Cam Break IN?

one of my friends has just rebuilt his 350 out of a 76 truck
he got the edelbrock performer rpm plus stuff including the cam
we were going to break the cam in on an engine stand the instructions said that it had to be run at above 2000rpms for 1/2 hour so we start it up and about 5 mins into it the coolant line blows off the bottom of the water pump so we stop the engine then put the hose back on fill the radiator back up and start it again we start it up again and run it for another 9 mins and then my friend tells me to shut it off because there is oil leaking from his valve cover on the throttle side so i kill it. we fill the oil up again and start it again run it for about 8 mins and then the person that was holding on to the radiator alowwed the rag he was using to catch in the fan and end up pulling the radiator into the fan and stalling the engine fortunatley no one was hurt but the fan got bent and the radiator is done
but my question is with all this starting and stopping is the cam alright or is it a lost cause this was our first rebuild and there was no "master mechanic" there helpin us out or anything. But i dont exactley understand why the cam needs to be run for a half hour at 2 grand any insights would be appreciated

Sean

Proper break is needed to keep from improper wearing and premature failure of the cam and lifters. The same proper breaking for a new/rebuilt engine, you don't want the rpms going up and down. You should be ok, but I'd complete the break in. After proper break in you also need to change the oil.

Not sure why you had a guy "hold" the radiator? Should have either secure it with the rad support or w/ ties. Someone could have been seriously hurt. I knew a buddy who did that, and the rad hit the fan. The fan then came apart and sliced his cheek completely open.

A "master mechanic" is not need to insure proper safety.

Man, I've had fresh engine start-ups that have gone a LOT worse than yours has- and I've never killed a cam becuase of it. It'll be fine. You might think that SBC cams were made out of salt water taffy or something the with all the "voodoo" and dire warnings about cam break-in procedure. They're tough little buggers and killing one usually takes a lot more problems than what you've run into so far.

cool thats what i needed to hear
but if we start another engine on a stand its deffinatley going to be done with everything secured but thanks alot

Yah, I've had stuff much worse happen on break in, hope you have better luck next time though.