Breaking in a motor

[tom]

Just figured I'd be at the swap anyway, why not grab an old distributor while there. I presume any old small block dist will work. Thanks Jerry for the idea.

Tom

[tom]

Jerry,

Another foot note, get an old distrbutor shaft and make an oil priming tool out of it.  You can install this shaft in the end of a drill motor and stick it in the engine into the oil pump.  Turn the drill on and you will build oil pressure this way.  Watch your gauge as you are doing this.  The oil pressure will come up slowly.

Jerry

Jerry,

What needs to be done with the old distributor to use it to prime the motor?

Thanks,

Tom

[Jerry@CHP]

Remove the dist shaft and use as the primer.  You will also need to make a metal or aluminum sleeve that goes over the flattened end of the shaft and you'll have to pin this bushing on the shaft.  This is needed so you don't have the shaft slippping off the oil pump when spinning it.

Jerry

[JohnZ]

I've used a primer tool for years made by Tavia - it has the spool near the bottom that matches the spool shape on the distributor housing which creates the oil passage from the main oil gallery to the lifter galleries; if you just use a plain shaft that doesn't have that spool, the pump won't create oil pressure - it'll just dump oil down the distributor hole back into the pan through the holes that align with the slot in the center of the spool. Any decent speed shop has them.

[dutch]

What needs to be done with the old distributor to use it to prime the motor?

Thanks,

Tom:

   All I did was take the dist. gear off and grind away all of the teeth that would normally mesh with the cam gear teeth so once you drop it down it won't mesh with the cam and try and spin it at the same time you are turning the oil pump to bring up the pressure...
   As long as the diameter of the ground section (where the teeth were) ends up being the same as the top section of the gear - or slightly smaller in diameter it will work great, sealing off the oil passages as any normal distributor would and yet still surround and engage the oil pump slot in a positive way.
   I also took the advance mechanism section off (where the springs and weights normally reside) and ground the round shaft into a hex shape so a cordless drill could be easily grip it and all was done... 
   Randy   

[dutch]

What needs to be done with the old distributor to use it to prime the motor?

Thanks,

Tom:

   All I did was take the dist. gear off and grind away all of the teeth that would normally mesh with the cam gear teeth so once you drop it down it won't mesh with the cam and try and spin it at the same time you are turning the oil pump to bring up the pressure...
   As long as the diameter of the ground section (where the teeth were) ends up being the same as the top section of the gear - or slightly smaller in diameter it will work great, sealing off the oil passages as any normal distributor would and yet still surround and engage the oil pump slot in a positive way.
   I also took the advance mechanism section off (where the springs and weights normally reside) and ground the round shaft into a hex shape so a cordless drill could be easily grip it and all was done... 
   Randy   

Sorry I meant 'same as the LOWER section of the gear'...  Randy

[Oaklyss]

After cam break-in, oil change, checks, and all the other stuff, take it out on the road and if everything seams ok, its time to seat the rings. The cross hatch hone pattern on the cylinders is there for that purpose. Do not baby the motor, get on it hard while rolling. Vary RPM, speed, and load. You only have a short time before the cylinders smooth out, so hammer it a few times. Otherwise you will have an oil burner.