Detergent or Non?

[Seon]

I pulled the valve cover off and discovered a light film of sludge in the cylinder head just like in the oil pan. To me this indicates that the motor has been rebuilt and has very low miles.
My question is should I use non detergent oil or switch to detergent and if detergent, what viscosity?
While at it, should I keep the canister oil filter or use a conversion spin on kit and if so what brand that won't leak?

 

[Don Jacks]

Use a detergent oil,non-detergent is to be used for break in only.If it's a stock rebuild or nearly so,use a 10w30 with a zzdp additive to protect your cam and lifters.Sludge is mostly caused by short hop running and a lack of oil changes.As to the filter,the factory set up that you now have is as good as it gets,no need to change.

 

[1964SuperStocker]

Use a detergent oil,non-detergent is to be used for break in only.If it's a stock rebuild or nearly so,use a 10w30 with a zzdp additive to protect your cam and lifters.Sludge is mostly caused by short hop running and a lack of oil changes.As to the filter,the factory set up that you now have is as good as it gets,no need to change.

Is the canister filter system really as good as it gets? I would say the old canister system works but the simplicity and large selection of spin on filters makes them a better choice. Then there is availability. Locally you can only get Fram and Wix canister filters but every other brand has the spin on style. No matter the filter, if its not installed properly then it will leak.

 

[Seon]

Thinking of swapping the 4bbl to tri-power so pulled this off that's been sitting on the shelf for ever.



BTW just for kicks I viewed ebay and was floored on the listed prices for these 3-deuce manifold. Back in the day, you couldn't give away...it was all about SBC.

 

[427John]

Is the canister filter system really as good as it gets? I would say the old canister system works but the simplicity and large selection of spin on filters makes them a better choice. Then there is availability. Locally you can only get Fram and Wix canister filters but every other brand has the spin on style. No matter the filter, if its not installed properly then it will leak.

It depends on your point of view ,and what is most important to you ,I suspect Don views it as the oil filter and what is most important to him is how well it filters oil,while others would view it as how convenient and mess free it is.Both are valid,but I tend to believe that there was a reason why diesel engine manufacturers stuck with the cannister filters on their engines that were expected to run for a million miles before rebuild,with the advent of the throwaway engines there seems to be more widespread use of the spin on filters,it may also be due to the more sophisticated fuel control of those engines requiring less demanding filtration.Plus the generally lower cost of cannister elements are more cost effective in fleets.One other example is high end european cars stuck with cannister filters too.

 

[Seon]

I decided to just use the canister filter. I have a lift so it's not like I'm crawling underneath to change filters.
I'll drive down and buy a couple NAPA Gold filters and while I'm there I might as well buy the by-pass, upper and lower hoses.

 

[La Hot Rods]

Smart move.

 

[nana1962409]

To make changing the canister filter less messy you can weld on a 1/8 bung so you can drain it before taking it apart. I got that idea from someone on this site and it works great.

 

[409newby]

Not all filters in modern cars are spin on, my wife’s Cadillac CTS has a canister filter we also have a Jeep Wrangler with a canister filter.

 

[MRHP]

Yup, back to the Stone Age with canister filters.

 

[Seon]

To make changing the canister filter less messy you can weld on a 1/8 bung so you can drain it before taking it apart. I got that idea from someone on this site and it works great.

Sounds interesting. You have a picture?

 

[nana1962409]

I didn’t take one but I will be under there tomorrow night installing a new clutch so I will take a picture of it then.

 

[427John]

Most of the modern setups the cap is on the top and are fairly easy to change the element without making a big mess.The ones I've dealt with even less than a spin on.

 

[1964SuperStocker]

To each his own but every motor can last a million miles if people treated them like a fleet truck with preventative maintenance and regular scheduled inspections. Most people drive their car into the ground and wonder why they don't last. I'm guessing you can get good canister filters but when I can buy a spin on filter that will capture down to 20 microns. Napa gold canister will go down to 23 microns so that's close enough. Just found AMSoil makes a filter that will capture down to 2 microns. That's nuts! Costs $42 so you are paying for it but if you want the best you have to fork over the money.

 

[La Hot Rods]

Sounds like a filter that tight would be choked down. Are the napa gold / wixs for the canister not as good as the spin on?

 

[nana1962409]

Here is a picture of what I did to my canister hope it helps.

 

[Seon]

So a hole was drilled then the bung was welded. Ingenious Thx

 

[63impalass409]

Spin on filters make a mess when you crack them loose also right? Or is that just mine? I always crack the canister loose and let it drain off the top into my bucket just like a spin on. Just fyi I only have the spin on one's on our gear at work and my daily driver, all 5 of my older cars have the original canister.

 

[63impalass409]

I do like the bung idea though poster above

 

[1964SuperStocker]

Sounds like a filter that tight would be choked down. Are the napa gold / wixs for the canister not as good as the spin on?

Yah, they do say that the flow is 98.7 for the AMSoil filter compared to the 99.0 for the 20 micron stuff but again if the Fram spin on is 20 and the Napa Gold is 23 its not enough to make much of a difference because I use good oil and change it often. If I had a race motor I'd run the AMSoil filter no doubt. I don't know about you guys but I run a Neodymium magnet on my filter too. Pulled one filter apart to see if it works and I was shocked how well it worked.