Running in procedure

[C500]

Hey folks, after a lengthy resto process, and engine rebuild, I'm ready to run in my rebuilt 440. Keen to hear some advice on run-in procedure and recommended oil to use.

440, +30 thou block (4.35 bore, 3.75 stroke) deck surfaced
CAM: Crower Hydraulic (271HDP) Flat tappet, Advertised Duration 271/284, Lift .486/.496 Part 32242
HEADS: 440 source stealth heads, with some porting
PISTONS: JE / SRP Flat top, Forged aluminium, 2.062" compression distance (piston head volume 6cc)
CARB: Proform 750
Cast iron HP exhaust manifold
Edelbrock CH4B dual plane intake.
Crank grind -10 thou

[Kern Dog]

My best advice is what I have heard and followed. It helps to have a friend to watch for leaks, smoke, anything falling off or strange noises under the hood.
Do whatever you can to ensure that it has spark and fuel before turning the key to start it.
Spray some type of starting fluid like Ether down the carburetor before turning the key to start.
If anything leaks or comes loose, shut down, fix and restart. I've had engines run hot and require 3 break in sessions of 10 minutes with a few minutes in between to cool down.

[70 sublime]

How long has the engine sat since it was rebuilt ?
If it has been a long time should the oil be primed up first ?

[flyinlow]

Charged battery
Fire extinguisher
Birb the cooling system ,to make sure it is full.
Box fan or a barn fan for good air flow.
While you have the distributor out for priming the oil system put a grounded spark plug in the coil wire and spin the distributor to verify the ignition is working
Warm the oil before you put it in.
Prime the oil system.
static time the engine.


Plus what Kern Dog said
.

[C500]

My best advice is what I have heard and followed. It helps to have a friend to watch for leaks, smoke, anything falling off or strange noises under the hood.
Do whatever you can to ensure that it has spark and fuel before turning the key to start it.
Spray some type of starting fluid like Ether down the carburetor before turning the key to start.
If anything leaks or comes loose, shut down, fix and restart. I've had engines run hot and require 3 break in sessions of 10 minutes with a few minutes in between to cool down.

Thanks k-dog 

[C500]

How long has the engine sat since it was rebuilt ?
If it has been a long time should the oil be primed up first ?

About 3 years... has been turned over in that time

[C500]

Charged battery
Fire extinguisher
Birb the cooling system ,to make sure it is full.
Box fan or a barn fan for good air flow.
While you have the distributor out for priming the oil system put a grounded spark plug in the coil wire and spin the distributor to verify the ignition is working
Warm the oil before you put it in.
Prime the oil system.
static time the engine.


Plus what Kern Dog said
.

Thanks 

[C500]

Any advice on a good oil for running in? And when to dump that oil? How long to run the engine initially and at what RPM's?

[Kern Dog]

There are many opinions about the oil.
Some say that regular oil with a supplement is fine. I have followed this many times with no problems and only twice has it bit me in the ass....BOTH were with Comp Cams and their lifters. Some say that in the mid 2000s, there was a rash of cam and lifter failures that may or may not be the blame of the manufacturers. I wiped 2 Comp Cams in a row in 2006 and have NOT used one since.
Others say that the break in oil should be one that is specially formulated for break in.....one that requires no additional supplements. The argument there is that the first method could result in the supplement falling out of suspension in the oil, leading to a reduction in protection.
There are several brands of oil that offer superior protection but what you will certainly need is an oil with Zinc or also known as ZDDP. Valvoline VR 1 has it, as do Joe Gibbs and Brad Penn. Don't be fooled into thinking that an off the shelf synthetic is enough. It is not. The zinc/ZDDP adds a measure of friction protection that no synthetic can match. The reason that zinc/ZDDP was phased out of regular oil is because it contaminated catalytic converters. Also, since all new engines use roller lifters, the need for the specific friction protection of ZDDP wasn't as crucial.

[C500]

Thanks again k-dog..: good advice  I have a high zinc Penrite oil, for use later. Will see if I can find an oil designed for running in an engine

[justcruisin]

If it has been sitting for several years and been cranked over from time to time I would be pulling the valley cover and smearing a good amount of cam break in on the lobes. I think the stealth heads have 120lbs seats, most would say the stealth springs would be fine and with the lift on that cam you will most probably will be fine but personally I would be putting in some lighter springs to be safe.

[Kern Dog]

I've read the suggestions about removing the heavy springs....and never followed it. The biggest cam that I have ran was a Lunati solid with .578 lift. No problems with the cam or lifters by simply doing a traditional 30 minute break in.

[jlatessa]

Valvoline VR1, 10W30 for cam and lifters, never a cam or lifter problem.

Ours are hyd. flat tappet, low/med spring pressures will be fine without removing a spring.
Higher pressures...be safe!

Joe

[Challenger340]

If it has been sitting for several years and been cranked over from time to time I would be pulling the valley cover and smearing a good amount of cam break in on the lobes. I think the stealth heads have 120lbs seats, most would say the stealth springs would be fine and with the lift on that cam you will most probably will be fine but personally I would be putting in some lighter springs to be safe.

Good advice

Anything you can do is a good idea after sitting for so long, and remember, all that periodic turning over the last few years did was wipe any lube that was there off the lobes ? As mentioned, wouldn't hurt to lift the Valley Pan and re-lube generously with a high zinc break in paste.
Stealth heads come with a single w/damper V/Spring setup, so no removing an 'inner' is practical.

From the parts list that will be a very satisfying Engine build, that Crower is excellent Cam, and I think you will be pleasantly surprised just how well it performs !

[Dano 1]

I recently broke in a flat tappet cam so I will echo what everyone else has said, specifically in regard to getting high zinc lube on the cam/lifters. I think pulling the valley pan and coating the cam/lifters with a thick assembly lube is a great idea. After that pre-lube/prime with a drill on the oil pump drive shaft until you see oil flow at the rockers. The lifters are splash lubricated from below so you need RPM to sling oil up and keep everything lubed properly during break-in. This is why it's key to get the engine to fire immediately and get it up to 2000-2500rpm as quickly as you can.
Pre-fill the float bowls with fuel so you're not relying on cranking the engine over to get fuel. Do everything you can to get the timing right the first time and be ready with a timing light to get it dialed in quickly. Having a box fan on hand is great to keep air flow through the radiator but still watch your temp. You can stop/start the break-in procedure you just have to avoid excessive cranking and low RPM running.
I ran Lucas Oil break-in oil which has all the zinc you could need and is affordable. Have plenty of oil on hand and drain/swap filters as soon as the cam is broken in. Cutting up the filter helps gut check that everything went well. I would plan on frequent oil changes for the first few thousand miles to flush out any residual foreign material or residual assembly lube etc.

[RallyeMike]

The fan cannot always keep up with cooling needs. To solve the run hot problem which may lead to interrupting your break in, I run a garden hose into the radiator at the same rate it leaks out the bottom with the petcock full open. It takes a few minutes to get the water exchange rate just right, built once you do.... you can start up break in without having to worry about overheating at all. This lets you concentrate on everything else.

[flyinlow]

I would recommend Valvoline VR1 10w-30 conventional Racing oil also. 1400+ PPM zinc and very high film strength .  Change oil and filter after cam break in ritual . VR1 again for the next oil change (1000 miles or so) . After that run what you plan for the duration of the engine. VR 1 will work for that , but being a racing oil its designed for short drain intervals.

Recommend Wix filters (NAPA Gold) or other quality filter.

[Challenger340]

I would recommend Valvoline VR1 10w-30 conventional Racing oil also. 1400+ PPM zinc and very high film strength .  Change oil and filter after cam break in ritual . VR1 again for the next oil change (1000 miles or so) . After that run what you plan for the duration of the engine. VR 1 will work for that , but being a racing oil its designed for short drain intervals.

Recommend Wix filters (NAPA Gold) or other quality filter.

IMO, The actual weight of Oil to be used longer term is best determined later, and based on the Oil Pressure the engine exhibits across the wider rpm/temperature range = Bearing Clearances in the engine

On the Dyno....
we've seen that the NAPA 'Gold" series can actually be somewhat restrictive if used on any Oil weights above 10W30 as they filter TOO good(not required)

so...
if we're using any weight Oil above 10W30..... with High Performance Bearing Clearances of .0025" Rods and .003" Mains for plus 5000 rpm shift points
we prefer the basic "white" NAPA Filter(also WIX) ....which is also cheaper and offers more than adequate filtration with more Flow(less restrictive than the NAPA Gold series)

[flyinlow]

I would recommend Valvoline VR1 10w-30 conventional Racing oil also. 1400+ PPM zinc and very high film strength .  Change oil and filter after cam break in ritual . VR1 again for the next oil change (1000 miles or so) . After that run what you plan for the duration of the engine. VR 1 will work for that , but being a racing oil its designed for short drain intervals.

Recommend Wix filters (NAPA Gold) or other quality filter.

IMO, The actual weight of Oil to be used longer term is best determined later, and based on the Oil Pressure the engine exhibits across the wider rpm/temperature range = Bearing Clearances in the engine

On the Dyno....
we've seen that the NAPA 'Gold" series can actually be somewhat restrictive if used on any Oil weights above 10W30 as they filter TOO good(not required)

so...
if we're using any weight Oil above 10W30..... with High Performance Bearing Clearances of .0025" Rods and .003" Mains for plus 5000 rpm shift points
we prefer the basic "white" NAPA Filter(also WIX) ....which is also cheaper and offers more than adequate filtration with more Flow(less restrictive than the NAPA Gold series)

Interesting , do you think using the higher filtration filter(gold)  for the cam break in would trap more stuff ? Engine only running 2000-2500 RPM.

Do you go right from the cam break in to full throttle dyno pulls?

[Challenger340]

I would recommend Valvoline VR1 10w-30 conventional Racing oil also. 1400+ PPM zinc and very high film strength .  Change oil and filter after cam break in ritual . VR1 again for the next oil change (1000 miles or so) . After that run what you plan for the duration of the engine. VR 1 will work for that , but being a racing oil its designed for short drain intervals.

Recommend Wix filters (NAPA Gold) or other quality filter.

IMO, The actual weight of Oil to be used longer term is best determined later, and based on the Oil Pressure the engine exhibits across the wider rpm/temperature range = Bearing Clearances in the engine

On the Dyno....
we've seen that the NAPA 'Gold" series can actually be somewhat restrictive if used on any Oil weights above 10W30 as they filter TOO good(not required)

so...
if we're using any weight Oil above 10W30..... with High Performance Bearing Clearances of .0025" Rods and .003" Mains for plus 5000 rpm shift points
we prefer the basic "white" NAPA Filter(also WIX) ....which is also cheaper and offers more than adequate filtration with more Flow(less restrictive than the NAPA Gold series)

Interesting , do you think using the higher filtration filter(gold)  for the cam break in would trap more stuff ? Engine only running 2000-2500 RPM.

Do you go right from the cam break in to full throttle dyno pulls?

Oh no.... no power runs for quite awhile, we work our way up slowly, and we feel the 'white' NAPA is just fine for all apps. We spend a ton of time when machining 'setting' the bearing clearances throughout the Engine, and it's an extremely clean environment start to finish during final wash/Assembly ?
So I dunno if the GOLD Filter would offer any benefits in 'extra' filtration ? could be ? .... all we've seen is that they can be somewhat more 'restrictive' to Oil Flow at higher rpm's compared to the basic 'white' NAPA.... and us feeling more critical to bearing cooling to have unrestricted flow especially at rpm ?

You can use the GOLD filter, they work fine, just not quite as much Oil Flow as the cheaper white NAPA filter, it just depends what your preference is ? and bearing clearances present ?
Just say'in that depending upon the performance level and how 'hard' a guy runs his stuff..... the cheaper white Filter is less restrictive, and still a WIX so 

[c00nhunterjoe]

Fwiw, i run off the shelf wix on mild to wild builds. From 13 second cruisers to 7 second race engines.

[Kern Dog]

Nobody runs the Fram HP1 anymore? I've used those for years.