When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Just bought 1969 Cutlass, 350 4b. Unkown oil in crankcase. What is a good oil for use in PA? Car is garaged, will be driven very little below freezing if at all.
Leaning towards 10w-40. Motor possibly has 56K, maybe 156k miles.
Is the Lucas Hot Rod 10w-40 what I want, or Castrol High Mileage Semi syn? Or something else, I am a fan of Castrol.
Looking for advice on weight and type.
Thanks.
The concern is the flat tappet cam that need zinc. You will get several recommendations. Do not use synthetic or a synthetic blend. I use Valvoline VR1 Racing Oil which has a high zinc content. I have been using it several years in my 54 with no problems. Others use Brad Penn and Shell Rotella. I don't think the Rotella has as much zinc as it used to have.
x2 on the VR1. I just discovered that the local O'reilly's parts store carries it in 5 quart jugs for $29.99, so I picked up a jug along with a Wix 51049 oil filter.
Yes use that Lucas Hot Rod oil will work. Any xxW20 or xxW30 oil will have 800 ppm max ZDDP. A xxW40 or xxW50 oil, even if SN can be much higher. If the cam is the stock automatic cam, it is very mild. Even stock SP oil will probably work fine.
Thanks. Any advice on viscosity. Strange seeing the manual list a choice of several weights. Also strange to see it only takes 4 qts of oil, that’s asking alot of a little.
10W-30 should be fine. If the engine is in good shape, there's no need to go heavier. I've been using the Lucas as well. Seems fine, although you never know until it's too late, do you?
It takes 5 qts with filter. Make sure to use a good filter too. Lot of us here like WIX and NAPA Gold, which are the same filter. WIX makes filters under contract for several private label brands, so any brand you can verify is made by WIX will be fine for your engine.
Baldwin and Hastings make better quality filters too.
In all honesty I wouldn't let a new ACDelco filter near my engine.
I wouldn't let a Fram filter near it either. I use the Wix XP which I believe has more filter surface. If you engine is in good shape I agree the 10W30 should be fine. My 54 Olds has lots of miles on it and it does better with 20W50.
Purolator is a good filter. They pretty much invented automotive filters in early 1920s. I think their air filters are better than their fluid filters.
What's sad is both ACD and Fram used to be excellent filters. Then the cost-cutters and their "good enough" mentality stepped in.
I have an Olds 350 block (434ci build by Mark R.) and am using VR-1 10w30 oil. Will the below K&N oil filter work for this engine? I prefer to use it as the nut on the end of the filter makes changing filters really easy for me.
I got this part number below by selecting the year/make/model feature on their website - but we all know those can be inaccurate, especially with older cars...
What is the downside of using a synthetic oil with a ZDDP additive?
Good question. I know if you switch from dinosaur juice to synthetic, quite frequently leaks will result, but I don't know why you wouldn't use synthetic in a fresh engine.
I wouldn't use synthetic due to the likelihood that it has a rope/original rear main seal vs. a replacement neoprene seal, unless you know differently from receipts.
Valvoline VR-1 or a 15W-40 diesel oil with ZDDP above 1200 ppm. Wix, Napa Gold or Baldwin for the oil filter.
I use Shell Rotella T4, 15W-40 Oil cause here in Canada we cant get the VR1
I can get VR1 20W50 from Walmart here in Saskatchewan. It is $9 a liter and Lucas Hot Rod oil is available at Napa, about the same price. As said, thanks to new diesels being polluting unreliable junk, they have reduced ZDDP a bunch in CJ/CK-4 diesel oils to try and help particulate filter life. Our Coop DMO full synthetic diesel oil has 870 PPM ZDDP. I bet Rotella isn't much different.
I can get VR1 20W50 from Walmart here in Saskatchewan. It is $9 a liter and Lucas Hot Rod oil is available at Napa, about the same price. As said, thanks to new diesels being polluting unreliable junk, they have reduced ZDDP a bunch in CJ/CK-4 diesel oils to try and help particulate filter life. Our Coop DMO full synthetic diesel oil has 870 PPM ZDDP. I bet Rotella isn't much different.
Alot of people I no run Rotella in there classics, I was talking about 10W30 VR1, anyways Rotella has see below:
Alot of people I no run Rotella in there classics, I was talking about 10W30 VR1, anyways Rotella has see below:
Actually it is around 1000 to 1100 for CK-4 supposedly, so about the same as an SL oil. Yeah, I have not seen 10W30 VR1. Whatever works for you. This is an interesting one but I will some be switching to a roller cam. https://www.camoils.com/
So, how much Zinc is actually necessary in these old school ICEs?
Depends on the cam, I still say stock SP oil should work fine with the stock 350 super mild automatic cam already broke in. I had a mild custom cam fail with SL oil and ZDDP additive. I followed break in but never did get the spring pressure checked on the upgraded BBC single springs the previous owner put on the rebuilt #6 heads.
Camoil, never heard it, I imagine its pretty pricy. Nice to see it come from Alberta. So I will be switching to a roller cam and lifters as well, does that mean a different oil should be used?
January 12th, 2021, 02:43 PM
