So gentlemen, This WAS a brand new lifter on a brand new cam, brand new pushrods, new rockers, new heads, new intake.
Heard the exhaust rocker tapping, took the valve cover off, found the exhaust pushrod loose, and the lifter was “squishy.” Took off the manifold and removed the exhaust lifter to find this nonsense. All of the other lifters are solid, including the intake on the same rocker.
Thoughts? Just a bad or clogged lifter? Any suggestions on cleaning out the removed material that is now certainly in the block…without a rebuild? Can I just throw a new cam and lifters in and call it good?

 

You need to figure out why that lifter was not spinning.

 

Well, it was certainly a pain to remove. The lifter bore felt smooth once the lifter was removed. I attributed the rough removal to a slightly misshapen lifter?

 

What was your break-in procedure and what oil did you use? In 40 years I've never lost a flat tappet cam.

 

Ouch! 🤕

Definitely check those lifter bores. I know you can use a dial bore gauge to measure the concentricity of the cylinders. I suppose you could use precision instruments to measure the lifter bores too.

 

I used valvoline zr1 10-30, the zinc added oil. Drove around trying to keep the rpm at 2k, except for the occasional stoplight, for a solid 45 minutes. I used assembly lube on the cam, and primed the oil pump before throwing the engine in the car. There was certainly some idling when I first fired it up in order to set timing and carb, but I felt like I did a good job of breaking it in? Didn’t take any shortcuts…in my mind.

 

Absolutely the incorrect break in procedure. 20/50 high zinc no additions. Don't drive it. Do it in the driveway. Also cam and lifters slathered up with assembly lube.

 

Brad Penn or Schaffer's

 

Well, it’s possible I didn’t break it in correctly. I read all posts on this thread and reviewed the instructions on the cam itself. Hard to get a “right” way to break in the engine. Beyond the break-in period issue, is there any option for removing any removed material without removing and disassembling the engine?

 

Most people are going to say pull it apart. For some of us, basically remove the old cam inspect and rinse off cam bearings, install new cam and lifters. I like Isky Rev-lube, a light coating on the cam lobe, bearing wear surfaces, and lifter bottoms. Coat the bores with oil. I use the old method for breakin oil, straight 30w non-detergent, and change the oil right after breakin with VR1. Do a couple of short oil and filter change intervals to ensure the metal particles are rinsed out the best you can and run it.

 

Based on these pictures, you have some large pieces of hardened material from around the perimeter of that lifter somewhere in your engine, not to mention everything else that abraded off the face. Personally, I couldn't sleep at night without knowing I cleaned the block and oil passages but you might be comfortable not tearing it down.

 

More than likely, you will find some serious bearing issues. That’s a lot of metal to be floating around in there.

 

There's two different break-in activities.

Cam break in has to happen first. If it's a flat tappet then you must run the engine at ~2k rpm for at least 20 mins. Don't drive. Don't move. This needs to happen immediately after starting. Don't idle at the start to get yourself settled or anything. Fire it up, rev up, hold it. Period. This can be a real pain if the combo isn't already proven or using a new/different ignition or carb. Make sure you've got enough gas and battery power if an alternator isn't hooked up.
Roller cams get to skip this entirely.

Engine break in is totally different and is actually about the rings. Drive at different speeds, do some engine braking, don't be overly aggressive, don't let the engine idle for extended periods. That can go on for 50 to 200 miles. I try to do a big highway loop while changing speeds/gears. There's arguments that ring break-in has changed a lot over the years and most modern rings will have seated during the cam break in anyway. But it doesn't hurt anything to do this.

 

oddball made a good point in his post. The one thing that I have not seen commented on thus far is the non use of a "break in" oil during initial run in. Eric, oldcutlass, did mention the use of non-detergent 30 weight oil for flat tappet camshaft break in. We old timers would buy a small can of moly-disulfide grease to coat the cam lobes, lifter faces, rocker pivots during assembly and as Eric stated fill the crankcase with 30 weight non-detergent oil. Now you get a small packet or tube of moly-disulfide grease with your new camshaft purchase and use an off the shelf oil with detergents in it that immediately wash away the moly-disulfide and wonder why your camshaft and lifters wipe. If you can't or won't buy non-detergent oil, at least buy a "break in" oil for that critical initial run in.

 

Hopefully you have a magnetic drain plug to catch all the debris.

 

As stated by oddball, the cam break in is where everybody screws up.

Use a "known" carburetor and distributer. no choke. Use a quality break in oil and prime the engine well. Set the timing mechanically at 10 degrees BTDC on the balancer, drop in at #1. Double check your firing order. Make sure you have enough gas and cooling capacity. Have your timing light ready. As soon as it busts off get it to 2000 rpm and leave it there. Verify the timing at 2000 isn't terrible, if its running its good. LEAVE IT THERE. You need oil pressure and flow. After 20 minutes change the oil and do it again. This time give a few minutes at 2000 then vary the rpm somewhat, 1500, 2500 etc. After 20 minutes, change the oil again. Now you can put your driving distributer and carb in and tune if applicable. Maybe extreme but I never had a problem doing it this way. Oil is cheap.

Dudes are always trying to idle tune the car before they break in the cam. Then blame the cam manufacturer for poor quality.........

 

I take it one step further:

Leave the radiator drain open, put a garden hose in the radiator filler neck. Turn on the hose fast enough to keep the radiator full of cold water as the hot water drains from the radiator. No worries with overheating.

 

"Cam breakin" is a "recent" process. In the old days, you smeared "cam grease" on lifter bottoms and cam lobes. Then you poured half a can of GM EOS on the cam and the rest into the crankcase with non detergent oil. Finish the top end of the engine. You started the engine and ran the engine for couple hundred miles and changed oil and filter.

 

OK. I in 45 years of building engines I've never lost a camshaft or lifters. Stop with 10/30 and additives! Lots of assembly lube and good 20/50 high zinc oil stay at 2200 or above. You won't lose one.

 

Cam lobe has to be wiped Looks like someone hit that lifter with a bench grinder.