Well I just finished breaking in the cam in my new engine and everything SEEMS to be good so far. *crosses fingers* I'm just wondering if there is any follow up work that I should do other than change the oil & filter? It has a hydraulic cam with locking screws for the rockers, so the rockers/valves shouldn't need to be adjusted again should they? Is there anything else that I'm not thinking of that I should do/check? I just want to make sure I didn't forget anything before I get to driving it to break the piston rings in.

Also, what should I have my timing set at?

The combo is

333cu in
Accel HEI Ignition
600 Edelbrock electric choke carb
Edel Performer intake
Edel Performer RPM heads
Roughly 10.5:1 comp.
Cam is 216 duration .454 lift 110 LSA dialed in to whatever the specs were that came with the cam

The timing is set at 12 or 13 degrees advanced right now and seems to be running well, but I haven't done much other than start it and let it idle.

I'd appreciate any advice guys.

Thanks in advance, and for all the advice you guys have given me already. You've been very helpful. smile.gif graemlins/thumbsup.gif

If you have moly rings they should be seated by the time the cam is broken in. Plain rings will take longer. Oil and filter change should do it. I run my driver (204/214 cam) at 14º with manifold vacuum so the initial while idling is 24º.

I like to break in an engine the way I plan on driving it. With my bracket car; 25 minute break in then a bunch of full throttle passes down the strip smile.gif . With my driver; cam break in then 75 to 90 MPH on the freeway. The driver has some 130,000 miles and doesn't burn a drop. I hope your's is a long lived engine with no problems whatsoever.

So that's it really? Sounds good to me. Yeah, i'm hoping she's going to run good and long also. I've had really bad luck with engines in this car. The last engine destroyed 2 camshafts in no time. I'm almost tempted to get it running and sell it before something goes wrong you know? Oh well. :( Win some loose most. Thanks for the reply.

It never hurts to check the valves again graemlins/thumbsup.gif

On the freeway driving: it wouldn't hurt to run up to higher speed for a few minutes then slow down for a few to let the engine cool a bit. This cycling is probably a good idea but not really needed. Change the oil again in a couple hundred miles. Make sure it doesn't go lean. The max operating temp for a SB, according to my Service Manual, is 245º. Don't worry if it goes to 220 or so but I'd not let it go much over that.

When you do that first oil change, cut the filter open to inspect the element. Any MAJOR problems would leave metal in the filter...But keep in mind, if this is a fresh build, there may be a LITTLE fine metal shavings in there,as long as its not excessive don't worry about it graemlins/thumbsup.gif

I would measure every lobe again! Seriously loosten the rockers and measure @ pushrod. Or at very least I like Scott's graemlins/waving.gif Idea of marking every pushrod with a mark and be sure they all rotate.
Milan

Re-adjusting the valves isn't a bad idea. Mine were just a little out of adjustment after break in. I readjusted them and they have been fine since.

dennis

Sounds good. That's a good idea about marking the pushrods and checking for rotation. The only problem with that is that say you mark the pushrods and then when you check them a few are in the same spot. That would worry me, but it could be that they just rotated back to the same position as were marked right? j/w I'm going to change the oil today (only put on about .5 miles) and i'll make sure to check the filter for metal shavings. I'm almost afraid to after what happened with my last engine. :( It's ok if the oil looks kinda crappy right? I mean the assembly lube and general break in crap from the engine will do that usual correct?

So how do I measure all the lobes without pulling the cam? Valve/rocker adjustment and all this is pretty much new to me. The entent of my knowledge is "turn 1/4 turn past snug". lol Pathetic, I know. redface.gif

Thanks again guys.

Depending upon which head gaskets were used you may need to retorque the head bolts. Also retorque the header bolts and intake bolts.

Bob tiley - Will do. What is the pattern for the head bolts again? They were felpro gaskets. That's really all I know about them.

Measureing the lobes was relatively simple, compared to the rest of the work you have done. I removed all my rockers and used a depth micrometer, but any device should do at this point. Remember you will be looking for a difference in the lobes(comparing exhaust to exhaust then intake.....) Find a place that you can limit where the pushrod moves around other than up and down and measure the rise of the pushrod. With no load on the plunger, the rise and fall of the pushrod will equall that of the lifter/lobe. If you find one that is different you can look into it more closely. good luck
Milan.
P.S.on the witness mark thing, the odds of the mark ending up at the exact same location are up there.

Milan - So should I just remove the spark plugs and rotate the engine over by hand when I check this? 90 degree's rotation of the balancer for a full stroke of one cylinder correct? Thanks for the advice. smile.gif

P.S. Yeah, i'm sure it is unlikely that the marks would end up in the same places, but i'm just saying that would make me paranoid if they did. lol Good idea though. graemlins/thumbsup.gif