[Healeys] Break in procedure

[editorgary at aol.com]

Then I guess every engine builder I've ever met, talked to, or worked with is
totally benighted and has been wasting time and money. But see if you can use
that rationale to the many folks who had serious, and expensive cam failures
during the period when the oil companies took the zddp out of the oil a few
years ago.

And, for everyone's information, during the time that GM, Ford, and etc. were
building flat-tappet engines, they had a significant amount of ZDDP in the oil
they were using, AND they were definitely using moly assembly grease -- that's
never changed -- to assemble the engines. That, coupled with the fact that the
break-in procedures and oil change intervals were VERY stringent during that
period (but maybe you're not old enough to remember rev and/or speed limits on
new cars during that time), and very short service intervals were specified
for the first two services so that the dealer could retorque the head  means
that, in fact, the current procedures I recommended were exactly what they
were doing back then.
As James Thurber once wrote, "You can look it up."




Back in the days or yore, just how many millions of flat tappet engines did
GM, Ford, Austin (do I need to go on?), etc. build?
Sure they don't build them now, but the point is they did, and none of them
did the items you suggest.
Rick