Cam Installation Guidelines
Installation Guidelines  Proper installation is critical for a flat tappet cam to live.  
There are two sources for common problems - component incompatibility or
improper break in procedure.  Seems everybody has  their own way to break in a
cam - this is the preferred Survival method.  This is required reading, and is the
only way to keep your warranty intact.
Take your new cam out of the box and give it a good visual inspection.  It can be
beneficial to take a wire brush to the distributor drive gear just to be certain it's
free of any burrs or debris.  Wash the cam off with a scrub brush and soapy
water to eliminate any grinding oils or dirt.

Use high pressure moly paste type lube on lobes and lifter bottoms.  Not normal
or lithium grease or oil.  Use motor oil on the sides of the lifters, on the bearing
journals, and on the distributor gear.  Use only NEW, AMERICAN MADE
LIFTERS.  Companies making lifters today include Delphi, HyLift (aka Johnson),
Stanadyne, someone from Mexico and somebody from China.  Find out who
made yours.  If your supplier does not know - - or won't tell you - - buy from
somebody else.

Make sure before starting that you have no mechanical interference:  Valve
spring coil bind, retainer to valve seal, rocker slot to stud, pushrods bound on
heads or guideplates, inadequate piston to valve clearance - any of these will kill
the cam.  High spring pressure applications will benefit from light break-in
springs or no inners.

We require break in be done with a high zinc oil - Shell Rotella T seems to be
among the best right now.  Normal automotive oils lack the high pressure lubes
needed for flat tappet cams (all new cars are roller...).  Fill the pan, make sure it
fires right away (no continuous cranking, and run it for 20-30 minutes, changing
RPM every few minutes.  Change oil and filter, install inner springs as needed
and you're ready to go!
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