Thread: Engine Assembly Lube

Tweet

Anyone have suggestions for engine assembly lube? Getting ready to assemble Ford 390.

Redline asembly lube all the way. There are others that are adequate but to insure a proper start up when ready to fire, especially when you may have to shut it off quick and need an insurable re-fire, stick wirh Redline.

There several brands of good assembly lube. As Nitro - I like the Redline product and have used their lube in a lot of two-stroke motors, but never four-strokes. When you fire a race built 125cc for the first time it’s critical for everything to be lubed. Those little water cooled buggers put out in excess of 60 HP and see 10,000RPM on a regular basis – but we sometimes rebuilt every other race!

I'm mostly a Chevy guy and have used GM assembly lube (AC/Delco Part # 1052367) as it is recommended by GM and the boys at Scoggin Dickey. They (Scoggin Dickey) do not like Redline and in fact have the following to say, re: Redline:

“And FYI, Redline is NOT one of the oils we recommend that have the high levels of zinc/phosphates. We've seen engines broke in with similar oils to theirs that after less than 1000 miles, look like they have 100K!!”

Lubriplate No. 105 Motor Assembly Grease is also good and I know several machinists that swear by it as well as Goodson's – which is a Teflon-based lube.

I always use the cam lube supplied by the manufacturer when installing a new cam. The contact area between the lobe and lifter is really small. The valve springs create a great deal of pressure through the valve train when they open. Cam lube is a high-pressure lube designed to protect the cam and lifters from damage on initial start up.

In my opinion, the brand is not as important as is the need for keeping the assembly absolutely spotless.

My two cents,
Glenn

i use lubriplate and used the seal power stuff snake oil .epl-4 as well as STP on rope seals and others i only use it on bearings and rockers . moly past on push rods .flat lifters. face only .and lobes just 30wt or 40tw on piston s by hand . and lifter bodys rollers they get a bath in it .i like to use only lubriplate for valves guides . good thing i seen this i need to pick up another tube i do not know what we used then i help out at GT performance building crate engines for scoogin dickey great guys NICK and TIM but no water and to dam hot for me to stay

Years ago we used half STP and half 50 wt motor oil, but that was when oil had good stuff in it. Now I use regular assembly lube, usually Permatex brand. As mentioned I like the cam manufacturers brand of cam lube and I coat the heck out of it. Just as important I think is to add a quality break in additive into the first or even second pan full of oil. Oils anymore are lacking so much of the good stuff you need all the help you can get.

I don't think anyone yet has touched on the importance of prelubing a new engine with an electric drill and appropriate luber. I have one I made for Fords out of an old distributor with the gear ground down, and one I bought for Chevys. I usually run the drill until it gets too hot to hold. So far so good, no cam failures to date. (oh oh, now I've jinxed myself! )

Don

one thing i would add is buy a good break in oil like joe gibbs and brad penn . you can buy the best ZDDP for break in but if you put in a detergent oil it will not mix and stay in the bottom of the oil pan

every engine i have rebuilt i've used a 50/50 mix of stp/gear oil(90w).along with 30 weight nondeturgent motor oil.it works for me.

this is for break in only after 500 miles i drain out the oil and use 10-30 syn penzil oil with a can of stp. i'm old school but never have i lost a engine except i was racing a 302 in my 69 galaxie when a lifter came apart lost all oil pressure/the lifter was made in taiwan,this was the early 80's when a lot of people were packing imported parts in their boxes it was a trw lifter. i did not know that they were doing this or i would not have bought their lifters.

Originally Posted by DennyW

:

I second the pre-lube Don!

I've got a slotted shaft that my father gave me forty years ago that works fine with a 1/2 inch drill motor. I run the drill until oil squirts out of all the push rods and dribbles everywhere. It's a bit of a mess, but I've had good success with engine break-in and no failures.

Originally Posted by pat mccarthy

one thing i would add is buy a good break in oil like joe gibbs and brad penn .

I have no issues with Brad Penn oil, but I must say, I'm not convinced that the Joe Gibbs oil is all that good. One of the guys in our division lost two motors this year in 5 races, the only thing they changed from years past is the oil....They started using Joe Gibbs oil....Could just be coincidence...I don't know. As for me, I use the lube from the cam maker on the cam and Redline for everything else.

Originally Posted by ceh383

I have no issues with Brad Penn oil, but I must say, I'm not convinced that the Joe Gibbs oil is all that good. One of the guys in our division lost two motors this year in 5 races, the only thing they changed from years past is the oil....They started using Joe Gibbs oil....Could just be coincidence...I don't know. As for me, I use the lube from the cam maker on the cam and Redline for everything else.

i use alot of roller cams so i do not worry about the cam break in lube . i can tell you the last two flat lifter cam engines i used the joe gibbs break in oil never lost the engines. so i keep using it. but now i have a better line on the brad penn oil i may use it more .one of my customers only use it in very hi rpm BBC on NOS and alot of that to . i do all there machine work so i seen how well it holds up to hi shear and flim strength. bearings allways look like the day we put them in

Like I said Could just be coincidence, but these guys are always top performers(in the nascar short track hall of fame). Before this year I can't remember when they had motor issues....
These motors are high dollar, max 360ci..9:1 all roller...living in the 8300 to 8700 rpm range....A couple years ago we switched oil(looking for HP:and no not Gibbs oil) and lost a motor first time out....Bearings in the rockers were all tore up, changed back to the other oil haven't had a problem since....
All I can say is what works for some doesn't work for others, but no matter what you do....DON'T GO CHEAP ON OIL....

yep i hear you here is one of the guys that i do machine work for .i have some other stuff that runs thru mud pits . hill climbers. drag engines just do not see the work out what they can do to them in one run 500++ CID 8000 rpms big cheif heads $$

Hello.... on assembly lube for flat tappet cam'd engines... i use Permatex
assembly lube on bearing shells & wrist pins & seals , valves & guides and on chain & cam & crank gears , pushrod ends & rocker tips and rocker bodys & shaft assembly.
Then cam is deburred & wiped clean & blown with air i use moly based paste only on cam lobes & lifters eg: ARP assembly lube or Crane moly paste or Old Isky moly paste ( Isky went to red gell like Redline product for a little while ..then back to good o'll moly paste
HINT... there are failers when gell is used with flat tappet cam'd engines..it does not stay put is the bottom line here.

I never had a cam lobe failer in 28 years building.. then i switched to Redline Assembly lube for entire engine.. i still don't know why i did..it was quicker or cleaner then paste.. the tech data looked impressive...?
Anyway wish i had never switched ... wiped 4 cams out on dyno with redline assembly lube on cam & lifters''. ooooooooooch .. went back to moly paste

We use moly paste on cam lobes and on bottom lifter only & never use on lifters bores. I use Brad Penn 30W oil on lifter bores & cylinder bores & rings and soak chain in oil.

For break in oil we use Brad Penn 30W & 1 bottle Comp break in oil #159 ... then use space heater under pan warm oil to prox 120/130F .. fire engine up run 25/30 min @ 2500 min RPM..... drain oil add new Brad Penn oil & new filter 1 more bottle Comp 159....fire back up engine & tune... 0 failers again .
My 2 cents... Regards Daryl