Oil For 348

[oil4kids]

Last post on oil

I dont want to get into any arguments or bad feelings on the benefit of using synthetic oil over all the other crap 3rd world petroleum oils but if you look at the last issue of super chevy magazine one of the engine builders switched to Amsoil and noticed a 10 Hp dyno gain just by using amsoil synthetic oil-

My feelings and what ive heard from other off shore boat racers is that Amsoil gives you about 6 more hp so I think the 10hp is a little high. But you do get 4% increase in gas mileage.

 

[29Coupe348]

Mark, are there any ill affects from switching to synthetic after running regular oil for many years?

 

[Loafer409]

" and the original spec oil for the 409 was SD or SE"
==
I don't belive those classification existed back then...I believe it would have been a SB or SC...

 

[oil4kids]

29 Coupe

29Coupe348

Well you can switch to a synthetic any time but here are my experiences with Amsoil since 1986

Although I used other synthetics prior to Amsoil like Eon and HPS, when I switched to amsoil racing 20w50 in my 70 nova 396/375 motor the solid lifters were much quieter on startup then the castrol gtx i was previously using. This was very impressive since the noise in my solid lifters with the GTX was very scary after letting it sit for a month or so. Also the oil pressure guage did respond quicker as if i had faster oil pressure. This nova had about 55,000 miles on the clock. It ran cooler in hot days also.

But this is the downside of synthetic oil, it tends to leak more. Ive noticed this time and time again when switching a high mileage motor to synthetics.
For some reason, maybe due to creaping action like a penetrating lubricant, synthetic oil will tend to find its way out of an engine with old seals. Although it tends to give you better ring sealing, which promotes spark plug life, it will drip thru seals if they are not in good shape which means you could burn more oil if your valve seals are bad.

So thats the trade off, better protection for the motor but if the motor has a lot of miles on it expect leaks. Switching back and forth does not seem to make a difference.

On the other hand, after knocking off a deer in missouri one year, and driving without water with the temp guage pegged for 20 minutes and only amsoil in the engine, a certain 400 small block chevy was saved and was later transplanted into a buick wagon and driven for years after that. I doubt that petroleum oil could have done that.

The bottom line is its expensive, harder to find then regular oil, may leak out of your engine, but is a much better lubricant in cold and hot weather, has a higher film strength then conventional oil gives you a little better gas mileage and hp. You decide.

 

[dq409]

Oil is a deap subject and I would suspect there are as many different answers and opinions as cars on the road.

My opinion is as long as you change your oil regularly use what ever you are comfortably useing.

ME? I use a 15-40 wt in my daily driver same as they use for over the road trucks.
In my 409 I am now useing a 30 wt but will change to a 15-40 or even a 20-50wt Racing oil on the next change.

Comparing oils used in Nascar or other racing engines is a mute point as far as I`m concerned.
Those engines run and last only a few minutes (drags) or miles(Nascar) and most are paid to use the oil brand in them.

I`ve used 20-50wt racing in high mile worn engines and have seen the oil consumption decrease with its use.

I was supprised to here Lamar say he uses 20-50 wt racing oil in his engines because I have used it and get flack from some when they hear I do.

It would seem that the 20-50 racing would give added protection to the pistons and bore of the "W" blocks due to the design and the fact that the pistons are pushed to the outside of the bore.

Lamar did say to use oil that do not contain ash.

Any information on this and what to look for to get an oil that doesn`t contain ash would be appreciated.

There is a difference between regular 20-50 wt and the racing 20-50 so thats why I added the racing after the wt.

JMO,,,,dq

 

[Fran Preve]

According to what I've read in Circle Track the recommendation of their tech writers based on what engine builders say (and this is for regular circle jerks who are asking) a 10-30 QUALITY oil is all that's needed. As far as the brand, the guy building the engine uses what he has found to be best for his engines, name on the car be damned (when hundreds of thousdands of dollars are at stake would YOU use Quaker id Pennzoil was better?). Heck the all might be using Amasoil!.

I like what bowtie ollie said, except maybe 10-40 if the engine has some miles on it. It's a fact however that synthetic has a higher temperature tolerance, you can get it hotter without it breaking down, but we're talking HOT here!.

 

[Tman]

After sseing oil testing some biker pals did for comparison, here is what I am going to do.

I am going to pick an oil, whether it is synthetic or dinosaur. break in the mill. test the oil. then test a fresh baseline and then test after the first oil change. Back about 154 years ago, the military had us start testing as opposed to reg scheduled maintenance. Some vehicles needed it changes at 1000 miles and some would go 5ooo!

Why I havent picked a type of oil is based on the fact that most of us drive these cars less than our dailys and tend to watch things like fluids more closely. I think most oils do a good job under these criteria. I might just run Pennzoil to screw with the antiPenz crowd!!! hehehehehhee

 

[raymar58409]

My dad had 82 cutlass diesel that was using oil and GM done the change the head deal, no better. He wanted a rebuilt engine from the factory, but the GM district reps said that as long as it wasn't "blown"up it would have to be rebuilt by the local dealer. the local dealer was not known to do very good work. After the reps repeated the blown up phrase I told my dad to quit arguing I knew what they wanted. I DRAINED the oil out in my shop and proceeded to drive it wide open in low gear between my shop and another guys shop a mile away.After about 3 trips it started to knock. Put the oil back in,started it and the darn thing stopped knocking. It only collapsed a lifter. Drain the oil again. Held the throttle wide open and proceeded to empty 2 cans of starting fluid through it. It finally locked up. Put the oil in it and pushed it outside. Did I mention the tailpipes on the Cutlass point to the ground where they made the concrete pop. When they came with the wrecker the next day the thing started right up although it did knock quite a bit. This was my oil test.
The oil. Pennzoil straight 30. Guess what I use in everything.

Was this Bloviating.
Ray

 

[rich hunter]

To make a general statement of which oil is the best to use in these engines is too generic.

Engine age, condition, and operating conditions must be reviewed to make an intelligent decision.

First off the bat - API classification SL is highly desirable.

10-30 is highly recommended for normal driving use on an engine that is within factory tolerances. If a high mileage engine, or more than normal wear, the weight of the oil can be increased to 20-40.

Straight weight oils are passe. Unless your operating conditions warrant its use (namely hot weather consistently) - it causes engine wear during start up, since it takes longer to circulate. Straight weight oils also take more HP away from the engine due their viscosity.

I have run 10-30 Pennzoil for over 30 years in my W engines without a failure - the oldest being 150,000 miles before she was sold.

 

[Iowa 409 Guy]

Wonder how Ray is doing after that nasty stroke? Last seen here 2015 answers that. Sure loved his style on the post above.

 

[skipxt4]

I seem to recall, his wife had to sell his 58, to pay medical bills. He was a good guy.

 

[El Rat]

I just luv me some oil “discussing”! The biggest waste of time is to ask some guy that has an oil sponsorship what kind of oil he uses or recommends!

 

[carlos.m]

I was told to use 10-40 wt and add some tb zinc-plus, not sure if anyone here has try'ed this , but if anyone could add some input on this, that will be great.

 

[Don Jacks]

On a new break in I like Brad Penn break in oil,10w-30.If it's already broken in,any good oil that's SPEFICALLY made for flat tappet engines such as but not limited to Amzoil V rod,Lucas,Brad Penn,ect.On a freash engine[street build],10w-30 is all you'll need.

 

[chuckl]

I was told to use 10-40 wt and add some tb zinc-plus, not sure if anyone here has try'ed this , but if anyone could add some input on this, that will be great.

Carlos.m,
I am running a 348, 333 heads (big SS valves), .040 overbore, 950 cam and 3 X 2 carbs. I broke it in with Brad Penn break-in oil. I am now running Rotella 15W-40 oil with one ounce of Shell pure Zinc with every oil/filter change every 2,000 miles, since it sits a lot. Oil pressure at idle is 35 psi with 60 psi at 3,000 RPMs. Nary a problem

On a new break in I like Brad Penn break in oil,10w-30.If it's already broken in,any good oil that's SPEFICALLY made for flat tappet engines such as but not limited to Amzoil V rod,Lucas,Brad Penn,ect.On a freash engine[street build],10w-30 is all you'll need.

 

[Simps37]

Yep Ronnie always said to add Zinc

 

[hot_rod_hooligans]

I was told to use 10-40 wt and add some tb zinc-plus, not sure if anyone here has try'ed this , but if anyone could add some input on this, that will be great.

I used to run Shell Rotella 10W30 in my Jeep 4.0L, and it out ran most newer/lower mileage engines even with 250k on the clock.

My Dad however just used regular off the shelf oil after he had his 348 rebuilt, even though his engine builder said something about running a "special oil", and wiped out the front 12 cam lobes, and locked up the motor.

Currently have a bored/stroked 409 with a full roller and I've been running Royal Purple XPR 10w30 in it for the last 6 years, with no major issues. I use 2 quarts of oil on the Hot Rod Power Tour, over a 2000 mile trip, but also have a drippy oil drain plug and had 4 leaky valve cover gaskets at the time. I have thought about getting an oil catch can, if I can find a setup that doesn't look out of place in the engine bay.