Motor oil info

[JoeG]

I agree Larry....
And it should be NOTED that breaking the engine with the outer springs or break in springs would be the SAFEST way to go when breaking in a flat tappet engine ,BUT not to cause a PANIC if you don't turn the valves down for a tight adjustment and really butter up the cam and lifters with the proper break in lube in race oil not synthetic oil and let it run according to each cam or lifter manufacturers recommendations--usually 2krpms for the recommended length of time usually 30min---Also leave the break-in lube in the engine for at least a few 2k miles keeping the engine under a light or moderate load --your engine should be fine------------Lot of guys wipe the cam lopes by adjusting VALVES down too tight on break in............

[RichSchmidt]

You can get the zinc back by using GM Engine Oil Suppliment,it is available from any GM dealer's parts department.I build many bigblock Chevy race motors with flat tappet cams and I have been preaching this practice for a while.I am still from the old school,so I have no problems running 20/50 weight race oil in my race engines so I just buy Valvoline race oil,but if I were running the tighter clearances that some builders use,or was inclined to try synthetic oil,then I would use the suppliment at every change with a lighter weigh oil.I run a flat tappet in my own 440 inch engine with 140# on the seat and 450# open spring pressures and never broke the cam in with just the outers,I just put the springs in as they were inteneded an broke the cam for about 15 minutes as most people would normally do.It has over 550run and a few hundred street miles on the engine and I think the pistons rings are going to die before the cam does.A soft ramp cam like a stock L78 or LS6 cam should have no problems with this method.

[JoeG]

[ QUOTE ]
...I just put the springs in as they were intended ...

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OOPS---I left that part out....

[elcamino]

I was using synthetic oil in my new 1975 Chevy Blazer and my 1973 Chevelle SS 350 back when they were new. I put way over 100,000 miles of the SS 350 Chevelle and the motor was like new when I sold it in 1977 and got a new Monte Carlo.

Amsoil (Superior,WI) came out in 1972 and Mobil 1 in 1973. I first used Mobil 1 then switched to Amsoil in 1975 and have used it ever since.

20W-50 Amsoil in for sale section

btw-You would be surprised at how many mechanics and engine builders know little to nothing about lubrication. I have seen them spend $1000 of dollars rebuilding an engine and recommend the cheapest quality oil for use. So take what they say with a grain of salt. I had one tell me once that oil was oil, pick whatever one you want and go with it.

[camarojoe]

OK, I walk into AutoZone tomorrow after work to buy oil for my Deuce, what should I buy?

[JoeG]

Valvoline race--I've used
Quaker state--I've used
Wolf's Head--Ive used
The synthetics--very good
K-MART mechanics oil treatment ---very good
Stp oil treatment--I've used
GM oil treatment---I've used
Bertoilli virgin---lunch

Everybody has their own witches brew.....All above have performed well and tasted good...

[Chevy454]

I do know that 99% of the cam manufacturers get their blanks from the same place, and that within the past few years their has been a decrease in quality in these blanks...I've heard that from different cam mans, so either they're corroborating their stories or there is something behind it. I know of some "Pure Stock" BBC's that have had cam failures (me included) using the tried & true methods of break in, with blueprint cams and stock (120-ish) spring pressures...it's a very intermittent thing.

But I wonder if a lot of solid cam failures can be attributed to poor lash maintenance? As the lash widens the abuse on the lobes/lifters increases exponentially...I've made it a habit to check my lash religously.

[Belair62]

Camarojoe..I don't think you really have to wory all that much about the cam after break in...I use Valvoline racing anyway....JoeG...go with the extra virgin and some Kalamatas

[RichSchmidt]

Everybody blamed the problem on low quality Mexican lifters during the "lifter shortage" a few years back.Now you mention low quality cams.Every cam manufacturer seems to be aligning with the quality of new oil being the cause of the problem.I never had any problems with any of the flat tappet race engines I have built over the last 10 years despite the fact that most of them are out there being whipped to 7500rpm within less then 1 mile of fresh assembly with no break in other then a 20 minute warm up and an oil change.Somehow guys with $100 a set lifters on .450" smallblock street cams with synthetic oil are tearing up cam lobes even after careful break in,but I run $60 a set stock replacment speedpro lifters in our race stuff and dont even break it in and nothing fails.As for valve lash adjustments,it might make sense but 3/4 of these failures are on hydraulic cammed engines anyway,and the truth is that any street engine should be able to go years between valve lash adjustemnts if the engine is built right.I have about 500 runs over 7 years of racing on my current 427 with a .620" lift flat tappet cam and I checked the valve lash 3 times,and the last time I only did it out of curiosity right before I swapped out the valve springs.Never once did the valves actually need adjustment,but thats a whole different story.

Here is a great story about this.I got a call last summer from one of my racing buddies who had a freind who wanted to know why his 454 street rod engine ate 2 cams in one year.I told my friend that there was a good chance that it was the oil he was using,and my friend called me back and told me that I was full of crap and he had the best mobile 1 oil he can buy in the engine.He replaced his otherwise fine running very low miles 454 with a brand new GM crate 454 because somebody told him that old 454's had lifter boss alignment problems{at which time I mentioned to my friend that I would like to know how such a badly aligned block ran for 300,000 miles in a pickup truck before it went into a hot rod}.after it was all over,the guy tried to get crane cams to warranty the cam so that he could put the engine back together and sell it,and their first question was "what oil were you using"they sent him a new cam because they admitted that they werent advising customers of this problem at the time he bought his cam,but the fact is that nobody wants to believe that $7 a quart oil can actually be bad for your engine.

[Seattle Sam]

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Looks like the Valvoline Race has the most Zinc at .20. Any info on Penzoil Race Oil?

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I just visited the valvoline web site to figure out where to get their race oil. I found they have three types of race oil, conventional, eynthetic (both listed as "not street legal") and "VR" oil. ALL THREE list zinc at 0.12, not 0.20 as stated above.