My Dad bought a 69 Ford Ranchero GT a year or so ago even though he doesn't do any of his own car work. I've been able to teach myself to do some basic work on my cars (oil, plugs, shocks, etc) and I'd told him I'd help him change the oil on his Ranchero so he doesn't have to pay a shop to do it. Is there anything special about changing the oil on a car that's almost 30 years older than anything else I've worked on? Do I need to use a special oil or is some Castrol GTX High Millage appropriate? Does anyone know the weight and quantity of the oil that we'll need (It's a 351W 2-brl)? Surprisingly, it looks like Advanced Auto still carries oil filters, air filters, plugs, etc for cars like this so that's good.
Basically any input would be appreciated!
Some would say you need an oil suited for the flat tappet camshaft, high in ZDDP, this is debatable on a lower performance engine, but worth paying attention to. A good 15w40 Diesel oil(Rotella, Delo, etc.) will work for that, as will Quaker State "Defy" 10w40(only the 10w40 has a suitable zinc content). It will probably take 5-6 quarts.
^ What he said is what we do at work. We specialise in pre-war cars and used Rotella or Delo depending on who has a better price when we order.
If the old oil looked really questionable, we usually toss in a bottle of GM EOS (Engine Oil Supplement) It's a good additive booster with extra zinc.
Shawn
I highly doubt he has flat tappet cam; most likely hydraulic. It's a two barrel carb so I think your Castrol GTX High Mileage oil will do just fine.
Rotella and Delo now have reduced ZDDP levels compared to five years ago. I use NAPA Fleet Performance Plus 15W-40, which has the optimum 1200 ppm. It's exactly the same oil as Valvoline All Fleet Plus in a different bottle.
gjz30075 wrote:
I highly doubt he has flat tappet cam; most likely hydraulic. It's a two barrel carb so I think your Castrol GTX High Mileage oil will do just fine.
Hydraulic flat tappet lifters or solid flat tappet lifters, doesn't matter, if it isn't a roller lifter it likes/needs zinc to some degree depending on lifter diameters, spring pressure, geometry, etc.
In reply to VClassics:
Reduced yes, reduced to 1200 ppm or so, which is more than adequete for a 2 barrel small block V8.
IF the local weather will allow it you can also run straight 30W "Small Engine" oil. This still has high ZDDP since I know of no lawn mower getting roller lifters! I can get this oil locally by Shell & QS. I'm sure that most of the major brands make something similar. For a "warm weather only" type of vehicle I don't see any problem with using this oil. I wouldn't use it for racing but otherwise it should be fine.
Lawnmowers rev so low and have such light springs that you don't need much ZDDP there. Now straight 30 "SAE 30HD" diesel oil, usually used in the old 2 stroke Detroit Diesel engines that would be a solid choice.
There are a bunch of zinc additives these days... since most engines like a bit of zinc during break-in (rings like it)
Lucas has one, Rislone has one, Eastwood has one too, besides those you can find "break in" oils these days... Joe Gibbs offer a few versions
Lake Speed Jr. from Driven Racing Oils recently talked at our BMTA conference. You need to look at more than the zinc/ZDDP levels. Yes, you can have a lot of zinc, but if you also have a lot of detergent, then you're washing away all of that good zinc.
His advice: Play it safe and go with one of the oils designed for older engines. If not his, then there are others available. He isn't a fan of oil additives, either, since the end user isn't a chemist.
Check out Joe Gibbs Racing - they have one specially formulated for older hot rods/muscle cars ---- http://www.drivenracingoil.com/dro/hr1-conventional-15w-50html
This oil addresses the special needs mentioned above - flat tappet camshafts that were designed to have much higher levels of zinc to help with that wear point.
50 weight is pretty heavy for a non performance application.
