Hotrod, what if the lifters weren't worn out? I thought it would be better to replace the lifters just as a precaution on some jobs, but I was talking to my machinist a few days ago and he strongly recommended using the old cam and lifters if they were still good, but mainly I believe because of the new oil with almost no zinc.
On the engine I am working on now, I had a heck of a thing happen. I took it into the machinist to get it honed rather than just use a glaze breaker and left the lifters in the bores so as to keep the honing dust out. I lifted the engine from the oil pan side and took it into town. When I picked it up he had a chain attached to the head side and we set it in the pickup. When I got home, I noticed a piece of wood in the back cam bore. I wondered how the heck it got in there and pulled it out. Immediately after I pulled it out, I knew what it was for. About 2/3 of the lifters fell out. I thought I would still be OK if I were careful and turned the block over. At the last second I lost control of it, the block bounced on the picked bed and lifters started rolling every direction. Of course I had to then buy a new cam and lifters, $164. I wish I had done a little more thinking before I pulled the stick out.
