1956 Plymouth 277 V-8, two-barrel carb., rebuilt w/ .080 over-bore. Not driven much. I use lead additive substitute in the gas (for better seating of valves).
Q - For motor oil, should I use anything special, such as oil with a zinc additive?
thanks
dickf1976-
That's an excellent question. I don't have the answer, but I'm anxious to see what others on this forum have to say. Right now, I'm using Shell Rotella T in my stock '36 Plymouth engine, which has about 113000 miles on it. I live in north central Illinois, so, other than running it up and down the driveway, it doesn't get driven in winter months.
Pat O'Connor
Oops, forgot the weight. It's Shell Rotella T 15W-40.
Pat O'Connor
I use relatively cheap oldtimer oils (gears, steering, differential, engine). The only disadvantage is, that You can?t buy them at Your filling station andYou may have maybe to buy Your Seasons quantity.
Be sure to check oils and lubricants for additives which may hurt bronze, copper and other nonferrous metals found in Your gear box and above all in the differential. Modern Engine oils may have additives keeping dirt in circulation, thus stringently needing a full stream oil filter. Also, a newly rebuilt , clean engine may need another oil less additives than a dirty one.
Castrol has good choice of Oldtimer oils since shortly.
Millers Oils is a fine choice: Be sure to check their site with very good informations, applicable for other brands too:
http://www.millersoils.net Maybe You find them in US too.
These oils in part are even less expensive than modern ones, but You must carry a supply with You, as You don?t get them en route.
Lately we had several articles in oldie magazines saying that a lot of old engines and transmissions are killed by modern and unsuited oils.
Greetings from D?sseldorf. Go
Greetings! Go
Brad Penn (American) and Penrite (Australian) also offer excellent oil choices.
Dick-
Type "Rotella" in the search box at the top left of this page. This topic has been discussed in the past. About a half dozen people posted their thoughts on motor oil for old cars.
Pat O'Connor
Since my post just below this one, I found an interesting article concerning motor oil and old cars. If you Google "Modern oil and vintage engines", it should take you to an article by Bruce Stutzman. He states that the most recent formulation of Rotella (C J-4) has reduced ZDDP, because diesel vehicles have catalytic converters as of 2008.
I had been using Valvoline VR1 racing oil in my stock '36 Plymouth (it comes in several weights); then switched to Rotella, due to several POC members recommending it (type in "Rotella" in the POC search box for this discussion). Based on Stutzman's article, I'm switching back to Valvoline Racing oil, which states on the label "extra ZDDP additive provides tough anti-wear protection".
Pat O'Connor
You might want to look at the PDF file attached to the first post in this discussion thread: http://forums.aaca.org/f115/motor-oil-zinc-other-myths-272260.html
Tod-
I read the article. What brand and weight of oil do you use in your '33?
Pat O'Connor
Quote from: 36 Ply on November 29, 2010, 01:43:10 PM
Tod-
I read the article. What brand and weight of oil do you use in your '33?
Pat O'Connor
Whatever 20w-50 oil is on sale at my local "better auto supply". Seems like it is usually either the store brand or Valvoline.
Ok, thanks Tod,
Pat O'Connor
This is what I have been using for years, I don't know if you will be able to read it or not, but here goes
Just Don't use Penzoil. A perfect example of marketing low quality junk. Tell people 6 times it's good or true and they believe it.