasting with the throttle closed creates lots of vacuum, which brings oil up the cylinder wall to wash away the wear particles.

Originally Posted by tom s

I have posted this before,Nunzi Romano told me to use a good dyno oil along with a 1/2 bottle of GM EOS and a 1/2 bottle of STP.I poured the STP in all the rockers and let the oil wash it out.FWIW,Tom

Dino oil, not dyno. Dinosaur, not dynomometer. And that is old news, going back decades. All sorts of engines get broken in on synthetic oil. The biggest problem with synthetic oil for break-in is that guys cry when they "have" to change it at 20 minutes, and then again at 500 miles, and then again at 3000 miles. Which is all crap. Break-in oil can go for thousands of miles, GM--Ford--Chrysler--Toyota--Honda...everyone...runs the factory-fill oil for thousands of miles. You can, too.

...ESPECIALLY if you install a secondary "bypass" oil filter, either for break-in or permanently. The bypass filter will remove all the wear particles keeping the oil clean as "new".

Originally Posted by Dragncar

Non detergent 30 WT, EOS, fire it up. I have seen guys break in cams with just STP all over them. Most important thing is make sure it fires immediately. But, if you line up the timing marks as the Motors manual shows, you are up on # 6. Just time it off #6.

Non-detergent? I don't use that in my lawnmower. For a short-time oil fill, I suppose there's no problem. I don't believe in short-time oil changes. Good point about getting the engine set properly so it starts immediately.

Originally Posted by czar97

I'm going to go with a Valvoline 10W-30 or 10W-40 (or Quakerstate) whatever Rural King has.
-Adding the Lucas engine break-in additive (ordering from Summit)
-2500 RPM for 10 minutes
-2800 RPM for 10 minutes
-2000 RPM for 10 minutes
-Then I'll change the oil and filter with the same 10W-30 or 40 and continue to use the additive with all oil changes.

NO reason to spin the engine that high. Varying between about 1800--2200 RPM is fine.

I do like the cooling-off period after ten minutes.

Change the filter, NOT the oil.

Depending on valve springs, there's perhaps no need for oil additives.

[78w72]

Originally Posted by Schurkey

WHAT VALVE SPRINGS?


IF (big IF) the oil is rated for spark-ignition engines in addition to compression-ignition engines...yup, that works.

"big IF"?? just an FYI, but ALL normal off the shelf diesel oils are rated for "spark ignition" engines. diesel oils, or HDEO, (heavy duty engine oil) all have API certifications for normal gasoline or spark ignition engines. rotalla-t, delo 400, mobil delvac, valvoline, supertech, motorcraft, etc... all rated for gasoline engines & are excellent oils with usually higher zddp additives than current car oils.