Flat Tappet Cam Break-in Lube

[patrickt]

Brent, how many times have I written that I don't understand why everybody doesn't use a solid flat tappet cam? Yes, you have to break it in, but once you're past that and you get a thousand miles on it then it's going to last longer than you are. With a high quality roller rocker set-up you lash it once a year... if that. Just use a good ZDDP oil. C'mon, how hard is that? And you get the benefit of that wonderful flat tappet sound and the hi-revs. Anybody that puts a hydraulic cam in an FE-equipped Cobra is just a big, fat puss_.

[Snakebit]

Flat tappet all the way! I just hate the thought of one of those roller lifters comming apart and needle bearings circulating all through the engine!

[elmariachi]

Originally Posted by patrickt

Anybody that puts a hydraulic cam in an FE-equipped Cobra is just a big, fat puss_.

Yea, what he said.

[patrickt]

Anyone that has a fear of solid flat tappet cams should post that concern here: http://theonlythingtofearisfearitself.blogspot.com/

[blykins]

Originally Posted by patrickt

Brent, how many times have I written that I don't understand why everybody doesn't use a solid flat tappet cam? Yes, you have to break it in, but once you're past that and you get a thousand miles on it then it's going to last longer than you are. With a high quality roller rocker set-up you lash it once a year... if that. Just use a good ZDDP oil. C'mon, how hard is that? And you get the benefit of that wonderful flat tappet sound and the hi-revs. Anybody that puts a hydraulic cam in an FE-equipped Cobra is just a big, fat puss_.

You may get lucky, but if you put out a number of engines a year, you stay away from those piece of crap cams.

Ask Keith Craft, Barry Rabotnick and some of the other professional builders why they dread it when someone wants a flat tappet.

You can write it until you're blue in the face, but one day you'll wipe one down too. Every builder I talk to steers away from them now....even with break in springs, Brad Penn or Gibbs break in oil, low ratio rocker arms, etc. You can't guarantee that you'll have a successful break-in every time.

For just a couple hundred dollars more, you can guarantee that you won't have any break in issues. A couple hundred now, with better lobes and more power, or a couple thousand later on when your cam lobes flatten and scatter metal shavings throughout your engine.

Hydraulic rollers will run 100000 miles without worry.

Solid rollers are a little more risky because of the lash, but if you have pressure fed lifters and keep the idle speed up, they'll last and last.

I've never put a flat tappet cam in a customer's engine, or any of mine for that matter....and I never will.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by blykins

Ask Keith Craft, Barry Rabotnick and some of the other professional builders why they dread it when someone wants a flat tappet.

Balderdash. My response to them is simply this: "Do your best on the break-in of my solid flat tappet. If for some reason it fails, I will assume the risk for your failure." I doubt they would have any problem with that. I'll repeat it once more -- "Real Men Run Solid Flat Tappets -- Only Pus*ies Run Hydraulic Cams in their FEs."