Sounds like the best possible choice you can make given the circumstances. The springs and guides and pushrods, etc and checking of guides can be dealt with later. With that particular cam you really should eventually replace the springs too if you want to take to 5000. For now just try to keep the moisture out of the engine so things don't start to rust in the meantime. Start the spark plugs back in place. Cover if it is going to blow snow. Maybe spray white lithium grease in spots if metal doesn't seem to have a good coating of oil. You could get a can of the spray white lithium at the auto parts store. Good luck and best wishes for a successful repair.
Are you 100% clear on the cam break-in? You will need a priming tool for the oil system and a drill. IIRC Jegs has a pretty inexpensive one (goes in place of the distributor). Just a shaft to turn the pump doesn't work since SBC engines have an oil passage for 1 bank of the lifters sealed off by the distributor. You're going to want to change the oil and filter within a few hundred miles of running a new cam, so might as well get real break in oil and overfill by 1 quart to let the crank throw more oil up on the camshaft. IIRC Lucas 30W break in oil with really high ZDDP is fairly inexpensive - what I use - but you have many choices (multiweight break in oil exists but is pretty pricey).
1. Adjust each pair of rockers to zero lash + 1/2 turn by rotating engine 90 degrees between each cylinder in the firing order - starting with TDC#1. 18436572. two full revolutions of crankshaft to adjust valves. This can be done very easily before the intake is installed and you can easily see/feel when the lifter is at zero lash. If you're not familiar with doing this, ask.
2. Overfill with break in oil by one quart.
3. Prime with drill until you get oil coming into all rocker arms and then install the valve covers.
4. Engine should be on TDC#1 at this point. Drop distributor in with rotor pointing exactly at #1, and then tweak it 10 degrees counter-clockwise. Lock it down enough to hold while running, but loose enough so you can still turn it by pulling on the vacuum advance unit.
5. Get your timing light set up and ready to read timing
6. Turn up the idle a turn or two of the idle speed screw (depends on the carb) - but you are shooting for 2000 rpm
7. Start the engine (should start immediately - don't spin engine with the starter) and adjust idle to maintain reasonable speed slightly above 2000.
8. Check timing to make sure is about 30-40 degrees or so for the remainder of break in.
9. Hold engine speed at above 2000 for 20 minutes, listening for any development of noises.
10. Turn idle down to normal and then shut down engine.
11. Remove oil filter, dump into a glass jar for inspection, cut open oil filter, and look for visible shavings of cam/lifter in oil or filter.
12. If none, your cam is breaking in properly.
13. Screw on a new oil filter without adding oil and you are now at the right oil level.
14. Drive for a few hundred miles on the ultra high-ZDDP break in oil to get a good coating of it smashed onto the cam and lifter surfaces. Then change the oil and maintain 1300 -1450 ppm of ZDDP for the rest of your camshaft's life. This can be done using proper amount of ZDDP additive or by using oil like Brad Penn that has the correct amount of ZDDP already formulated into it. Too much ZDDP (for a long time) is not good either. ZDDP is a extreme pressure additive that gets used up. I recommend changing your oil every 3000 miles.
Now I expect we will hear how I am wrong.
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