Postby Hasbeen » 18 Mar 2011 00:01
Nick the story we are told here is that you have to run a new Rover engine at 2,000 RPM for 15/20 minutes to bed in the cam & followers. This is apparently because the greenies have made the oil companies use less zinc as an additive in their oil today, & this makes the cam lobes, & followers vulnerable.
Of course it may just be that modern engines no longer require zinc in their lubricants.
In the day, when Repco Brabhams were winning world F1 championships with an engine based on the Buick/Rover engine the oil companies, at least BP & Shell, used to give us a little glass jar of liquid zinc to add to our engines, with their racing oils, to help with lubrication.
This was in the days when oil came in tins, & I assumed that the zinc must have been surface active, & would plate out in the tin, if added at the refinery.
There are some special breaking in oils. Have a look on the net, or ring the companies & see if they will tell you if they have extra zinc in those. They might be the stuff to use.
I would be assembling that engine with STP on all moving parts. It will not wipe or drain out, & I proved it produces a better boundary lubrication film than any thing else, at least it did in the 60/70s.
The oil companies may have something as good today, but at 10 bucks a bottle it's cheep insurance.
To prove how good STP is, add it to the oil of one of those engines, like the TR2/4 Vanguard that rattle like hell on start up, & they will never rattle like that again. It just won't drain out& leave the bearings dry.
Hasbeen
