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Taking the Load Off....

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I have delivered the main components of my "free" TR3 engine to the machine shop to have the block, crank, head and cam cleaned and Magnafluxed to see if indeed they are worth salvaging. (At this point, I am almost hoping he finds some major flaws so I can have an excuse to pitch the whole thing, my wife is getting pretty testy about the "fumes" that are leaching into the den from my "project".) Anyway, assuming the best and assuming I do proceed (the Mahle piston liners and pistons are in transit, dang!) I was reading on the Revington site their recommendations for breaking in one of their new engines. They are assuming that this thing will be installed in a car. They talk about load, speed, etc. that the new engine should be run at at breakin. My intention is to build this engine and install it on a frame that a friend has that was designed to hold the TR3 engine. The frame is not a car frame, but a Rube Goldberg looking contraption that mimics a car frame, has a place for a radiator and will be exhausted out into the atmosphere, not in a car. Is it adviseable to do such, that is, do the breakin on a completely new engine without a load on it? I have no car to put it in at this point. Haven't even found one yet. I just want to build the "perfect engine" and put it away till I locate a recipient for it, like a heart transplant if you will.

Always learning,
Bill
 
Bill -

Don't build it and put it away. Bad move! Seals will dry out; you'll be looking at problems. Better to get everything in order, then store the parts, appropriately lubed and protected. When you're ready to install and run, then put it all together.

Mickey
 
See the "Smoky 250" thread for an example....
 
I agree with Mickey. Besides, if you're not driving it, you won't truly "break it in" on a test bench. At least not the type you describe.
Years ago (the sixties) when engines were actually still being rebuilt by dealers and independents, there was a set routine that we used for breaking them in. It was actually to "seat the rings", but the idea is the same. You would begin with a 30-50 mile ride, starting off slow in city traffic then get to a highway where you could get the car up to 50, then let it coast back down to 20 and then back up and down again and again. After about 10 miles of this type of driving, you would drive it up to 60 and repeat process for another 10 miles. Then back to the city. The key was never to drive more than 2-3 miles at the same speed. Keep it going up and down.
You would never get over 65 or 3500rpm's for first 300-500 miles. Then bring it in for oil and filter change, reset carb to bring idle down after it loosened up and send them off for another 1500 miles before final oil and and filter change and engine reset. Normal driving and maintenance after that
 
I'm waiting for someone to totally disagree with these guys.
What does someone like Revington or others do when they build a complete engine for sale? Surely these "sit on a shelf" for a while. Even GM or Ford "crate motors" aren't built to be run within weeks of their birthdates.
Won't someone side with me and make me feel better?


Bill
 
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