What does that cost? whatever it is would be better applied towards a roller cam.

No matter what cam or oil you use you still have junk flat tappet lifters. you might make it through the break in but you won't ever be home free unless they last the life of the engine.

 

Wow, this is a tough decision

 

Is the Cam King brake in trustworthy? It doesn't seem like too bad of a idea

 

I only recently learned about Cam Research and their break-in service. I understand the theory and think it is sound, but I am skeptical about it since no engine block is exactly the same and it is guaranteed that the machine they use to break-in the cam has at least slightly different geometry than your engine block. Whether that different geometry makes much difference I don't know. The key thing you're trying to accomplish during cam break-in is work hardening of the metal contact surfaces. I am curious if they offer any sort of guarantee. I didn't see anything about that on their website.

I dug around on the internet a bit to see who out there had used the service and didn't find any real complaints to speak of. I came away with the thought that it doesn't seem to hurt anything and if anything gives you some added piece of mind during that first start-up.

If I were to use their service I think I would just get the cam from them already broke-in versus buying a cam and sending it to them. Their prices seem reasonable and they can put together a kit with all the parts you need and are compatible with each other.

Yes, these decisions can be tough, I would determine what your end goal and total budget and develop a plan and list of parts before you order anything. Sticking to a plan can help you avoid buying things that really aren't needed or take you down the rabbit hole of, if I change this, I also need to change that for it to work properly and before you know it, you have completely blown the budget.

That said, be prepared for the unexpected and have some cushion in your budget for that stuff and all the little extras that add up very quickly such as multiple oil changes, sealants, assembly lube, other fluids, paint, cleaning supplies, and small hardware such as new bolts & fittings. You may also need to borrow, rent or buy some tools you may not have.

Also, when I choose where to spend more money is often determined how much work it is to replace that part if it goes wrong. Buying a quality timing set or valve springs are more important to me than say a water pump or a distributor, especially on a tight budget. Swapping a water pump or a distributor takes a lot less work than changing out a timing set.

Regardless, this part is as important as the actual assembly. Take your time, give it some thought and be methodical in your planning and execution.

 

What he said^^^^, start with your goals and work backwards

 

I took some time to think about it and have a few questions
I dont want to use the stock cam and lifters because I mixed up the lifters and pushrods (heat of the moment **** it. I planned on getting new stuff) but I was thinking about running new lifters on the old cam but I figured that was a risk too..
The break in process worries me a bit because I know myself, it's not gonna start right off and itll take cranking and trouble shooting..
I considered a roller cam but im not sure if it's in my budget currently..

 

Also I know this may sound dumb but I was really wanting to keep the stock points and stuff just for simplicity

 

I personally have put mixed up lifters back in engine with stock cam....Worked out fine but wouldn't recommend it. You could also just chance it with new lifters on your old cam if budget is priority.

 

With a roller cam am I going to have to change valve springs, and have different length pushrods with adjustable rockers?

Unrelated, my fel-pro engine gasket set and double roller timing chain arrived today... parts are accumulating.. have a melling oil pump and new pickup tube too

 

Yes, with a roller cam you'll need different length pushrods but until you get cam installed and get your adjustable rocker arms set up you won't know exactly what length. It's something you'll need to measure and confirm proper geometry.

Having the break in process fail could also occur using old cam with new lifters. The new lifters will need to be work hardened too.

Ruining a cam had always been a risk. And if it does fail you'll be tearing the engine down, at least partially, to thoroughly clean. At a minimum you'll need another gasket set, cam and lifters and another couple oil changes.

Couple considerations... Add up how much it costs for the roller conversion and compare that to flat tappet cam lifter kit, gasket set and oil change. In my case the full roller conversion was 4 times more expensive. I'm taking a calculated risk using a flat tappet knowing that if it fails I can replace it a couple times and still be into it less than full roller conversion.

In your case, keep in mind you saved about about $1000 on machine work, so in reality you're money ahead at this point. My rebuild required machine work and I had heads rebuilt by machine shop too. Machine work, cleaning and the heads was about $1500.

The other question to ask yourself, are you rebuilding this to last another 20 years or is it something you plan to rebuild again or swap out for an entirely different engine within the next few years?

If 20 years is closer to what you want to achieve, bite the bullet, spend the money now. If you're not planning for that period of time, roll the dice and see if you're lucky...

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Yeah, I guess I just want it to last a little bit and have it be reliable like my 300 truck is..
I reckon I'll just go with a flat tappet and send it. Need to find a decent flat tappet and lifter set..

 

I know I don't want to use the camshaft out of the engine since I mixed everything up, so I think I'm going to go stock replacement cam and lifters just to make it simple. I drove the truck around before I took it apart and I liked how it ran and drove.. I guess I'm going to just make sure the cam is heavily lubed and the lifters and lifter bores..

I just know myself and it's definetly not going to fire right off which is why the break in scares me, but I'll just chance it

 

Do not use the break in grease (or whatever you use) on the lifter bore surface. Engine oil will allow the lifters to rotate - grease will not.

 

I talked to a guy near me who has a bunch of old fords and has rebuilt some FE's (also the guy I bought the truck from) he suggested I just put the old cam and lifters back in.. the machine shop also said the cam and the bottom of the lifters looked good so I may go with that to avoid the break-in drama..

 

That is exactly what I did. Mine is just a driver. Someday I'll convert it to a roller cam but for now she's running and driving.