All oils have zinc, but not like they used to.

If you are lucky, you should have 1000 PPM, probably less.

Tried to tell people a thousand times. Too much zinc can make oil foam, therefore losing any and all film strength. You need to buy oils that are formulated with high amounts of Zinc. i.e. Mobil V-twin, Amsoil Dominator, Amsoil Zrod, and yes even Shell Rotella(Non-CJ4). Oil manufacturers spend multi millions of dollars on each and every formulation to make them just right to specs they want to meet. Would you add an extra egg or extra flour to your favorite cake recipe?

With that said would you break in a flat tappet cam with just to tells or would you add zinc. And how much zinc is too much?

Buy an oil formulated with High levels of zinc. Oil companies have not removed the zinc, they've just reduced it, due to all the new emissions on the newer vehicles and its adverse effects on catalytic converters. Most diesel oils, motorcycle oils, Racing Oils, and other specially formulated high zinc oils, however, do not have to meet these new requirements. You do need to break in a motor however with petroleum products. Synthetics create too high of a film strength to let rings seat properly and cams break in.

I don't care if you ran 1.99 Wal Mart oil the motor should have ran more than 14 hrs. I know guys that run the cheapest oil you can get your hands on and get 100's of hours out of there motors. Sounds like your crank was ground in the wrong direction or maybe someone glass beaded the bottom of your intake it will do the same thing...

Why did you have the 327 rebuilt, did it fail previously? I don't believe the zinc you would add from something like stp oil treatment would cause this. Fuel or water in the oil would though. How did the oil look, minus all the glitter and gold?

I guess what I am hearing is that I shouldn't add the lucas Zinc break in additive everytime I change my oil. I use Rotella 15/40.

I used a break in additive in a rebuild / flat tappet, after i ran the motor with the additive it looked like water was in the oil. After two oil changes oil looked normal.

Oil looked fine..the motor is in a Owens ski boat I restored

Can you expand on this?