if you are attempting to start a rebuilt engine(new cam and all) and it doesnt start the first time, or the timing is off, or the carb needs adjusting..........but you need to be breaking in the cam? will that kill it?

Ass/u/me it's a flat tappet cam, you've lubed it well and spun the oil pump, it shouldn't be a problem. If you're concerned, pull the lifters and put some more lube on them, spin the pump again, and you should be good to go.

yea, it is a flat tappet. the motor is about to get assembled. i just hear about how easy it is to kill one of those cams, so im afraid that when it doesnt start the first shot, or isnt running healthy, i dont want to break the new baby.

Like Corky said... pull the distributor and spin the oil pump with a drill before you fire it up. That will ensure good oil distribution as soon as it's running.

Good luck and keep us posted.

In addition to applying moly lube on the cam and lifter faces, use Rotella 15w 40 diesel oil and a bottle of EOS to the pan, prime it with a shaft that connects the pass side oil gallery, once before installing it in the car, then once again unless you flash it the same day. To get the timing close I like to rotate the engine until #1 cyl is about 30° BTDC (advanced) then line up the rotor to #1 terminal on the dist. Ensure the water is filled, have a hose standing by, as well as a timing light connected with the wires safely away from hot and moving parts. Fill the float bowl(s) of your carb with gasoline. Have one guy in the car to operate the key/throttle/monitor gauges like a hawk, another to check out underneath the hood and set timing, etc. Fire it up, (will start immediately with 3 or 4 good pumps on the throttle before hitting the key) and get it right up to 2000 RPM. Now you can check your timing, I like to get it to about 34° to 36° during break in, it keeps the exhaust temp low. Do an initial setting to the mixture screws. check the coolant, as well as the floor for any leaks, and esp for any fuel leaks. Do not idle the engine at any time for the next 20 to 30 minutes. If you have a problem, shut it off, repair the issue, and refire the engine back to 2000. After the break in you can idle it long enough to set base timing and idle mixture, but I still don't like to idle a flat tappet engine any more than necessary for the first 200 miles.

In addition to applying moly lube on the cam and lifter faces, use Rotella 15w 40 diesel oil and a bottle of EOS to the pan, prime it with a shaft that connects the pass side oil gallery, once before installing it in the car, then once again unless you flash it the same day. To get the timing close I like to rotate the engine until #1 cyl is about 30° BTDC (advanced) then line up the rotor to #1 terminal on the dist. Ensure the water is filled, have a hose standing by, as well as a timing light connected with the wires safely away from hot and moving parts. Fill the float bowl(s) of your carb with gasoline. Have one guy in the car to operate the key/throttle/monitor gauges like a hawk, another to check out underneath the hood and set timing, etc. Fire it up, (will start immediately with 3 or 4 good pumps on the throttle before hitting the key) and get it right up to 2000 RPM. Now you can check your timing, I like to get it to about 34° to 36° during break in, it keeps the exhaust temp low. Do an initial setting to the mixture screws. check the coolant, as well as the floor for any leaks, and esp for any fuel leaks. Do not idle the engine at any time for the next 20 to 30 minutes. If you have a problem, shut it off, repair the issue, and refire the engine back to 2000. After the break in you can idle it long enough to set base timing and idle mixture, but I still don't like to idle a flat tappet engine any more than necessary for the first 200 miles.


RustBucket, when you say don't let the engine idle, do you mean at like, say, 1000-1500 rpms, or kinda blip the throttle to like 2500 to 3000 rpms(kinda cleaning it out)?

Mine was 2800 rpms for 30 mins at 180 to 190 degrees as told by my engine builder.Fire it off,ck oil pressure,get it up to rpms,set timing and keep a water hose there for temp control is the way I do it.I adjust the idle screw to hold the rpms.

It doesn't hurt to have a garden hose with an adjustable nozzle lying around. Seems like break in you tend to have more overheating issues since the mixture and timing are not always spot on, and possible air bubbles in the system. A fine mist of water through the radiator will bring the temps right down without having to interupt your break in.

Another trick is an easy way to see if it's running lean: just take your finger and give the accelerator pump a little push (on a Holley carb). If the RPM's go up you know you are lean and you can adjust the idle mixture screws a little bit.

That's correct, stay away from the 1000 to 1500, up to 3000 blip wouldn't hurt anything. Now if this engine has a stock cam and stock valvesprings lower RPM would be fine, if you had a big cam and lots of spring pressure I would step up the base RPM another 500 or so. If you find that even with the hose you can't control the temperature, shut it down, note the time it ran for, let it cool completely and repeat as required.