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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / Oil after breakin?

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Posted By Discussion Topic: Oil after breakin?     ibshane 10-18-2017 @ 12:27 AM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 147 Joined: Oct 2017 I have a new (to me) 1937 Ford Deluxe Fordor with the original 221 85 hp V8. The engine has only 521 miles on a complete rebuild. I want to start it off on the right foot with a fresh oil change but do not have a clue on what type and viscosity of oil to run in it? I would imagine it currently has the 15w-50 breakin oil in it that is noted on the rebuild invoice. But I am unsure what to use after breakin? The original Ford 1937 V8/85 Reference Book calls for SAE30 oil for my areas Temp. Range 65-20 degrees F. And do I need to add a zinc additive like ZddPlus?? Thanks in advance for helping a newbie out!! supereal 10-18-2017 @ 8:42 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 Most, if not all, of the requirements set out in the original owners manual are obsolete regarding oil and lubricants. I use Castrol 20W50 in my '47, and have for many years. It keeps the engine clean, and the added viscosity helps to keep the oil pressure up. The main result of many additives is to lubricate your money from your wallet. JayChicago 10-18-2017 @ 8:47 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 480 Joined: Jan 2016 My first thought is that I would call the rebuilder for advice on this fresh rebuild, to keep them from pointing back at you if there is problem. Maybe they would want breakin oil for some more miles. ibshane 10-18-2017 @ 9:57 PM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 147 Joined: Oct 2017 Now why didn't i think of that?? So...., I contacted the engine builder and he said after 300 miles or so to use a good grade of 10w30 with a 4 oz. bottle of ZDDPlus zinc additive. And as for Gas.., he said he built the engine to be fine with 87 Octane 10% Ethanol gas..., but suggested I use pure (no ethanol) 87 Octane Gas whenever available! So there's that! This message was edited by ibshane on 10-18-17 @ 10:00 PM Stroker 10-19-2017 @ 9:16 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1460 Joined: Oct 2009 When our Fords were new, oil filters were an accessory item and non-detergent oil was the type of oil used. Non-detergent oil was used before oil filters became standard equipment. This type of oil would allow contaminants to "stick" to the sidewalls and valleys of the engine to prevent dirty oil from damaging bearing surfaces. Engines that have been run on non-detergent oil for many years will have a thick "sludge" buildup. Sludge will appear to be oil that has turned to "gelatin" and will be black with carbon and other contaminants. After an engine has been rebuilt or thoroughly cleaned, use straight grade 30 WT or multi-grade 10-30 or 10-40 WT detergent oil to keep the engine clean. Early "partial flow" oil filters only filtered a small portion of the oil flowing through the engine. Unlike modern, full flow filters, these add-on filters are more of a decoration than real protection for the engine. Even if your engine does not have an oil filter, the number of miles a vintage car is driven is often much less than when these cars were new. The simple solution is to change your oil more often. Every 500 miles or a minimum of once per year is a good rule of thumb. The detergents used in engine oil are metals, typically sodium, calcium, or magnesium depending upon the specific oil formulation. These oil-soluble bases are polar, which allows them to stick to the surfaces of particles found in the oil and do one of two things – prevent them from coagulating (smaller particles) or repel one another (larger particles). Personally, I use a straight grade-low detergent "racing oil" for my 38 Ford. I like Valvoline Racing 30, but there are other great "racing oils" such as Driven, Shaeffer Micro Moly, Royal Purple, and Lucas. Racing oil is more heavily fortified with additive systems to give the performance to protect the engine, they have the same additives as "street oil" but in higher concentrations.” Today’s "street oils" are engineered to accommodate catalytic converter preservation and long-term emissions compliance. But many contemporary motor oils have reduced anti-wear qualities as late-model engines enjoy fewer critical high-friction challenges. That leaves engines equipped with flat-tappet cams at risk with current motor oils. This only applies to a "freshly-rebuilt engine" though. Using detergent oil in an engine that had been running for years on non-detergent oil will allow the accumulated contaminants to be released to flow through the engine. This can result in serious damage to the rod, main and cam bearings as well as other engine components such as lifters and plugging of oil lines.

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