Rebuilt engine....picking an oil and breaking it in

[Obscurity]

In the next month or so my engine will FINALLY be going back into my Eagle. It's been rebuilt, now with a 4L head, been bored out to .40, new comp cam, new Weber carb, and will have a freshly rebuilt trans and transfer case. Hopefully with a decent new high-energy ignition once I can afford it. Oh, also new lifters pistons and rods....basically its all new but the block and crank.
My question here is what oil to use. A friend of mine is highly recommending "Royal Purple", but I believe it is fully synthetic and I've heard that full synthetic isn't good for the break-in period. Any thoughts on oil choice? or tips on breaking it in? Any thoughts on oil weight, keeping in mind I'm in a place that gets REALLY cold in the winter and hot in the summer? If I go full synthetic I don't want to have to do a full oil-swap every time the temperature changes
I just want to pick an oil now in case any goes on sale I can get it then instead of when I need it and it's inevitable going to be full price
Thanks all!

[IowaEagle]

There is an additive in some oils, at the moment it escapes me, Zinc, maybe? that you should use during break-in of these older engines.  Hopefully some of the good folks here will give you a better answer.

[thereverendbill]

royal purple has a break in oil with zinc additive.  i would go the royal purple route myself 

[AMCKen]

I changed just the cam and lifters in a 401 and started it with discount store 10-30. That way when I changed it out after 100 miles it didn't hurt so much. Then I ran non-synthetic for a couple thousand and now run synthetic 0W-40. So far so good. : )

[Obscurity]

Great tips guys....I did look up why synthetic isn't good for break-in though (actually I found it on the Royal purple web page, where they talk about their break-in oil ) Apparently it is TOO smooth and there needs to be some abrasion initially for everything to seat properly, otherwise I definitely think going full synthetic is a great idea. The Break-in oil probably has a highzddp that you mentionned Casper. I put a TON of money into this engine and I want to care for it the best I can. Maybe go 500-1000km on the break-in oil and then switch to the Royal Purple. Do I have to get an engine flush to do that switch?
Altho it'll probably cost another small fortune I'll probably order some Royal Purple break-in oil....hopefully a local store can get it for me so I don't have to pay for all of the shipping! Way up here that would be big bucks!

[Sunny]

I sent you a PM with some info.

[Demigawd]

I bought some zddp maxx to add the zinc neede to any oil you use with that stuff coulde u just get some cheap oil the break it in with since u can add the zinc needed for break in to any oil

[wagoneerhauler]

I don't know if it's too late yet but you should prime your new engine (the oil system) before starting the first time.  If you have an old distributor that you could take apart you'll need the shaft and the housing would be nice too.  Take the gear off the shaft and everything else off the housing.  With a drill attached to the shaft at the distributor end place the other end into block where it would normally go.  Then you can pressurize the whole motor with the drill spinning the oil pump.  There are tools for this but this is a nice free way if you have the extra distributor around.  If you can't do it it's not the end of the world as the shop should have used break-in lube when assembling your engine.  It is nice to do though if you can.

[Obscurity]

I'm a little concerned about the break-in actually, I got the oil (with a high zinc break-in additive) a little while ago, and I finally picked up the spark plugs and oil filter today. My landlord just did the engine install (he is a semi-retired transmission mechanic, who has worked on cars for....oh forever), and has been asking me to grab the last few things. He seems to be minimally concerned about the fact that this car and rebuild is VERY important to me though.....bugs me a little. Not sure how to deal with him to be honest. I trust his mechanical experience in general, but I'm not sure I trust his level of respect for how much I have put into this car and the fact that this is a brand new engine!
Actually, here is an additional question for you all....can there be a first short startup? priming the engine aside (which I will ask that he do), I'm not sure if the actual break-in procedure has to be done immediately on first startup or not.
Oh, another point, I can't get the exhaust hooked up yet since I switched the manifold, can the initial break-in be done without the full exhaust? Would it be horrible for the first run be a short start-up, 20 min run into town directly to the muffler shop?
Also, (I know the info is here somewhere!!!), what is the best break-in for this engine? RPMs, time to keep it there, how long actually under load/on the road etc? I'm not positive about what to do, but I think what might be more important is what NOT to do!
I know some of these are dumb questions, but I've been out of it for a while

[wagoneerhauler]

When you first run it make it about 20 minutes at around 2000 rpm.  The whole time listen to make sure it sounds correct.  Don't be concerned about the exhaust; it's not an issue except it might make it a bit harder to hear unusual noises.  Check for leaks: oil, water, fuel, PS fluid, etc.

I would let it go through at least one cycle from cold to operating temp and back to cold to be sure all is sealed correctly before driving it; probably two.

As far as the landlord goes just tell him what you said here about how much it means to you and the $$ you have invested.  See what you think from there?... 

[priya]

the reason for the zinc, our motors are flat tappet cammed motors. the zinc bonds with the metals in the engine. it makes a harder surface sort of, so the lifters and cam do not wear. if you dont use the zddp oil, the lifters/cam wont wear in correctly, and you will have accelerated wear. the reasoning for taking the zddp out of the normal oils, most every "new" engine from the last 20 years has roller lifters/cam. they dont need the zddp as they roll instead of slide. and as the engines get wore, they burn oil. the zddp burns catalytic converters out/plugs them up.

I heard this from several people on the Corvette Forum as well and asked my husband about it.  He's a master mechanic and he says zinc in new oils is not a concern.  He says, yes many new motors are roller cam, but not all of them are and the new oils work for the non-roller motors as well on break in. The new oils don't have zinc in them, but its been replaced with an additive that performs the same function.  We're going to break in my 258 with a modern oil, but he's going to use one designed for a diesel (there's some reason for that but I forget what it is).

[eaglefreek]

the reason for the zinc, our motors are flat tappet cammed motors. the zinc bonds with the metals in the engine. it makes a harder surface sort of, so the lifters and cam do not wear. if you dont use the zddp oil, the lifters/cam wont wear in correctly, and you will have accelerated wear. the reasoning for taking the zddp out of the normal oils, most every "new" engine from the last 20 years has roller lifters/cam. they dont need the zddp as they roll instead of slide. and as the engines get wore, they burn oil. the zddp burns catalytic converters out/plugs them up.

I heard this from several people on the Corvette Forum as well and asked my husband about it.  He's a master mechanic and he says zinc in new oils is not a concern.  He says, yes many new motors are roller cam, but not all of them are and the new oils work for the non-roller motors as well on break in. The new oils don't have zinc in them, but its been replaced with an additive that performs the same function.  We're going to break in my 258 with a modern oil, but he's going to use one designed for a diesel (there's some reason for that but I forget what it is).

All oil has zinc phosphate. The newer oils just have less zinc to help catalytic converters last longer. Diesel oil typically has more zinc than regular oil. You absolutely need zinc for proper break in of a flat tappet camshaft.

[priya]

the diesel motor oils (up until about 2 years ago) had high levels of zddp in them also. not anymore. the modern off the shelf oils are NOT good for breaking in a flat tappet motor. the lifters dont get that hardend layer on them, and dong get wore into the cam correctly. i had a c-worded 454 i rebuilt for a guy who first cooked main bearings so bad, they had to be welded up so they could be remachined strait. got it rebuilt, and put together. (this was when the zddp first got taken out of the oil and i didnt know about it) the lifters and cam got wiped out in about 10,000 miles. had to rebuild it again. this time, got good zddp in it. then the guy didnt change out the oil like i told him to after 500 miles, and went and spun 2 more main bearings. AGAIN!!! i wasnt interested in building that motor a 3rd tome.

Yes, I've heard many such stories.  What convinced me was the fact that flat tappet motors are still being made and they use modern oils.  I understand if you want to use such zinc additives, but I'm not concerned about it.  My husband says all that is needed is a proper assembly lube for a new camshaft.

[Sunny]

High Zinc oil is a MUST HAVE for breaking in a flat tappet cam.
No questions asked.
I've seen people ignore it and wipe a cam in less than 500KM.

Most diesel oils don't have much zinc in them anymore aswell as Casper stated.

I've seen plenty of flat tappet high performance motors eat cams using regular oil.
When you've got a 5,000-10,000$ motor whats a bit of extra money for an additive or decent high zinc oil?

When I ordered my cam from Comp Cams, they specifically said the camshaft WOULD fail without high zinc oil or an additive... Every motor I've built that's flat tappet, Ive used additive or high zinc oil.

[eaglefreek]

Yes, I've heard many such stories.  What convinced me was the fact that flat tappet motors are still being made and they use modern oils.  

I can't think of any new flat tappet engines off the top of my head. Most new engines are OHC and the couple that aren't, Hemi and Chevy LS series use roller lifters. Not to mention an aftermarket, higher lift cam has been installed which results in higher pressures on the lifters. The break in is the critical point. After break in, regular oil will be fine.