got it running
 

Well folks I finally got my Y-block running today. I rebuilt it all myself it is a '62 292 .30 over, G heads, Schneider cam etc. It ran great for about 7-8 minutes then the battery died and so did the motor. I have to figure out why it is not charging. I know that you are supposed to break in a new engine and run it for 15-20 minutes. I think all I got was 7-8. It got too dark to mess with it further, and I my jumper cables are messed up. Do you think any harm will be done by not being able to run in the full 15 minutes?

I'll have to do a second post later and explain where all my connections are going to see if someone can help me figure out why it isn't charging. Too dark now and I'm too tired to go over it at the moment.

Boy did it sound great for about 8 minutes though!!

IMO running an engine at idle for that long is crazy. The rough texture left by the honing process will be wearing away by that time and the rings will never seat right. Granted, Im sure someone will come on soon enough to tell me its not true, but I completely believe in breaking an engine in by WORKING it.

I do have respect for anyone that builds their engine thenselves though :) Very nice job. As for the alternator, I got a GM style 1 wire alternator and its great. Nothing to figure out, just 1 wire. So much easier.

Congratulations on getting it started. It's a great feeling to have it all together and start it for the first time.

Be sure to add STP oil treatment, GM EOS or WalMart TechLube with ZDDP to help the cam live. Motor oil made these days no longer has this kind of additive, but your flat-tappet cam and rockers need ZDDP to live a long life. When I bought my truck with a 223 I discovered that two lobes of the cam had gone flat. I suspect that this might have been avoided if the PO had kept STP or similar in the crankcase.

I'm hoping to have both a 292 and a 223 running in the next month or so.

I agree basically with Kens64. Breakin of a motor needs to be under load. Dont try to do it at idle, or even by reving up the motor while standing still. Best is to just not start it again, except for a short burst once a month or so, until you can get it on the road. I doubt that you have created any problems, but keep away from the starter.
Some alternators, like one wire GMs, require and initial rpm to be achieved before they begin charging. However, any fully charged good condition battery will run a lot longer than 7-8 minutes.
Lots of congratulations on the start. I know how it feels, it took me 10 years after rebuilding my motor to hear it make sounds.

The instructions that came with the cam said to run it at around 2000-2500 rpm for 15 minutes before driving it, that is why I did that. The battery was already a little drained from trying to build oil pressure but I finally broke out the drill and did it that way.

After ordering all the parts, and getting the block and crank back from the machine shop I was able to build the whole motor in a week of evenings. It was actually a lot of fun. I've built motors from the shortblock up, but never from the ground up before.

After sleeping on it, I'm thinking that I might not have any wires running from the alternator to the battery. I have them running from the alternator to the voltage regulator but what charges the battery from there?

What kind of alternator do you have? A lot of them have internal regulators. My GM alternator has one wire running to the battery side of the starter solenoid.

I have a standard ford alternator running through a ford voltage regulator.
If anyone is reading this, I wonder if I can just run a wire from the batt terminal on the alternator to the batt side of the solenoid or even right to the battery cable itself, or do I need to run it throught the voltage regulator? (Right now I have a wire running from the batt terminal to the voltage regulator, I figure I could just piggy back off of that one?)

Well, the cam manufacturer stated a specific RPM for a reason. If the cam and lifters are not properly broke in, then the cam will not last. I've always done it at about 1500 RPM, and have never had a problem. Breaking in an engine under load, WILL cause marks in the cylinder walls, and WILL eventually lead to too much blow-by, and excessive oil consumption, and eventually premature bearing failure caused by gas draining by the rings and contaminating the oil. Poor valve seals also will cause this. Also, a vehicle should NOT be put into any gear until it is brought up to normal operating temperature. Has any one ever notice the vertical scoring on the cylinder walls of an engine. That is caused by improper treatment of the engine. The break in of the motor at or around 1500-2000 RPM allows the the lifters to seat against the cam. Now, if you read the directions on your cam, and the directions on you r rings, they are conflicting. You should always break in the cam according to manufacturers recommendations, then according to most ring manufacturers, you should drive the vehicle at around 30 MPH, for about 10 miles, and then at full throttle, you should accelerate to around 50, and then idle back down to 30, and then repeat this three times. THIS is how you properly seat the rings to cylinders. Then you should drive it under normal operating conditiond to 100 miles, change the oil to remove the assembly lube, inspect the oil filter, and then drive the vehicle to 1000 miles, and then change the oil again, and then change it every 3000 after that. I would recommend a full sybthetic at the 1000 mile change.

Um, thats what I meant by breaking an engine in under load. Under the load created by making the engine pull itself harder than 1500 RPM and making some cylinder pressure to seat the rings. Driving 30 miles AFTER letting the poor engine idle with no load before seating the rings is already too late because the rough texture on the cylinders is fading pretty fast by that time. And stop saying "WILL" too, there are far too many variables to "gaurantee" failure from a certain break-in method. Sorry, but I hate when constants are used. NOTHING is constant with more than different people operating different vehicles.
3 times really isnt enough, IMO. But to each their own. I build the engine, and break it in by loading the rings IMMEDIATELY after operating temp is reached (which happens to be about the time it takes to get on the highway from my house) several times. Not warmed up 100% before I load the rings? Too bad. Then drive it like I stole it all I want for the rest of its life. Fantastic compression numbers, no overall cam wear, great power from my 292 and consistant analysis results of my engines oil are proof that it works.

Done several rebuilds of different engines and break in is always the same. New cam? Too bad, it gets the same treatment.


Of course, this is just my .02. Do whatcha want. If you like your break-in method and it works for you, keep doing it.

That is why it is your opinion. I just simply stated what the manufacturer of the majority of the components state in their "proper break in procedures." I'm sorry if I seem to of offended you, but I too have many rebuilds under my belt, and I go with the manufacturer. If a part fails due to improper break in procedure, the manufacturer can inspect and determine the cause of the failure. If it done to their recommendation, and it fails, then they will replace it. If it fails, and done to their recommendations, they won't replace it. I would much rather follow the directions that came with the parts, and put the liability in the hands of th emanufacturer, rather than be out all that work and money because of an "I know what I'm doing" ego.

No offense meant or taken, I just dont believe something to be gospel even if its the manufacturer that does the talking. Easy break-in was originally created by morotcycle builders and later adapted by car manufacturers. We both agree its the wrong way to do it. Backpressure being "needed" is another, which has been proven wrong many times on dynos. Oil manufacturers preach 3K mile oil changes, although my results show I can go far longer. If something breaks, I blame only myself, and learn from it.

You have decided to follow the rules set by the cam maker, and there is nothing wrong with that. I hope the engines you build and use live long happy lives.

What should I do if the truck is not really road worthy yet? Right now it doesn't have the bed on, tailights, the ddors aren't fit etc.

I was just going to get it running again, break in the cam and take it for a little drive around the neighborhood.

Would that be a bad thing to do?

That is what I did. But I live in the country. Maiden voyages totalling 10 miles at the most were done without bed, doors, lights, hood, and only the inner fenders. It was a sight, and I have the pictures as a reminder. But, put your doors on, and it shouldnt be done in a populated area.
I did it in short runs of a couple miles around my house, during the morning when there was no traffic.