Cam break in, windage tray?

I am putting my engine back together and would like some advice on what I should do. I bought a Comp XE275HL cam and it says to break it in with just the outer springs. I have both springs on the heads now and don't like the idea of having to pull the heads off later to put the inner springs back in. I will use break in oil and run the the engine between 2500-3000 rpm. Will leaving the windage tray off help oil get to the cam during break in?
If I do put the tray in how should I seal it up to the block/pan?

I dont have an answer if this is a BB (for the windage tray) but I would pull the inner springs with either of the two (on head) types of valve spring compressors, one uses the rocker shaft for leverage & the other has 2 fingers of unequal lengths that slip in the coils then you crank it down on top to compress the spring enough to remove the keepers.

The tray has nothing to do with how oil gets to the cam.

As far as sealing it goes, it is sandwiched between the pan and the engine pan rail so you need a pan gasket between the pan and the tray and another pan gasket between the tray and the engine.

You can change the springs on the engine using the tool Robert described plus a fitting that screws into the spark plug hole so you can apply compressed air to the cylinder. This holds the valve closed while you pull the springs. Make sure the piston is at TDC on the compression stroke.

Kevin

I never liked to use compressed air to keep valves closed.
All it takes is one sticky valve retainer or lock and the valve only has to open just barely and all the pressure blasts away at once. Just at the moment you were pushing on the retainer to free the valve locks.

As for the cylinder at TDC... Also think of what will happen when the piston is just not quite exactly on TDC. The air pressure will push away the piston and rotate the engine with a sudden jolt.
You should really need to lock the crankshaft in place when doing this and 90-degree marks on the balancer are very helpful.

I've personally changed springs by feeding a length of thick rope into the cylinder through the sparkplug hole.
Not perfect, and you shouldn't lean on the valve retainer too hard with chance of bending the valve head, but at least imo you have some more control over the situation.

Do you know (closely) how much spring pressure you have on the seats and open pressure now?
I have a 440 motor I built that I pulled the inner springs out to break in the solid lifter race cam from Comp, it had 375 lbs. opened and right at 145 lbs. on the seats with both springs, removing the inner springs lowered it to 120 lbs. on the seats and 250 lbs. opened
If it had less than 350 lbs. at max lift (.580 opened at the retainers) I would have left the inner springs in it and ran it like a bunch of other motors I have a bunch of times before with no bad results ever
You do need to be able to make sure the motor starts right away, max of no more than five complete crankshaft revolutions before starting it and make sure it is running above 1500 RPMs to get oil slinging off the crankshaft and out of the lifter bores to help break in the cam properly

^^^ feed a foot & a half of so of clean 3/8 nylon rope into the cyl. Be a bit down CCW from TDC compression (so the valves are closed, no potential interference with the rope)/feed the rope/hand turn the crank CW till its tight.

I have a overhead valve spring compressor with the 2 fingers but it doesn't grab the inner spring. The locks won't release with the inner spring tension on the retainer. I also made a shaft mount type compressor and I bent a stem putting too much force on the handle and it moved sideways slightly. I had a shop go through the heads and replace the bent valve and put in new seals.They measured the pressures of 190lbs on the seat and 450lbs open. I like the rope idea and never seemed confident in the compressed air method of holding the valves up. Has anyone had any luck using the overhead compressor with dual springs? If so, what's the trick?

I use the rope trick, never had a problem. I have the Comp shaft mount compressor , bought it from Speedway Motors. Works great on my triple springs.

I have never pulled an inner to start anything. If you don't crank on it forever there is no need. The lobe isn't that aggressive. Make sure the carb has fuel, set the timing between 40-45 degrees BTDC and don't use vacuum. If the ignition is a known working piece start it.

A member here(BBR) used some rope on his big block ford and the rope actually knotted inside the cylinder and caused him all kinds of trouble getting it out. Its a one in a million deal but I am not sure I would chance it lol.

That is way to much open pressure on that cam and lifters, way to much
Take the heads back to your shop and get the correct springs for your cam and lifters

with a flat tappet and that much spring pressure.. I give that cam a 10% chance of surviving.. as far as spring compressor goes you will need to spend a fair amount of money and get a LSM or something equal I change Springs at the track with no issue.. and run a few more pounds than what you just stated

Springs set up at 190/450?
That's a flat cam waiting to happen.

Be okay for a mild street roller.

Absolutely needs a different spring package for a hyd flat tappet.
Something more like 125/325.

I didn't see where the OP said he has 190 on the seat. If that's right he can pull the inner spring out and it still won't live.

I still don't see the post where he says he has 190 on the seat.

Never mind. My blind ass just found it. Twice. That's going to make a mess if you don't fix it or verify your spring pressures.

Good luck trying to hold the crank, 100 PSI in one of the cylinders in my 440 and you are NOT holding that sucker with a regular breaker bar. In fact its pretty dangerous, it will jack your arm up against something and pin it there in no time. E brake and being in gear (4 speed car) and the car will start moving around 50-70 PSI. If you get it true TDC it will stay, and its actually not that hard to do. I was always afraid to use the air, once I did it I'll never do it any other way. I did the rope in the past, takes longer and its a pain to make it work (valves don't stay very tight).

Thanks guys. I'll check what I wrote down when I get home. I might have the numbers wrong.I was told it was slightly on the high side for breakin. From what you guys are saying I must have it wrong.
The reason I ask about the windage tray is because I thought the cam lobes got oiled from oil being splashed off of the crank. I thought the reason for the 2500 rpm was to get the oil on the lobes.

It is. But the windage tray sits below the crank and mainly catches oil that's already been flung of the crank downwards.

Your correct on the cam lobes getting most of their oil from splash, oil slinging off of the crankshaft and from the stock rod pee holes in the rod caps squirting oil out of them when the rods have oil pressure to them.
Most of the after market race rods don't have that cam oiling slot provision in the rod caps

You guys were right the spring pressures were way off. What I did was add the difference of the pressures with and without the inner spring. Here is what I got from the shop. These are averaged over 4 different springs.

Installed height outer spring 85lbs, both springs 105lbs.
Cam + Rocker ratio lift inner spring 200, both springs 295
Full spring lift inner spring 250, both springs 355.

So if I leave the inner spring in for breakin this is what I have 105lbs and 295lbs. Should I be concerned about these pressures for breakin?
Thanks again!

If you're confident that the heads are currently set up with springs that are installed to provide 105lbs on the seat and 295lbs at peak valve lift with the cam/rockers you're running...... It should be fine.

Use actual break in oil.

Thanks for your help!