I just bought a pile '62 Chevy C10 Stepside with the 235 stovebolt. It was last registered in 1995 and the guy I bought it from had never had it running. I oiled everything up, cleaned the points, replaced the coil, primed the fuel lines, and she started right up. After a nice little run I figured it was a good idea to change the oil. That's when I realized...I couldn't find the oil filter! Please don't tell me some of these things never came with any sort of oil filter. I've seen some with the external filter that mounts on the intake manifold. If this is the only route, does any one have one, with the lines for sale?
HAH HA HA HA HA!!! vintagetin88 the oil filter was optional and added usually by a dealer, hell the early SBCs didn't even have a filter pad. It was as you suspect, a canister mounted to the engine.
I bought a new 4 cylinder Tempest in '63. At 1000 miles I changed the oil. No Filter. Back to the dealer. WTF? Opitional. I didn't ask for it I didn't get it. But they had the pad in stock.
That's a part of what makes those old engines so cool. They have antiquated, obsolete designs that nobody normal would want today. It's part of the charm of owning and maintaining older cars. I mean, oil filters as standard equipment? What were you expecting?
Lots that had filters don't any more! The external lines had a habit of breaking and losing all the oil. My '52 broke a line, fortunately I caught it in time. BTW, a flexible grease gun hose is perfect for a replacement hose. I have seen big trucks with a couple of canisters hooked together. They are partial flow filters, but they do a good job of keeping things clean. Because they are bypass, they can be much finer than a full-flow.
A lot of older engines didn't have oil filters. And, the ones that did were typically not the "full flow' type in general use today.
now the questions is how much do you plan to use the car? if only 2-3k per year then just change the oil often. and forget the filter, this is what i do on my 53 chev.
Normal oil change intervals on those engines was 1000 miles without a built in filter. But in answer to your original question Vintagetin88, As several of the guys said, most of the vehicles with those engines no matter what the year were shipped from the factory without the filter and it was a dealer installed item either before or after purchase. That way they could advertise the rig at a lower price and then you added things like oil filters, radio and mirrors when you bought the truck. The heaters were even an option then and guys down south often have trucks that have never had a heater in them.
Even Cadillac had heater options. Not sure if it was availoable with no heater, buit the '49 Cadillac had a cheap heater/defroster option for temperate climates and a better one for colder places.
as mentioned above, the filter was an option. you can put one in if you want and it is just an inline canister that has a screw on lid. napa has the filters for 12 bucks, i actually have a an extra canister if you want to do this. just let me know. also-keep the 235 in it. it will run forever. -DVZ
I plan on keeping the old 235 in it forever as I just got it running the other day and it runs great!!. It has a lot of valve noise though... first time it's been started in 15 years!! The oil pressure dumby light turns off. Should I even put a filter on it? I have it as my back up vehicle when I'm upgrading the '66 Charger even once and a while, I'll probably put 3-5,000 miles on it a year? Should I just flush it out, and fill it up with some 20w-50 and call it a day?
Yup. Just a yearly oil change, and drive the thing. I have tried the old "couple quarts of tranny fluid in the crankcase and run it 30-45 minutes" before a oil change (while it's still warm) to remove some of the varnish and sludge that has accumulated.. worked for me, YMMV..
That's where the Kendall "peace sign" logo originated; in a day when 1000 miles was the accepted oil life, Kendall billed itself as "The 2000 Mile Oil".
I used to have a '48 w/o oil filter, and for some reason the oil stayed a golden color longer than any filtered motor I've ever had. Why would that be?
Yes to everything, but no on 20W-50. Those motors, and most pre- '63, run Non-Detergent 30W. Valvoline still makes it and you can find it in most any auto store. If not, part # VV265
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