Best Motor Oil?

What Motor Oil do you guys recommend for a stock 1973 351C-2V?

Just looking for the best all-around oil for a 75K mile car. The engine appears to be all original & never rebuilt. The car runs great with no issues. I'm not sure what oil the previous owner used & this will be the first oil change since I got the car in late May.

I only drive it in good sunny weather and it will only be driven in the winter months if the roads are clear and dry -- which is not very often in northern Ohio!

Thanks!

Same here, I have been using Castrol GTX as well (except the Honda which gets Honda motor oil).

However I have been considering the switch to Valvoline VR1 since it contains ZDDP. Modern motor oil is somewhat void in zinc because of the concern to protect catalytic converters, however for older engines zinc is a necessary content.

Scott Eklund

Webmaster

Amsoil ......there is a special blend of synthetic that was developed especially for our type of engines....awesome stuff...no sludge deposits,ever...

"I deeply admire the men who founded this country, and I think we ought to know more about them and how they lived and the force and courage they had.
Henry Ford. 1926
Brian Conn
'76 Torino

Thanks for the info.

I did a little research and I agree, Amsoil Z-Rod sounds like great stuff for our cars but where can I get it? I don't think I've ever seen it at any of the auto part stores around here. Do you have to order it from the Amsoil website?

Amsoil is typically only available through mail order. It's good stuff, although there are many other oils just as good for less money. I don't see the need to run a synthetic in my old car due to the low miles it sees (short oil change intervals) and no extreme temperatures. Further, with an older engine with old seal technology, it is still more likely to leak. If your car sees extreme temperatures, is run hard near the limit, or your are looking to have long oil change intervals, maybe a synthetic is a better choice. That said many "dino" or conventional oils these days are nearly as good as synthetics. I know my Torino has seen nothing but dino since day one, and after 40+ years and 150K miles it is VERY clean under the valve covers.

There is a ton of info on selecting the "best oil" for your car. Realistically, though most modern oils will be fine as long as they are changed on a regular basis (Synthetics, like Amsoil can go for much longer intervals). However, most experts agree that running an old flat tappet engine, you should select an oil with higher levels of ZDDP.

If you really want to know a TON about oil and see some real experts, check out the forum on this website:

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com

Vince

1972 Ford GTS Sportsroof - Survivor, One Family car

GTS.org Admin

Brad Penn 10w30

Mike