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I was wondering if anyone had an opinion on what oil to use in a 1962 235

Any properly rated petroleum bases, not synthetic in my opinion.

Summer time 10 w 30 would be fine but in your area I'd probably suggest a 5 w 30 for winter......we'll see what others say.....wonder what Leo is running in his AD panel?

I also add stp or zinc addative
I like VR1 oil

Water-thin oils like 5W30 or even 10W30 in some applications are not a stovebolt's friend. The engine will be noisy and oil pressure will be low. I like either 15W40 or 20W50.
Jerry

I agree with Jerry, 15W40 or 20W50. Any modern API rating will be fine for a stock engine, no additives or "special" oils needed unless it's a break in on a fresh engine or it's had a high lift cam/stiff valve springs installed. Conventional or synthetic will be fine.

Over the years I have learned that single weight - 30W is the best choice, especially in the southern area of the country.

For the last 13 years, I have been using Shell ROTELLA T 15W-40.

The price is reasonable (often on sale - WalMart & Sam's Club), and the quality is excellent, and it is readily available anywhere.

My ol' man had a 235 in a Chevy many decades ago and only used 20W year-round and never had a problem, not even in the brutal winters we used to get.
The summers were just as hot as now and there were no oil pressure problems.

Hope this helps.

that is funny, I wouldn't even consider anything heavier than 10w-30. I ran 5w-20 in my truck engine for about 10 years simply because that is what I used in my new cars, and had around the garage. We got new centrifuges at work, they have approximately 10" OD roller bearings on a bowl that weighs 8400 pounds empty, and spins 2800 RPM. It has this weird oiling system that injects 2 drops of oil every 5 minutes, and uses ISO 32 oil which is very thin. I guess the point is, everything I THOUGHT I knew about lubrication wasn't necessarily true. From a purely lubricating stand point very little oil is necessary, however another, if not the most important job of oil is the removal of heat. Which is one of the reasons race engines use such large clearances. But enough of that. Engine oil is what you should use in your engine, as you can tell from the posts nearly everyone has their opinions, and yet nearly all of the engines run just fine, despite all this. There have been people that swear by 50 weight racing oil. And as you see several people insist on straight weight. Personally I see no reason to even manufacture a straight weight engine oil any more. Even caterpillar has conceded and specifies multi-grade oils in their engines now. But nonetheless the final decision is on you. They all work. The last thing is regarding synthetic, no cam manufacturer (that I have found) recommends synthetic for flat tappet break-in, according to the fella at crane cams it is because it doesn't provide enough "TRACTION" to spin the lifters adequately to get a proper "bedding in" of the lifter/cam lobe. However once it has been seated, synthetic is an unquestionably better lubricant, and if you have no/very little leaks would/could be a good choice. It is more expensive, but you double the drain intervals. Note that all this is my opinion.

Multi viscosity and detergent oils are....newer than the trucks we play with. Go figure. A 10-30 oil flows through a metered hole at low temps like a 10 weight straight oil. It also flows through a metered hole at 200 degrees F. like a straight 30 weight oil. Same with 20-50 or 5-20 or what ever. Detergent oil works(ever spend the day cleaning out a paraffin based sludge motor?). What we(old truck motors any way) want is an oil film between the moving bits. Air cooled motors..different animals. Not a lot of cooling(some I know, but not a lot) from the oil in our beloved engines. We have ..WATER for that. All fluids have viscosity(some more and some less) Measures are in Centistokes(look that one up if you must), "weight" and other standards. All involve, Time, Volume, Temperature, metered orifice and, Gravity. Opinion here. In the summer I use 20-50. Makes me feel better. It does get over 100 degrees F in my home town(Ogden Utah) so I just feel better. I also use 10-30 in the winter. Cold starts are evil. 10 weight oil flows better cold. So there you have it. Detergent, good. Multi viscosity, good. Rant done. Enjoy driving your truck.

GM indicated in 1954 (and, maybe earlier) that multi-grade oils could be used in 235 engines. 5W-20 to 10W-30 grades were recommended, depending on the lowest anticipated atmospheric temperature.

20W and 20 weight are not the same thing.

you have water passages in your crankshaft?

I run 5w20 in my 250, year round, but don't drive every day. I have seen the effects of thick oil on oil pump drives and cam gears.

I am going to have to disagree with the meter holes mentioned above. 10w30 will flow through a meter hole at low temps like 10 w oil, this is true, but at higher temps, it does thicken up to 30w oil, what it does is lubricate like a 30w oil due to it chemical make up. The viscosity always stays the same.

Joe

Close but not quite right right. It doesn't thicken up, but doesn't get as thin as temperature increases. There's no oil that exists that has the same viscosity cold versus hot. Even water doesn't have that physical property.

Here's a good reference for oil related stuff. This link is where he talks about multi-viscosity rated oils. http://bobistheoilguy.com/motor-oil-102/

Here is a useful link: https://www.reference.com/vehicles/understand-motor-oil-weight-9a73155f28c8df87?qo=cdpArticles
And for the point Panic makes: http://www.valvoline.com/auto-resou...hincognito.com&an=msn_s&am=exact
As often happens, even the "experts" can be , not-helpful. Little "w" is winter rating(cold?) And "big W' is "weight"? Density, viscosity and molecule size...are we having fun yet?

We really need a "beating a dead horse" emoticon- - - - -can the PC Patrol help out, please?
Jerry

The only time I worry about the oil in my Stovebolt is when it stops dripping on the pavement where I park it. The oil that came in these trucks would not be considered engine oil by today's standards. It would be useful for keeping the dust down on the dirt roads...
ANY oil that you buy today is far superior to the oil you could buy when these trucks were new.
Carl

Good policy. Even then I tend to weigh the cost of fixing the leak versus the cost of oil. Letting it leak many times wins out.
Can't argue with that.

First of all, Stovebolts don't leak they just mark their spot!

Lots of good advice stated by others here.
Remember that todays oil is vastly better than in the 50's, the API specs. now allow less zink and that can cause more wear on flat tappets.
Without debating the weight of what you use try to select a product with enhanced lubrication.
There are a few oils designed for completion and various additives that can assist the lubrication in old engines.
Compression Ignition (diesel) oil has a higher zink content but is may not be best for SI (spark ignition) spec engines.
Just to annoy some folk I use Rotella synthetic 10W-40 diesel oil and a bit of Lucas supplement in almost everything. Our Volvo V-90(my daily driver) gets 5W-30