New Cam Break-in Troubles

Schurkey said:

TDC Compression, or TDC Exhaust? Get this wrong, and you won't have enough lifter preload, and it's gonna clatter like mad.

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compression - I will say that there was no valvetrain noise even from startup that I could hear. I soaked the lifters just to be careful.

Schurkey said:

Next time, consider a cam/lifter lube that won't run off over time. Some folks like Lubriplate 105; others use thick, Moly-based paste on the cam lobes and lifter bottoms (but NOT on the sides of the lifters/lifter bores.)

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One of the downsides of looking at various forums for advice... I assumed based off of quite a few searches that that clevite lube was one of the most clinging options out there.

Schurkey said:

Next time, point the rotor to #1 terminal on the distributor cap as a ROUGH guide, then look at the alignment of the pickup coil points as a final guide. When the outer points align with the inner points, the distributor should be within a few degrees of perfect.

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I had no idea that was a thing, I will definitely do that next time. ...Which may be sooner than I would like.

Thanks for the advice, I will post more details as I open the thing back up

Well, long story short, turned out the pop was because of a rocker being so loose that it rotated 90º sideways... I had been suspicious of the nut because it seemed to have whatever locking splines or whatever those nuts have, but I'd left it on because it had stayed the last two times. Dumb accident but thankfully hopefully not the end of the world.

Replaced, readjusted all the valves, and then finished breaking in the cam and got the timing just so.

Drained the oil, refilled it along with zinc additive from lucas, and went for my 50 mile drive that seems to be recommended.

Plenty of hills, some stops, and a smidge of 60mph areas where I kept it under 3k.

Got to a friend's house, noticed that it was idling shaky. When I drove it home after it sat for a couple hours it was really struggling, almost like when I parked it the first time. Only difference was it wasn't really popping, just... chugging I guess.
Now I'm really concerned the cam may be wiping itself.

I'll have time this wednesday hopefully to take another look see, but this time I worried it might really be cooked.

Did you check the oil for glitter? It's not always really obvious when you kill a cam, but it does show up. Did you cut open the oil filter to see any signs?
Hopefully it's a vacuum leak caused from the manifold and hoses being removed during the install.
I'm sure there's better ways of checking, but if you fire it up cold and it runs significantly better, that could be a good sign that it's a vacuum leak. Then try to narrow it down with some carb cleaner or brake cleaner. Careful to aim away from the throttle body so you don't get a false hit.
I'm pulling for you. Hopefully it's something cheap and easy.

No radiator cap installed. .... This burp theory baloney.
Fill it, walk away get a soda, take leak . Come back to it off . Put the cap on. Fill the expansion tank. Run it. Recheck after cold. Look at expansion tank.
There is possibly with all the boil out, that water, that's not cooling anything. Runaway overheat. I hope that no damage occured with boiling and loosing the coolant.
Once you noticed the cap, leave at idle , get the cap on if you can safely.
Once you shut it down ,what water there is stops moving . Now the real heat soak starts. Did you see " old faithful" ?