I know I got a lot of questions, but it's been a while since I've been through putting a new engine into service.
Cam is ISKY, Grind S-974 I got from John Mummert

Oddly enough, ISKY does not provide any info on either procedure or lube for break in in the cam literature

The next question is about break in oil (I think I got the procedure). I was thinking about a good grade of 10-40 or 20-50, probably Castrol GTX .  The last engine I had to break in was the 312 in my 54 and I used one or the other and the GM break in additive (still available?).  Any other recommendations

Thanks for any help


54 Victoria 312;  48 Ford Conv 302, 56 Bird 312
Forever Ford
Midland Park, NJ

Oil is always a touchy subject.  I’ve always said that if you want to alienate someone, then talk politics, religion, or brands of oil.  For most flat tappet street engines, I use conventional grade Valvoline 10W-40 which comes in the white jug.  On occasion I’ll throw in a 4oz. bottle of ZDDPlus or GM Zinc additive for good measure just for the first load of oil as that’s good for all wear items, not just the cam and lifters.  If there’s going to be a cam/tappet failure at the very start, it’s not going to be the brand of oil and will instead be something to do with the installation or the parts being used.
 
Some things to always consider when breaking in a new flat tappet camshaft is to never use an oil with less than 30W in its classification (ie. 5W-20) or synthetic oil.  There needs to be enough shear properties in the oil to allow the tappet to grab and turn on the lobe.  Reduced viscosity and synthetic oils do have reduced shear properties by design and work well for the applications intended but not in our older flat tappet engines.  Be cautious in the prolonged use of zinc additives to oil that already has sufficient zinc/phosphorus in it as that can contribute to zinc overloading.  That in turn will cause the cam flanks to wear excessively as time goes on.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

Ted, do you happen to know the zinc/phosphorus content of the Valvoline you use? Is it formulated for flat tappet engines specifically or does it cover OHC as well? I currently use one of the "high mileage" 10W40 semi synthetics that is supposed to be more or less universal but I still toss and turn over it at night sometimes.

The only Vavloline which has near the recommended amount, about 1100-1200ppm is the VR1 oils and I think a couple of the motorcycle oils.  You can look at the product information sheet for the content of zinc and phosphorous for the particular Valvoline oil you use at Valvoline's website.

Well, it looks like they do not state that for the Maxlife oil (red bottle).  Might be a better question to pose to Valvoline directly.  It's advertised for engines with more than 75000 miles, which at this point would be well into the 2000s, meaning that it has to be formulated to play nice with newer stuff.
https://sharena21.springcm.com/Public/Document/18452/bebcbfb0-c37e-e711-9c10-ac162d889bd3/dcefb479-09bd-e711-9c12-ac162d889bd1



Lawrenceville, GA

What is the name of the GM zinc additive (or part number)


54 Victoria 312;  48 Ford Conv 302, 56 Bird 312
Forever Ford
Midland Park, NJ

Looks like ZDDPlus is $13 delivered @ 4 fl. oz bottle, enough to treat 4-5 quarts of oil. $9 a bottle if purchasing 5 at a time. This is a Zinc/phosphorous supplement.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F191678207150

Ted, are you still of the opinion that Diesel rated oils like Rotella 15/40 or Delvac are unsuitable?

Greetings to all:  I'll try to post the link to Valvoline's product data information. ZDDP is listed for their motor oil and the VR1 racing oil  -   for what it's worth.                                      https://www.valvoline.com/our-products/pi-sheets


64F100 57FAIRLANE500

Hmmm, I'm not seeing any reference to specific additives in Maxlfe, only approvals and licences and additional recommended applications. I think I'll just go back to VR-1.

The zinc/phosphorus (zddp) content for the current run of conventional grade of Valvoline is listed as 830/760.  That’s about 66% or 2/3 of the old “SJ” specification.  What this means is the available zddp simply will not last as long using the old oil change intervals.  For most flat tappet camshafts using the current run of oils with these reduced zddp levels, I typically recommend changing the oil once a year or 2000 miles, which-ever comes first.  This will insure that the zinc/phosphorus is not exhausted before performing the oil change.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)