gbak

The roller cam should be no problem, but what about the rings.
How many miles should I run the car, before changing the oil for the first time?
Should I also change the oil filter at the same time?

Durango_Boy

I would suggest about 50 and again at 500 miles. Strain the oil when you drain it looking for metal shavings. Some metal dust is normal but large shavings will be a sign of a problem.

Always change the oil filter, and it's a good idea to cut it open and inspect for metal shavings.

David Ey

change oil and filter after a half hour and again at about four hundred miles......then every fifteen hundred miles......
How much you gonna drive it per year anyway?

gbak

Fifteen hundred miles/year.

I have drive it for one or two hours now.

Durango_Boy

Time for your first oil change then.

Did you keep a fairly high RPM average on those drives?

63mako

Change the oil now. When you run it, get it up to operating temp and do some WOT runs up to 5000 or 5500 RPM in second and let the motor brake the car on slowing. Down shift gently and let the engine slow the car down in normal driving for the next couple hundred miles. It will help seat the rings. I would change it again in 500 miles. Good luck on your new motor. It is a beast!

gbak

Yes, I couldn't resist pushing it to 5000-5500 rpm a couple of times and also one small burnout at the trafic light .
No problem to do a burnout with this engine at moderate rpm.

I looked on some old thread and saw there are a hard and a more "common" soft way to breake in the rings.
I guess I'm somewhere in the middle....

TimAT

That first oil change will pick up all of the build trash. I don't care how carefully anyone is building an engine- there is going to be some trash. An oil passage that didn't get cleaned, a hunk of grit stuck somewhere, something. Even the goo we use to assemble will get something in it. The idea is to keep it as clean as possible, and the way to do that is change the oil after the first 1/2 hour of running.

gbak

Another question:
Setting the correct valve lash on the roller rockers, should it be with the engine hot or cold?
The cam I using is a solid mech roller.

TimAT

I set them hot. And NOT running. It'll eat your feeler gauges.

sperkins

What's the soft way you're refering to?

Durango_Boy

I was taught the soft way by a guy who said it's taking the car out for a leisurely 35 MPH drive. Avoid stop and go traffic, and hit the long stretch roads. Keep it above idle, cruising. Maybe drive like that for 30 - 60 minutes and go home and change the oil.

Lon Wayne

You should be using Non Detergent Oil Straight Weight 30 or 40 Then at 300 miles switch to the oil youll be using all the time .Non deter. does not let the small particles mix with the oil (as well).DO IT

MotorHead

OK if you don't want to be feeding your motor a quart of oil every 100 miles, start it up and take it out on a deserted stretch and take it up to about 4500RPM in second then let your foot and let the engine slow the car down, do this 4 or 5 time then take it home and change the oil.

If you do not do this the rings will not seat properly and your oil consumption will vary depending on what percentage of proper ring seating it got doing it any other way

7T1vette

Once you finish the break-in process, you may want to go to synthetic oil in your new engine. Especially since you will be driving limited miles. Synthetics are better for engine reliability...but they also don't oxidize over time like the organic oils. You will probably only need to change your oil once a year with synthetics (at 1500 miles per year).