Flat Tappet Cams

[jad...@vwtype3.org]

For those of you who have worried or wondered about the ins and outs of
ZDDP, motor oil, and flat tappet cams, here's a video that explains a bit more
than most.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9W47cbHhR4A

Has anyone heard of tappets for our engines with harder faces? Sounds like
there might be an advantage to be had there. I know that years ago there
were commonly available tappets packed in brown cardboard with the only
marking "Made In West Germany." They were too soft and failed quickly.
The fact that no maker was willing to put their name on them should have
been sufficient warning, but they were widely marketed in the USA.

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Jim Adney, jad...@vwtype3.org
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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[Keith Park]

Yea, I ran across this guy a while back, he worked for Joe Gibbs.
Learned that the reason I didn’t lunch my cam in the old engine was that the thicker oil that I ran never lost the ZDDP! I just got lucky as
The cam in the last engine had about 190K on it when the engine was done, it was in the previous engine builds for the Square,

Keith


Topnotch Restorations
topn...@nycap.rr.com
http://www.topnotchresto.com

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[Jim Adney]

The takeaway I got from that video is that extra ZDDP is necessary ONLY for
breakin and not thereafter. He's very adamant about not adding extra ZDDP
to motor oil once the breakin is over.

What I'd like to see is a recommendation for a good breakin oil.

Jim

On 1 Aug 2026 at 22:45, Keith Park wrote:

> Yea, I ran across this guy a while back, he worked for Joe Gibbs.

> Learned that the reason I didnTMt lunch my cam in the old engine was that

> the thicker oil that I ran never lost the ZDDP! I just got lucky as The
> cam in the last engine had about 190K on it when the engine was done, it
> was in the previous engine builds for the Square