Oil recommendations

Anyone recommend an oil for a 1972 351C-4V? I know the oiling system is poor to begin with. It is only for summer driving in Chicago (about

40F). I was thinking either 10W-40 or 20W-50? Any recommendations? How about synthetic or conventional?
Reply to
Joe
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Anyone recommend an oil for a 1972 351C-4V? I know the oiling system is poor to begin with. It is only for summer driving in Chicago (over

40F). I was thinking either 10W-40 or 20W-50? Any recommendations? How about synthetic or conventional?
Reply to
Joe

The oiling system is poor only if you spin the motor at high RPM. If this car is just a cruiser or driven lightly, the oiling sytem is fine. The "poor" part about it is that the main bearings are not oiled first. They get oil after other parts of the engine get oil.

10W-40 oil is fine, but the more difference between viscoscity, (in this case, the "10" vs the "40") the greater the chance that your engine will have deposits and varnish. If your engine has no leaks and doesn't use oil, 10W-30 will be fine also. They do make some synthetic 10W-40, but it can be hard to find. If you don't put too many miles on this car, the benefits are questionable. There are some oiling modifications that can be done to this engine to improve the oiling system, but I wouldn't do it unless you are really going to rev this motor. Any oil that now has the SL or SM SAE rating would be fine.
Reply to
Kruse

"Joe" wrote

Unless the engine has a recent rebuild (~10,000 miles) then stick with dino oil. I only used 20W50 for break in on my 351W stroker last summer in August. It's too damn thick and even though it's more heat resistant, it takes FOREVER to get pumped to the top of your motor, causing way more damage than just using a lighter oil. I drained the 20W50 at 500 miles and switched to 10W30 for the summer. At 10,000 miles I'll switch to 5W30 Synth.

Reply to
66 6F HCS

I would use conventional for an engine that old.

The weight depends on condition of the engine. You want it heavy enough to maintain proper oil pressure, and that's it. Any more is just a waste of energy. I would start with 10W-40, and keep a close eye on the pressure gauge, both hot and cold. If pressure is low, add heavier oil, if it's low, add heavier oil.

Reply to
.boB

Is it really only 40F in the summer in Chicago? If it's that cool, I would use a 10W. 20W is too thick for cold starts in cool/cold weather. And 10W-40 has more additives to get that wider viscosity split, and more additives means less oil/lubricant. So, I'd go with a

10W-30.

As for synthetic or conventional, go with what's more important to you. If the motor is really solid, then it's probably worth the extra bucks to dump in synthetic. But if the motor has some miles on it and will probably need a rebuild in the near future, then don't waste the extra cash, use conventional. If it's just an average decent motor, but nothing great, then mix a couple quarts of synthetic in with the conventional to save a few bucks.

Patrick '93 Cobra

Reply to
NoOption5L

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