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What Oil type / weight for 351C with 60k orig mile
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damienewyorker View Drop Down
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Points: 15 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote damienewyorker Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: What Oil type / weight for 351C with 60k orig mile
    Posted: 15-February-2015 at 5:26AM
Ok, been running 20-50W Valvoline Racing, then Synthetic Blend for years in all my muscle cars (65 442, 66 Tempest, 72 Duster, 68 Ranchero, 72 F-250) but I am rethinking it all and would love opinions on this.

Keep in mind that I live here in Los Angeles and with global warming, it's even hotter all year long. 80s in the winter, 110 in the summer, whew...I need a drink!

Have I been using the right oil all along or.......

What weight?

Synthetic - Y/N? and gonna love the answers here...

Brand?

All of these questions for a strong running 351C in my Gran Torino Wagon with only 60K original miles!

Just bought it and want to set it up proper. Event though it has low miles, the car was not really well taken care of and this would be the first oil change on my watch.

Gonna do my Coolant testing now but will check back later and respond to every comment.

Thanks All!
73 Gran Torino Wagon - 351C
68 Ranchero - 302W
72 F250 - 390W
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Rockatansky View Drop Down
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Points: 6072 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rockatansky Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15-February-2015 at 6:33AM
Originally posted by damienewyorker damienewyorker wrote:

... maybe it has sh*tty oil in it. I need to get the right oil in this thing. Any recommendations?

Should I go synthetic? 20-50 for sure.
 
back in the day there were problems when synth first came out & was used in high mile flat tappet dinosaur engines
 
if the cam has worn to where there's very little or no angle left on the nose of the lobe, the synth oil can be too slippery to rotate the lifter, then you have what I'd call simple lubrication of two metal objects in direct contact under significant pressure. lifter rotation is what makes flat tappet cams & lifters live more than 6 minutes
 
also synth oil unless specially formulated for vintage engines will not have the ZDDP in the recipe
 
ZDDP is an ingredient for extreme pressure situations, like where the lifter rides on the cam lobe
 
I also wouldn't use 20-50, the 351C distributor pin that drive the oil pump is a weak link, 20-50 will stress the pin to near failure on a good day. also 20-50 will not flow into clearances designed for a thinner lighter oil
 
10-30 was the recommended oil from the factory, if you feel you want / need a little more protection or to fill slightly larger oil clearances from wear or more thermal resistance maybe use a 10-40 or 15-40... but the ZDDP is the most important factor
 
 
make sure your oil has the most Zinc dialkyldithiophosphate you can find. I'm not sure I'm a big fan of the additives you can add to modern formula shelf oil because you don't know if the additive blends with the base oil or falls out & sits on the bottom pan, or it can get trapped in the filter. there are oils being formulated now specifically for flat tappet dinosaur engines as well as some of the 'racing' oils
 
 
"... and some racing oils such as PurOl, Brad Penn and Valvoline VR-1, which are available in the retail market with the necessary amount of ZDDP for engines using increased valve spring pressures. The same ZDDP compounds serve also as corrosion inhibitors and antioxidants."
 
 
synthetic = not necessarily good for old engines, and it'll find leaks that dino oil won't
 
20-50 = broken dizzy gear pins
72 GT Ute
   
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californiajohnny View Drop Down
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Points: 14609 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote californiajohnny Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15-February-2015 at 7:28AM
i run valvoline 20-50 in all my cars, but max has a point, but may not be quite as critical in those hotter conditions, like the colder climates it would be thicker in the cold and could stress the pin or shaft. p.s. post some pics of those other cars Big smile
JOHN
74 GRAN TORINO S&H CLONE
74 VETTE CUSTOM
90 S10 BLAZER 4X4 LIFTED
77 CELICA CUSTOM
75 V8 MONZA SUPERCHARGED
79 COURIER VERT. SLAMMED
75 VEGA V6 5 SPD
70 CHEV C10 P/U
68 MUSTANG FB CONVERSION
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Eliteman76 View Drop Down
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Points: 5044 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Eliteman76 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10-January-2016 at 2:44PM
I've been running 10w40 Valvoline oil with 2 bottles of ZDDP added to the crank case. I have a pan that holds 9.5 quarts of oil.
Andrew:GTS.ORG admin, '72 Q code 5 speed Restomod
Pondering: #99Problems
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Rockatansky View Drop Down
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Points: 6072 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rockatansky Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11-January-2016 at 1:07AM
new info on ZDDP additives, they can reduce the base oil's protection by 50%
 
72 GT Ute
   
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Eliteman76 View Drop Down
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Points: 5044 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Eliteman76 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15-January-2016 at 5:49AM
Rocky why'd ya bring me down man!
Ok so I did a read on that...what sort of oil have you been running?
I've be afraid of changing from the 10w40 valvoline.

Would the max life oil be a better choice?

Also I've been stuck on 10w40 because to be honest most of my driver stuff I've been running that weight due to engine wear and mileage with the (presumed) bearing clearances from 150k-200k miles.

I know one I started driving my '95 f150 4x4 it had some nasty oil in it. It took two to three oil changes with regular valvoline 10w40 and my sticking lifter issue quieted down and the truck runs great.
It's been 4 years now since I bought that truck and I'm just a firm believer in valvoline.
I've thought about switching to the max life 10w40 however as my truck is at 217,814 miles as of this morning.
Andrew:GTS.ORG admin, '72 Q code 5 speed Restomod
Pondering: #99Problems
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Rockatansky View Drop Down
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Points: 6072 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rockatansky Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15-January-2016 at 11:32AM
not sure what I actually bought last time but I keep Castrol GTX at the top of my mind
72 GT Ute
   
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Eliteman76 View Drop Down
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Points: 5044 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Eliteman76 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21-January-2016 at 2:51AM
See I don't know on castrol as what I read a few years back left much to be desired.
But now it makes me want to did into this again.
Andrew:GTS.ORG admin, '72 Q code 5 speed Restomod
Pondering: #99Problems
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