Cam Break In

[andyh1956]

I am about to fire up a fresh engine & has a new Comp Cams 268H in it. I was reading the instructions & they tell me to REMOVE the inner valve springs I installed from the kit to break the cam in & then re-install them after break in. Holy Swaparama Batman!
Do any Yall do this with a new cam? I have the cam lubed up & additive in the oil & engine is pre lubed.
Thanks

[toolboxchev]

Comp Cams is a great company to work with, unparalleled customer support. The one thing I have learned on this site from a select few is something Comp will not inform you of.

Their lifters are great, yet one detail is left out. Take apart the lifters prior to install and clean them in a solvent. The protective oil they put on them will attract dirt. Its just an extra step to insure they all function properly. Coat them with the proper break in oil such as their product or something formulated for Flat Tappet lifters such as Valvoline VR1. It has the proper ZDDP compounds plus, most importantly, a high film strength.

Assemble as usual and you should have no problems. The step above is just to make sure non of the lifters have any sticky spots or debris to clog up your engine.

And YES follow all of their other recommendations! I most likely will be using their products again to put together another build here in the very near future.

[andyh1956]

Originally Posted by toolboxchev

Comp Cams is a great company to work with, unparalleled customer support. The one thing I have learned on this site from a select few is something Comp will not inform you of.

Their lifters are great, yet one detail is left out. Take apart the lifters prior to install and clean them in a solvent. The protective oil they put on them will attract dirt. Its just an extra step to insure they all function properly. Coat them with the proper break in oil such as their product or something formulated for Flat Tappet lifters such as Valvoline VR1. It has the proper ZDDP compounds plus, most importantly, a high film strength.

Assemble as usual and you should have no problems. The step above is just to make sure non of the lifters have any sticky spots or debris to clog up your engine.

And YES follow all of their other recommendations! I most likely will be using their products again to put together another build here in the very near future.

So you DID remove your inner valve springs & re install them after cam break in?

[mattfranklin]

Originally Posted by andyh1956

I am about to fire up a fresh engine & has a new Comp Cams 268H in it. I was reading the instructions & they tell me to REMOVE the inner valve springs I installed from the kit to break the cam in & then re-install them after break in. Holy Swaparama Batman!
Do any Yall do this with a new cam? I have the cam lubed up & additive in the oil & engine is pre lubed.
Thanks

My machinist took a different approach on that one. He set me up with two sets of Crane valve locks (keys or whatever you want to call them). One set had the spring 0.050 longer than stock. The other set had the spring 0.050 shorter than stock. He instructed me to break it in with the long (tall) set and after break in to switch to the short set for full rev potential. He said it would be a pretty quick process and had a lever tool I could borrow to swap locks with the heads still on the truck. I'm in the process of assembling right now, so we'll see how that goes.

Another machinist friend said that he had a special set of rockers for break-in only with like a 1.3 ratio or something like that.

[GASoline71]

Having the higher spring pressure of a dual spring could cause premature cam and/or lifter failure. Even after break in... so yes... remove the inner springs.

Gary

[YoungPup1977]

Its work, some times it takes time and effort to end up with something that works properly by abiding by the experts/design recommendations on "breaking in" a camshaft....if you do not follow the instructions/recommendations and you have issues, most likely they will not stand behind your mistake....

[andyh1956]

Thanks. Keep yall posted.

[Captainfab]

With the 268H cam you should not be running dual valve springs, so removing the inner springs would not be necessary. You should be running the 981 springs. But you can always call comp's tech line to verify.

[andyh1956]

Originally Posted by Captainfab

With the 268H cam you should not be running dual valve springs, so removing the inner springs would not be necessary. You should be running the 981 springs. But you can always call comp's tech line to verify.

I have not provided Yall with enough information. The engine is a 302 Ford & the springs that came in the kit are inner / outer.
Sorry
I think I am gonna build me a set of adapters & run this engine on my test stand for break in & then install the inner springs before we install the engine in the car. It goes in a '69 Mustang Fastback.
Thanks

[mattfranklin]

Originally Posted by andyh1956

I have not provided Yall with enough information. The engine is a 302 Ford & the springs that came in the kit are inner / outer.
Sorry
I think I am gonna build me a set of adapters & run this engine on my test stand for break in & then install the inner springs before we install the engine in the car. It goes in a '69 Mustang Fastback.
Thanks

Sounds like a cool project.

[YoungPup1977]

Originally Posted by andyh1956

I have not provided Yall with enough information. The engine is a 302 Ford & the springs that came in the kit are inner / outer.
Sorry
I think I am gonna build me a set of adapters & run this engine on my test stand for break in & then install the inner springs before we install the engine in the car. It goes in a '69 Mustang Fastback.
Thanks

Its not good to use the F word in this chevy forum....just sayin....

[68gmsee]

Originally Posted by YoungPup1977

Its not good to use the F word in this chevy forum....just sayin....

However, since it's for a 69 Mustang he's forgiven. My brother had one and it was one hell of a vehicle. Ran like a scalded ape..

[toolboxchev]

[QUOTE=andyh1956;8276741]So you DID remove your inner valve springs & re install them after cam break in?[/QUOTE

No I did not, I wish I would have though, would have cleaned the lifters also, had I known at the time.

My top end rebuild is still running although I am in need of doing the bottom end now, so looking at a complete rebuild or crate motor.

[andyh1956]

Thanks
We installed a Comp Cams Camshaft for a TPI in our TBI K5 engine yrs ago & didn't do anything different than crank it up & start driving it & it still runs fine. But as expensive as things are now I want to take every precaution available!