Hey guys, I want to get some recommendations of what other Olds 350 guys are using for engine oil brand and weight and oil filter. Its a 71 350, upgraded manifold and carb(that i know of for upgrades), I live in south florida so its basically just hot humid weather, im not sure if oil and weather conditions matter a whole lot but i thought id mention it. its an old rebuild so its close to the end of its life and then its time to put a big block in it. But anyway, I just want to see what you guys had the best results with. Thanks

 

I am using Amsoil z-rod 10 w-30 in my 67 Cutlass Supreme

 

Why not a stroker small block? Hmmmmm

 

Don't use any SN oil, I had lifter noise with SN 10w40 on a stock Olds 260. Switching to an SL oil eliminated the noise. I say stroke your 350, look what Mark's stroker package did to another 71 350, over 400 hp and 500 ft/lbs of torque.

 

doing a stroker build doesnt sound bad, ill have to give it some thought when the time comes.

what brand of SL oil do you use and what weight?

 

 

That is what I use as well.

 

what weight?

 

I'd use something thicker than 10W-30 in south Florida in an older motor. Perhaps a 15W-40 would be better.

 

I use 10w40 motorcycle oil, only VR1 locally is SN rated and 20W50. Only thing motorcycle oil doesn't have is friction modifiers. Any brand with a SL or lower rating in a 10w40, 15W40, 15W50 or 20W50 should work.

 

https://540ratblog.wordpress.com/201...-test-ranking/

 

I agree with Sugar Bear. If you're in south Florida you've got a climate as I do. Especially in summer with a worn engine use something like 15w-40 or 20w-50; and if it's got the flat lifters get an oil with sufficient zinc or add some.

 

The Zinc oil myth, or why ruined lobes happened with plenty of zinc and scared people into special oils and additives, and also very expensive roller cams and lifters. And it got the cam companies off the hook

http://www.chevelles.com/forums/13-p...more-oils.html

 

I know those tests, they are interesting to red. I use the old formula Quarker State Defy, bought up all the old SL formula around. But it is 5W20, 5W30 and 10W30. The 88 has a worn out and sludged up Olds 260. It needs 10W40 to maintain any sort of oil pressure. So I thought, worn out valve springs and the tiny cam, SN 10W40 will be fine. I had this lifter rattling sound just after the oil change, same sound as when I had a lifter go in my old Dodge Van's 318. I also threw on the orange can of doom with that oil change but have never had issues despite Fram's iffy construction. I changed it to 10W40 SL rated motorcycle oil and the noise went away. I also tried high zinc diesel oil in my Olds V8, it stuck the rings on one of them. Oil itself is much better refined but has changed a lot due to emissions and all of it is similar in cost. Why take the risk on a fresh motor by running a 800 ppm zinc SN motor oil and possibly sending filings threw everything.

 

I used quaker state for few years before switching over the Castrol GTX, to try it out I am old very old school and use 20-50 in our super hot climate and the engine was hitting 210 regularly. The Quaker State dropped oil pressure about 10 pounds, at idle, after a few months of running it, and the Castrol didn't as fast. Viscosity break down. My oil filters I am a little more picky about and use NAPA Gold made by Wix, or the Wix filter. But I am not scared of Fram or the others. Cars didn't use to even have oil filters and car makers didn't use them. Wix just makes a little better one.

Following the ancient and very old instructions on the breakin of cams has always worked for me and the people I know. On a new engine I poor new oil into the oil filter and into the dry oil galleries, before putting the intake on. I make sure the moly paste is on the bottom of the lifters and on to the lobes, and no binding on the springs and a fast fire on the engine. High spring pressures and binding coils have always been bad for cams, just as bad new cores or lifters. Fast rise ramps can also be bad, or why you don't see roller lobes on cams used with flat tappet lifters, and they must use roller lifters with them. A non roller cam with too fast of acceleration rates may seem to break in fine, but then goes out in 10-20,000 miles, and they demand usually higher spring pressures increasing wear.

Now a days they are, or at least some are, advising to split the time on the breaking in of the cams into two 10-15 minute sessions. Some just drive down the road instead. On oil probably just about any will do, but I would look at VR1, Castrol, or only one of the highest protections oils 540Rat's testing shows at higher temps above 250 to be on the safest side. Zinc content doesn't even enter into it its just myth. Fake news LOL

Ben Franklin said the a lie will get out of bed and travel halfway around the world, before the truth can get out of bed and get its pants on.

On oil pressures, they seem not to matter much at idle, as long as they go higher fast when push comes to shove, with the gas pedal. Most of us have worried for decades watching our idle pressures. They are what they are it seems, unless there is a sudden change, then kill the motor fast and investigate.

On stuck rings I have only experienced it with older engines not driven much and sitting a lot. Pouring a little Marvel Mystery oil in the spark plug holes, and letting it do its thing for a few days seems to make it go away. In the old days of legend and making the legend, we use to say put a quart of transmission fluid in the oil, and a quart of motor oil in the transmissions.

But do what ya want.

 

Does anyone know if you can buy wix filters locally at one of the parts store?

 

The Napa gold filters are Wix, and you can get Wix by name at most any auto parts store in the US.

 

Yep, I get mine at NAPA as well. I use the larger NAPA 1049 / Wix 51049 filter as it is significantly larger than the standard 1258 / 51258 filter.

 

Okay, I'm going to get the NAPA Gold oil filter(when I go on the NAPA website the 1049 filter says it doesnt fit my vehicle) I don't really trust their fitment, but if you say if it will fit on my 350 ill get it.

Now for engine oil, I'll be honest I'm more confused about engine oil than I have ever been haha after reading like 4 different forum discussions about it, in depth science behind oil, SL vs SN, the oil weight based on my hot climate, there's just a lot of opinions and facts out there. I'm just looking for the best protection for my engine. I don't want to order something online, I want to go to my local auto parts store and get it.

 

Yes, the 1049 will fit, I use it on my Olds 260? I have to use the 1258 due to my exhaust routing on my Olds 350. Oil brand and even weight is a personal preference. I think the Vavoline VR1 you guys get down there is the SL rating, Napa carries that brand.

 

I'm just skeptical on the VR1 for an engine that isnt going to the track and I think the oil would need to be changed more often then another choice. I want to drive this car more and hopefully make it a daily driver and I dont think the VR1 is good for a daily driver.

 

and if i go with VR1 I guess I would go with this one.

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/VAF679083

or mobil1
https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/MOF122326

I dont know if the 20w50 is too thick, I dont want my car to have to work more to start and lubricate slower on start up.

 

The VR1 will be fine. Just make sure it is the one for daily street use, it should say on the back of the bottle.

 

I buy them off eBay or Rockauto.com a case at a time. $4.50 per filter or something like that.

 

O'Reilly's carries WIX.

 

AC Delco filter and 10w30 Mobil 1. If you dont want to spend the money on synthetic then 10W30 Castrol GTX should be just fine.

 

Look up an application for a pre-1967 Oldsmobile. All Olds oil filter adapters on the block have the same dimensions, and the 1049, 1258, and I forget what the short skinny part number is for the G-Body vehicles, but the filters all have the same specs for thread, gasket ID, and gasket OD, so they are all interchangeable.

Trust me on this, I worked at auto parts stores when we looked things up in the books and I have researched the specs and applications for the filters to verify compatibility.

 

If your car leaks oil, stay away from the synthetic, it'll nickel and dime you to death topping it off.

 

What oil are you running Oldcutlass?

 

and yeah i trust you, im getting the 1049 wix filter tomorrow!

 

VR1 for street use conventional. I had been using 10w30, this year I'm going with 20w50.

 

After reading up on the different oils , I had used pennzoil for many years . I purchased my 72 cutlass a couple of years ago and used pennzoil last year , but after reading some info , it doesn’t really have zinc anymore. This year I am going to try Lucas hot rod and classic car oil. It’s not much more expensive than the pennzoil and has high zinc content . We’ll see how it goes.

 

Alright so today in my ASE class, I changed my oil and filter with a couple guys during the maintenance portion of the class. The Valvoline VR1 and Wix 1258 Filter(the 1049 had clearance issues) went in good and well see how the car performs with it.

 

Really? What was the interference? The filter basically hangs straight down, and on my car even with headers there's nothing in the way.

 

It wasn't the headers, it was 2 fuel lines that made the clearance issue.

 

That doesn't make any sense to me. I just can't picture how it would be an issue unless the lines are not in the right places.

 

I can see the transmission lines possibly getting in the way, the fuel lines should not.

 

Yeah It might not be fuel lines, just saw two metal lines. I didnt get a good look where they went to. And im pretty sure a previous owner routed these new lines, so yes, if that's the case, they are incorrectly placed. but you were right about header clearance I had plently of room regarding headers.

 

x2^^^^^^^^^*^

 

Yeah the last 2 days, it might be my imagination but i feel like engine is performing better since putting the VR1 in.