(yes, I'm posting this at 3:45 a.m. ain't insomnia a wonderful thing?
)
For those of you who aren't familiar with this site...
Everything you ever wanted to know about oil but were afraid to ask
Rob is correct about BBC's (and just about any other engine for that matter) and break-in with flat tappet cams. It's a little more work to re-install the inner springs once break in is complete, but it beats the h*ll outta pulling the engine back down because of a wiped cam. You'd be suprised how much damage that material does to bearings, cranks, piston skirts and cylinder walls.
(Of course, if you have an extra $700+ burning a hole in your pocket,
Schubeck lifters are an option. Just drop these in and go racing, no break-in needed.)
Oh, fwiw...
There's some worthwhile power to be had with synthetic oil. How much? Depends on the oil.
Food for thought: I personally know of one big block Chrysler bracket engine that was switched from 50-weight racing oil to a fairly thin name-brand synthetic.
After the engine had fully warmed up with the synthetic oil in it, the owner found the idle speed had increased by roughly 300 rpm.
"Things that make you go
hmmmmm"
Eric