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I got the heads and manifold back a couple of days ago, valves replaced and the manifold washed. I also painted the manifold to make it look a little nicer:

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With new lifters and using the old camshaft, should I apply assembly lube on the top of the camshaft as well? I tried to remove the gunk that was on it, but now the lobes are dry. With new lifters, do I need to perform a break-in procedure? I’m going to drain the oil and use diesel oil (1,200 ppm for zdddp), is that fine?

NicolasB wrote:With new lifters and using the old camshaft, should I apply assembly lube on the top of the camshaft as well?

Yes.

NicolasB wrote:I tried to remove the gunk that was on it,

Is this camshaft fit for re-use? Lobes not worn? If the taper is gone on any one of the sixteen lobes, it's junk.

NicolasB wrote: With new lifters, do I need to perform a break-in procedure?

Yes.

NicolasB wrote: I’m going to drain the oil and use diesel oil (1,200 ppm for zdddp), is that fine?

"Diesel" oil? or oil rated for compression-ignition AND spark-ignition? 'Cause if it's NOT rated for spark-ignition engines, it's the wrong crap. Compression-ignition rated oil tends to be high in detergent, which kinda nullifies the ZDDP protection.

How stiff are the valve springs? Makes a major difference in successful cam break-in.

Minor defect in the pushrod doesn't seem like a big deal, but perhaps you send 'em back as defective. Or put a file to the defect until it's smooth.

When I checked the bottom of the lifters, they seem flat and don’t show much signs of wear. Kinda hard to see the whole camshaft when it’s in the engine, but I didn’t notice a lot of wear on any lobe. I’m using STP 15W-40 Diesel Oil.

https://www.autozone.com/motor-oil-and- ... /54319_0_0

How could you measure the stiffness of the valve springs?

How can detergents affect the zinc properties of the oil? I’m not sure if it would make much sense to design a type of oil where it’s ingredients would “cancel” each other out.

Yeah this job definitely involves at least two persons, I tried to reinstall the heads but they’re so darn heavy and the engine is deep in the bay. I’ll have to wait and see if our mechanic can help me out with this one.

Actually R.I.P. budget:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Jk1pc1 ... p=drivesdk

Talked to the mechanic and he said that a complete rebuild might be necessary…

He’s going to stop by this weekend for further inspection and discuss my options, but dang, so much for a head gasket replacement haha

So I guess that "clicking" noise you heard Uncle Rodney knocking?

Yeah on cold starts, it made a clacking noise then stopped after a minute. I’m assuming it’s piston slap (and my mechanic thinks it’s happening too), but the cylinder walls are surprisingly smooth and don’t show signs of scoring.

I also talked to him about using diesel oil after I do a top end rebuild or complete rebuild, and he said that it wouldn’t be a good idea to use it anymore and that I would have to stick to normal motor oil once it’s running again. He said if the engine hasn’t been rebuilt, diesel oil is fine.