Flat tappet cam lube

I'm not an expert but this is good coverage on the issues:

I concur with the above. Also not an expert, but many old car guys like Shell Rotella Diesel oil, and I usually hear people advising to use zinc additives for flat tappet cam engines.

The assembly lube isn't going to stick around on oil-submerged parts for more than a minute anyway after the thing is operating. So long-term issues like ZDDP content should not be a problem.

You ARE going to fill the crankcase up and cover the cams with oil before starting up, right? You're not going to rely entirely on the assembly lube for lubrication until the oil pressure builds up, right?

So I wouldn't worry about it, I'd just use a motor oil with a lot of ZDDP, or a motor oil with a ZDDP additive. I think Rotella T is a good choice for break-in even if you're intending on moving to a synthetic oil with a ZDDP additive later on.

I see assembly lubes with all kinds of stuff in them. I don't see any of these as being a real advantage but if it makes you feel better to spend an extra five bucks for an assembly lube with zinc in it, it won't hurt anything.

When those roller-cam engines were new, people were using things like vaseline and used motor oil for assembly lubes. Or white lead mixed into lard. Anything you can buy today is better quality than what the engine was originally built with.

--scott

I'll be driving the oil pump with a drill motor until I see oil coming from all the right places . I should be able to push it all the way to the rocker arms .

I'll use the assembly lube I've got , and continue to use Castrol GTX but add a zddp additive .

At least I've always used new oil ! Back in the day we didn't use assembly lube , I don't even know if it was available then .