which is why I check my oil quite a bit.  its a little higher on the stick than it was but this oil is about 2 years old and being a draft tube setup with no real street driving the condensation is only what can puff out during running.  Once I start to drive the car I will make sure there is fresh oil and filter in the car.


1956 Ford Fairlane Town Sedan - 292 Y8 - Ford-O-Matic - 155,000 mi

googol shell rotella t you will find lots of info, i could find no recommended use for gas engines,especially old ones

As noted previously, the oils subject turns into a quagmire of opinions, many not supported by any real evidence..However, in Phil's case he is using break in additive after breakin. Why?  Then is going to use a Race Oil for street use, again why? Those type of decisions usually don't stand up to analysis.. In the case of Shell Rottella, it has anti scuff additives which are good, but our Lead moderater, Ted, says (quoting roughly) that long term use may not be desirable due to the very high detergent additives, because it's primarily a Diesel engine oil.. A good general rule of thumb for older non roller valve train engines, is to avoid oils which are designated for modern passenger car engines, that is the ones on which the container displays the "pinwheel gear" on the label. Those oils are designated by the "authorities" for modern engines, with lower anti-scuff additives, to avoid degradding of emission control systems, such as catalytic convertors...  Beyond that....     


Paul

1956 Ford Fairlane Town Sedan - 292 Y8 - Ford-O-Matic - 155,000 mi

First their product page states VR1 is formulated for race engines and compatible with passenger cars as well.  Then in FAQ they state first that VR1 is not intented for passenger vehicles.  Then in the FAQ they throw in again that its designed to work in both racing and traditional applications.

As you can see if a motor oil company cant even keep straight on their own products then can we trust them when they label something as racing?

I mean look at synthetic oils if you really dig most synthetic oils that say synthetic on the bottle is actually a synthetic blend where its a conventional oil blended with some synthetic oil.  Doesnt stop them from labeling it as synthetic and charging you for it.

In the end you might be able to get away with conventional regular old production oil on a hydraulic flat tappet cam, Ive done that in my other vehicles with no problem, but when it comes to a solid lifter I rather have take and spend a bit more money for higher zddp levels to put my mind at ease that my engine isn't going to get premature wear.

VALVOLINE is saying that VR-1 is product that is not allowed to be sold as a current lubricant (disclaimer) due to emission factors. By designating it as RACING OIL, it is side stepping the EPA. Now it also states that it does not have all of the detergent/dispersal packages included in new oils. This can be good and bad as to how you use your engine and how the crankcase is ventilated. It is attune to the argument of ethanol and non-formulated gasoline.

You are operating an older tech engine and it needs a different lubricant than is what is offered for today's market. There are more current products than VR-1 which offers different package levels. It also depends on valve spring strength and what the cam manufacturer recommends.

As for ROTELLA. Years ago it was the go to as old tech product availability was very limited. ROTELLA changed their formula with the intro of HT particulate traps and SHELL made the original product available in 5 gal. pails for fleet use to keep it from being bought by the general public. ROTELLA is an old technology for gasoline engines. There are more current products for a flat tappet engine.

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which is why I check my oil quite a bit.  its a little higher on the stick than it was but this oil is about 2 years old and being a draft tube setup with no real street driving the condensation is only what can puff out during running. 

Sorry, I must not have expressed myself very well. What I meant was the condition of the oil if the vehicle sits and is not operated on a regular basis. If a high dollar engine (and what isn't today), I would do oil analysis on a regular basis along with opening the filter at every service (a magnetic drain plug is also a nice touch).

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Kultulz, I appreciate your information and knowledge. Can you give us the names of these more current products that would be the best performers in our old Y-Blocks? Thanks.

Correct, mine sits but gets ran from time to time but now that I got everything squared away to be safe to drive on the road without engine damage I am now looking at oil for my due oil change

ive been running 20w50 VR1 as that's all I could find locally on the shelves that was VR1.  VR1 does not offer a straight 20w oil which is what my shop manual indicates as the highest weight oil recommended for above 32*F with 10w oil being recommended for temps between -10*F to 30*F.

My only option VR1 wise would be 10w30 which would be more appropriate but I just don't know about that 30 weight viscosity when hot as that is still too much I think over the 20 that they recommended for these engines.

shop manual states a API of MM is recommended for all engines including thunderbirds MS for police interceptor engines.  Im going to spend the day digging on this as I am going to be doing my oil change soon as this oil is kinda old year wise and its time to make the change.

Just know I prefer valovline and I do want higher zinc levels just because its a solid lift.  Ive ran regular oil for my hyd flat tappet engines with no ill effect but this is my first and only solid lift and rather over kill in my personal opinion.


1956 Ford Fairlane Town Sedan - 292 Y8 - Ford-O-Matic - 155,000 mi

10w30 should be fine as long as your bearing clearances are good.  Winter would be the best time to try a lighter oil since it will be thicker than it would be in warmer weather.  If pressure is lower than you'd like in winter, then it will be lower than you'd like in summer.
Use regular Valvoline or another brand to experiment and keep cost minimal.  Halve the change interval for it  - it won't hurt the engine for a brief amount of time.


Lawrenceville, GA

I couldn't say on the bearing clearances the oil that was ran in the engine before it was parked was regular old exxon 10w30 oil.  I made the switch to 20w50 just for the extra zinc of the VR1 since it was solid lifter and not a hydraulic lifter.

Ive been doing some reading found out the MM designation from my owners manual and shop manual became SB which I am reading was superseded by SF, SG, to SM that is used now.  Im going to do some digging seems I want to shoot for something like SG as it states for 1993 and older engines.  the SM doesn't have this designator listed, just states for use in all engines currently in use.

I think I might do that and try some lighter oil and see what goes on.  I need to change my oil anyways and I don't really want to put the engine under load like driving with 20w50 oil when I don't think it really needs it.


1956 Ford Fairlane Town Sedan - 292 Y8 - Ford-O-Matic - 155,000 mi