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Housekeeping (Moderator) Making a Stovebolt Bed & Paint and Body Shop Forums
Another Diesel/gasoline oil to consider is Walmart's SuperTech. I have never used it, but it meets both Diesel and gasoline specs, and is cheaper than the name brand stuff. Probably equivalent to Tractor Supply's offering.
Kevin First car '29 Ford Special Coupe #2 - '29 Ford pickup restored from the ground up. Newest Project - 51 Chevy 3100 work truck. Photos [flickr.com] Busting rust since the mid-60's
Thanks for all the good information. My engine was rebuilt a couple years ago and only has around 500 miles on it. Should I still use 15w40 during the winter months or would a 10w30 be better? Is there a huge difference?
I think you'd be OK either way. I use 15W40 year around. With either you need to let the vehicle run for a few minutes before driving it, especially in colder weather.
Save a life, adopt a senior shelter pet. The three main causes of blindness: Cataracts, Politics, Religion. Name your dog Naked so you can walk Naked in the park.
Is there some reason you don't ask this question of a lubrication engineer at one of the major oil companies? Since their companies sell a full range of lubrication products they have no reason to steer you to anything other than the product best suited for your application.
I have found them to be very knowledgeable and helpful, Here's just one example of many. My street rod roadster has a Chevy Vega steering box and the recommended lubricant for that, a very low viscosity self leveling grease, has been unavailable from GM for nearly 20 years. I called Shell Oil and the lubrication engineer who took my call took the specifications of the product I needed and he cross referenced it to a Shell identical equivalent of that product. Because I was looking for an amount smaller than anything Shell sells he sent me a complimentary container of it as a "sample".
It seems miraculous to get both a product known to be the exact right one for the application and to get it at no cost, but that actually resulted from a simple phone call asking for information. I've had identical experiences when other lubrication questions came up. I'll take professional knowledge over amateur anecdotal opinions any time.
Here's a current discussion of a very similar topic on the Chevytalk forum.
Notice the graph and links to additional information posted by the Moderator "Grumpyvette" To those of us who like seeing the data with our own eyes that kind of complete information is really appreciated.
Housekeeping (Moderator) Making a Stovebolt Bed & Paint and Body Shop Forums
Originally Posted by buckaroo01
Thanks for all the good information. My engine was rebuilt a couple years ago and only has around 500 miles on it. Should I still use 15w40 during the winter months or would a 10w30 be better? Is there a huge difference?
You're in Southern California. No need to change weights at all. I'd wager $100 that you've rarely seen below freezing. If you were in Alaska, then maybe, but I run 15W-40 in my diesel year round up here. [on edit] Went back and saw that you're in Missouri now (you should change your profile location.) You'll still be fine with 15W40 year round. It might occaisionally get colder there than in SouthCentral Alaska, but still OK.
Last edited by klhansen; Sat Sep 19 2020 05:35 PM.
Kevin First car '29 Ford Special Coupe #2 - '29 Ford pickup restored from the ground up. Newest Project - 51 Chevy 3100 work truck. Photos [flickr.com] Busting rust since the mid-60's
I took the suggestion by Yar and called the Shell Oil Lubrication Engineer and he cleared up the question of which motor oil is best in older engines. He said that older engines need Zinc and he suggested to use Rotella T4 15W-40 diesel motor oil as it contains 150% more zinc than motor oil for gasoline engines.
28 Years of Daily Driving but now on hiatus. With a '61 261, 848 head, Rochester Monojet carb, SM420 4-speed, 4.10 rear, dual reservoir MC, Bendix up front, 235/85R16 tires, 12-volt w/alternator, electric wipers and a modern radio in the glove box.
Warren Performance (just down the street) bottles most of the store brand oils sold in the US. This includes Walmart, Costco, TSC Traveler, All Fleet, Amazon, Peak, Mag 1 and many others. I've been told that Walmart Super Tech is the same stuff as Mag 1 (all good stuff).
After 50+ years of messing around with cars, I have come to the conclusion that motor oil is motor oil...
The cheapest oil you can buy today is better than anything available in the 1950s. As for the recommended viscosity or weight, this is what the 1955 Owners Manual reads: http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/chevyowner/55om17.htm Given that I would say any 5W30 or 10W30 would be plenty adequate for year round service in Missouri, or anywhere in the lower 48.
