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Too many choices for break in oil

Rotella does NOT have the Zinc content it used to have. Brad Penn is about the only off the shelf brand now that has enough zinc for the older engines.

VR1 works also, but is a synthetic.

Brad Penn is a Semi Synthetic. I'll be switching over to Brad Penn once the motor is broken in. But don't run it to break the motor in.

The Pennzoil 25-50 does have Zinc in it... at least that's what it say's on the bottle.
 
I love going to buy a case of Brad Penn oil locally. Only place that stocks it is the Ferrari dealer. I get some funny looks when I go in there asking for parts dept. haha
 
It's been thirty years since I rebuilt an engine, but to tell the truth, I never used any break in oil and as far as I know, there never was a complaint of any failure. I did suggest they change the oil and filter after five hundred miles. One thing I did on a road test before the customer took the car. Was to accelerate to about fifty in second gear, and decelerate several times, to seat the rings. Does anybody still do this?
 
Rotella does NOT have the Zinc content it used to have.
It is still one of the highest though at something like 1200 PPM if I remember correctly. This was discussed just recently in a thread that I am unable to locate and Compsynch (hope I got his name correct) posted a reply that pretty well summed it up. Maybe someone else can find it.
 
I've had decent luck with the Joe Gibbs on my engines. Of course having the motor primed, firing right of the bat, and having the inners removed if you have dual springs also goes a long way. That's for flat tappet cams. Roller cams I just use whatever I'm going to run in them all the time. Usually vr1..
 
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It's been thirty years since I rebuilt an engine, but to tell the truth, I never used any break in oil and as far as I know, there never was a complaint of any failure. I did suggest they change the oil and filter after five hundred miles. One thing I did on a road test before the customer took the car. Was to accelerate to about fifty in second gear, and decelerate several times, to seat the rings. Does anybody still do this?


That's how I seated my rings and no issues in 4 years so far.
 
I used Brad Penn. But what ever you use, just USE a known brand & not Mutt and Jeffs Old Tyme oil brand.....
LOL
 
We NEVER use anything synthetic for break-ins on performance engines. I made the mistake of running pure synthetics in my Cummins, before advised. It glazed the cylinders, and lost power. After 2 oil changes, I could feel it picking up power.
 
When we fired my brothers fresh flat tappet 440 we used Rotella 15 - 40 and a pint bottle of STP.
Cam and lifters were coated with STP at install.
Cam & Lifters held up just fine over time. Stock springs and 440 mag grind cam so there was not a ton of spring pressure though.
 
It's been thirty years since I rebuilt an engine, but to tell the truth, I never used any break in oil and as far as I know, there never was a complaint of any failure. I did suggest they change the oil and filter after five hundred miles. One thing I did on a road test before the customer took the car. Was to accelerate to about fifty in second gear, and decelerate several times, to seat the rings. Does anybody still do this?
Yup, thats the way we did it. Just don't let it set and idle or stay at the same RPM for any length of time.
 
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