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what is the best oil for a so cal flathead?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by hombres ruin, Jul 23, 2010.

  1. hombres ruin
    Joined: Nov 21, 2006
    Posts: 3,305

    hombres ruin
    Member

    Flathead engine owners and experts,i have searched the HAMB and i get confusing opinons...the question is what weight oil would you run in a socal climate and what brand is good oil for a re built flatty with7,000 miles on it two carb set up,offy heads.Opinions on shell rotella,brad penn and the rest would be great.Synthetic vs non synthetic.Any discussion would be great.
     
  2. hombres ruin
    Joined: Nov 21, 2006
    Posts: 3,305

    hombres ruin
    Member

  3. JohnEvans
    Joined: Apr 13, 2008
    Posts: 4,883

    JohnEvans
    Member
    from Phoenix AZ

    REV 30 !!!! VR-1 20-50 Valvolene would be my choice. Forget synthetic.
     
  4. flatheadpete
    Joined: Oct 29, 2003
    Posts: 10,478

    flatheadpete
    Member
    from Burton, MI

    I ran Wolf's ead non-detergent 30wt. One time I put in some free synthetic and it blew out the zoomies!!
     

  5. M.Edell
    Joined: Jun 5, 2009
    Posts: 4,179

    M.Edell
    Member

    I use Valvoline 10/40 with Zinc Additive up here in the Bay area.
     
  6. Bluto
    Joined: Feb 15, 2005
    Posts: 5,113

    Bluto
    Member Emeritus

    A.P. Fischer classic car oil

    They are in Long Beach and have a website

    Talk to Ray 562 436 7251

    This is a 1970's spec oil with all the good stuff still in it.

    I've a couple hundred gal.s use it in everything for years

    Ray has just started to sell it the the guys off the street
     
  7. dullchrome
    Joined: Jan 15, 2009
    Posts: 987

    dullchrome
    Member
    from SoCal

    I have been using the Shell Rotella in just about everything for years.
     
  8. hombres ruin
    Joined: Nov 21, 2006
    Posts: 3,305

    hombres ruin
    Member

    Thanks guys,i will look into classic car oil bluto.I was on ford barn and some were saying rotella T i think its a diesel oil,is this ok to put in a flathead? and i read that the zinc content was less as of a couple years ago,but then again some on fard barn insist zinc is not needed in a flathead...??
     
  9. Bluto
    Joined: Feb 15, 2005
    Posts: 5,113

    Bluto
    Member Emeritus

    It's not about zink as oil vapor to get to places oil splash doesn't

    Rotella isn't what it used to be either

    Ask the guys on Ford Barn if they will pay for your rebuild
     
  10. I run Shell Rotella 15W40, and add a bottle of ZDDPlus to it. Great oil pressure, runs smoother than the Castrol GTX SAE 30 I used to run.
    As long as you have a fresh rebuild, running detergent oil is no problem.
    I'm in Northern California, and I run my flathead in 100 degree temperatures. The Rotella 15W40 does great, but I think they have removed a bit of the zinc as of late, so that's why I add the little bottle of ZDDPlus. I highly recommend it.

    M/P
     
  11. hombres ruin
    Joined: Nov 21, 2006
    Posts: 3,305

    hombres ruin
    Member

    i have a fresh re build,when i got the engine it only had 1,500 miles on it now it has 7,000.Bluto what do you see as being wrong with rotella? i looked into the oil you recommended and it sounds really good.There are so many opinons out there on this,it just hard to follow.Main prop,rotella works for you,but does a diesel oil hurt the flathead..anyone know?
     
  12. JohnEvans
    Joined: Apr 13, 2008
    Posts: 4,883

    JohnEvans
    Member
    from Phoenix AZ

    Diesel oil will make it start smelling like french fries !!! LOL Diesel oil will NOT hurt a thing,it is formulated for more severe duty . Like I said earlier VR-1 Valvolene has plenty of zink and you don't have to rob the kid's bank to buy it. Even with hot cams valve spring pressure on a flathead is still very low compaired to modern stuff.
     
  13. LUMBERJACK 50
    Joined: Jun 15, 2009
    Posts: 56

    LUMBERJACK 50
    BANNED
    from upland ca.

    all my cars have flatheads. the oil to use is valvoline racing straight 40wt. the zinc is and i cant stress enough the zinc has to be in there. most if not all oils have taken out the zinc. so if u want to flatten your lobes on your cam go ahead and and run somthin else. we dont live in a cold climate so u dont need a multi grade.
     
  14. Large_911
    Joined: May 30, 2008
    Posts: 219

    Large_911
    Member

    I am not sure about flatheads, but I like to use Brad Penn oil. It is the old "green" Kendall that many of us remember.

    http://www.bradpennracing.com/
     
  15. MainProp is correct, Diesel oil is fine for flatheads. As noted here I run Rotella 15W40 and half a bottle of Redline or Lucas oil Break-In Additive for extra zinc.



     
  16. troylee
    Joined: Jul 10, 2007
    Posts: 689

    troylee
    Member

    VR1 40 for me too
     
  17. Straight Eight
    Joined: Dec 22, 2006
    Posts: 29

    Straight Eight
    Member
    from Howell, Mi

    I have used Shell Rotella 30 wght since the 1960's. Recent communication with Shell reveals the single weight 30 carries the same zinc, it has not been reduced, I think 1200 was the figure.
    Rotella is approved for both gas and diesel, and also does not harm babbet bearings used in older engines.
     
  18. I agree that these old motors don't need multi-weight oils. But the straight weights are kinda limited in selection. What these flatheads DO need is the zinc that has (somewhat recently) been scaled back to a minimum to save new cars from damaging their emissions equipment (cat converters.) Anytime you see any emissions icons & labels on the oils, it means the zinc has been reduced to a minimum- which is most oils. Newer cars have reduced friction between the internal parts incredibly (roller rockers, lifters, and so on) therefore they don't need the zinc that cushions the friction surfaces. The removal of zinc is similar to when they removed all of the lead in the gasoline- it acted like a cushion for the valves and the valve seats. These soft additives were making life easier for engine internals; but apparently hard on the environment. That's why most install the hardened valve seats and stainless exhaust valves in old engines, and now, we add the zinc back into our oil.
    As far as Diesel grade oils are concerned, they are just for heavier duty applications. They definitely won't hurt your flathead. All I was ever told by the old time Flathead guys is: Straight 30 weight in cold climates and straight 40 weight in warm climates. But oil preferences are kinda open to experimentation. Just try out some of the opinions you like the best, and see what works best for you.

    Good luck,

    M/P
     
  19. logride
    Joined: Nov 29, 2009
    Posts: 285

    logride
    Member
    from CB IA

    I used to run straight shell rotella in my olds rocket and i did some research and found out it hasn't had zinc in it for 2 years for the flat tappet cam. I just pour in a bottle of additive every oil change now.
     
  20. hombres ruin
    Joined: Nov 21, 2006
    Posts: 3,305

    hombres ruin
    Member

    What i have found is the shell rotella 15w 40 seems to be the oil of choice for flathead owners.The guys on ford barn seem to agree as well,i will give it a try and see what happens..
     
  21. Bluto
    Joined: Feb 15, 2005
    Posts: 5,113

    Bluto
    Member Emeritus

    I used Rotella for years. It is no longer the same Check the SAE bug on the bottle

    I switched to Rays stuff because it's the same price to me and I don't add anything .....

    All you get in Europe is the cheapest stuff the can make sold to you at the highest prices or Synthetics which ooz out everywhere on an old engine

    I am many 1000's of miles from So Cal..... I shipped 4-55 Gal drums here. Ray sells Rotella if I felt it was as good I would have shipped it here.
     
  22. Retrorod
    Joined: Jan 25, 2006
    Posts: 2,034

    Retrorod
    Member

    I will not get into a big contest here but I run Mobil 1 in everything I own...including the 8BA flathead in Flower's "T". That engine has 17,000 miles on a good rebuild, it doesn't leak a drop, makes no noise and uses NO oil. The car is driven almost daily, goes on long runs to all sorts of shows in all sorts of weather. I have used Mobil one in other "classic" engines as well with no problems. .

    After dinking around with hot rods and working in the car industry for 40 years I may not know it all...but I know what works for me.
     
  23. 3406kris
    Joined: Aug 17, 2008
    Posts: 32

    3406kris
    Member

    Thanks for chiming in. Oil is a pretty hotly debated topic, so it's nice to hear real world experiences. I for one think modern synthetics are great and don't have the problems they did back in the 70's. I run Mobil One in all my cars, old and new and never have issues. :)

     
  24. I sent email to guys at H@H flatheads and they were awsome and told me to use a 30w with zinc additive
     
  25. Big Mac
    Joined: Sep 12, 2007
    Posts: 1,565

    Big Mac
    Member
    1. Utah HAMBers

    So, not to dig this up again, but what about climates that are colder? In Utah, we have 100+ degree summers, then below 0 winters. I tend to be the "idiot" that still drives his hotrod in the winter as long as the roads are dry. What should I do differently for the winter months as far as oil is concerned?
     
  26. B Blue
    Joined: Jul 30, 2009
    Posts: 281

    B Blue
    Member

    Why do people think that because their hunk of cast iron is 70 years old, or has a different name on it, or driven on unusual days of the week, it should use a different oil?

    Bill
     
  27. scrubba
    Joined: Jul 20, 2010
    Posts: 939

    scrubba
    Member

    Well, I don't live in the Los Angles Basin anymore . Still, I have had real good luck with both N A P A "s private label which is Valvoline and of course Valvoline racing oil which is now hard for me to come by . I've been running a couple of 8- Ba's on a diet of 40wt. Meanwhile , I even recomended 30 to a boat owner . He said I did it right ! scrubba
     
  28. hombres ruin
    Joined: Nov 21, 2006
    Posts: 3,305

    hombres ruin
    Member

    What actual oil did they say to use?.This topic is so varied in opinion.I have had people tell me to use zinc ,dont use zinc beacuse a flathead doesnt need it,some oils cause leaks etc.Trial and error will have to be the way to go.But the discussion is facsinating to hear what oils works for people out there.
     

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