1956 Chevy

[Powerglide]

My 56 Chevy is a stock 2V/265 V8 rebuilt 15,000 miles ago. The motor is 8:1 compression and has a mild flat tappett cam. Runs well with a bit of blowby and minimal comsumption. The car gets driven 1000 miles per year and will ocassionally run 70 mph hours at a time without incident or issue... Considering it's use and yearly milage---I change the oil and canister style filter once a year in early January. Temps here in S. Florida range from 40 degrees in the morning in January to 96 degrees in the afternoon in July. If the weather is dry---I drive the car at least 3 or 4 times a month. I'm palnning on using Shell Rotella T Syhentic 5w-40 for the oil change due. I'v used synthetic frequently in the past without incident and will stick with it. What say you--pro or con?

BTW---The Chevy has 43K ACTUAL miles. I'v owned it since 1978. My great aunt bought it NEW in Dec. of 1955.

 

[Johnny]

Oil choice is fine. Now show us a picture of that fine classic.

 

[JHZR2]

+1

 

[Kruse]

Originally Posted By: Powerglide
My 56 Chevy is a stock 2V/265 V8 rebuilt 15,000 miles ago.

BTW---The Chevy has 43K ACTUAL miles. I'v owned it since 1978. My great aunt bought it NEW in Dec. of 1955.


43K actual miles and was rebuilt 15K miles ago.
This is another example that cars did not last as long as they do now, but people will complain if they presently can't get 250K miles on a present day car.
Oils have improved, along with engine building technology.

 

[duaneb9729]

yes we NEED pictures!

It just has to be great to not only have a nice old car but one with some family history!

 

[ChiTDI]

A BelAir or a Biscayne?
BTW - +1 on the Rotella

 

[Powerglide]

The motor ran well prior to being rebuilt. The ONLY reason it was redone was because it sat idle for 4 years in the early 1980s when I went to college. It emerged from storage leaking oil---the transmission started slipping because the clutches had dried out---and the motor ran warm/hot because the coolant passages were corroded and blocked. The motor was NOT bored .30 as is customary. The original pistons were re-used and the cam, bearings, lifters, pushrods, and gaskets were replaced with new. Classic case of disuse casuing FAR more harm than regular exercise. I'll try to post some pictures later today. Thanks for the advice and kind words.

 

[Powerglide]

OOOPS---Bel Air.

 

[L_Sludger]

Originally Posted By: Powerglide
The motor ran well prior to being rebuilt. The ONLY reason it was redone was because it sat idle for 4 years in the early 1980s when I went to college. It emerged from storage leaking oil---the transmission started slipping because the clutches had dried out---and the motor ran warm/hot because the coolant passages were corroded and blocked. The motor was NOT bored .30 as is customary. The original pistons were re-used and the cam, bearings, lifters, pushrods, and gaskets were replaced with new. Classic case of disuse casuing FAR more harm than regular exercise. I'll try to post some pictures later today. Thanks for the advice and kind words.

In west Detroit born and raised
In the garage was where I spent most of my days
Chillin' out maxin' relaxin' all cool
And dryin' up my clutches outside of the school
When a couple of gaskets
Who were up to no good
Startin leaking oil in my neighborhood
I lost one little quart and my owner got scared
And said 'You're getting rebuilt with your transmission in the Bel Air'

 

[Powerglide]

Well said, friend!

 

[HyperJinx]

Rotella T would be my #1 choice and they also make a 10w30. My #2 choice would be Brad-Penn Grade 1 High Performance which comes in a 10w30 and 0w30. BPGrade1HP is a little easier to find (for me) but its a hair more expensive than the Rotella T.

 

[Robenstein]

Originally Posted By: Kruse
Originally Posted By: Powerglide
My 56 Chevy is a stock 2V/265 V8 rebuilt 15,000 miles ago.

BTW---The Chevy has 43K ACTUAL miles. I'v owned it since 1978. My great aunt bought it NEW in Dec. of 1955.


43K actual miles and was rebuilt 15K miles ago.
This is another example that cars did not last as long as they do now, but people will complain if they presently can't get 250K miles on a present day car.
Oils have improved, along with engine building technology.


I had a 66 Plymouth Valiant Slant 6 with 300,000 on the original motor before she threw a main bearing. The 727 in it went to 200k before [censored] out. Old cars lived long lives back then if taken care of. Also, when they did break they were much cheaper to fix.

 

[JohnBrowning]

It will work just fine but so would a 15W40 in that environment.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Please, pictures! I've always thought the '56 was the best-looking of the famous Tri-Fives (the '55, '56, and '57), with its V-shaped grille and the bullet taillights in the modest tailfins.

 

[TooManyWheels]

For most of my childhood our family truckster was a '56 Bel Air 4 door, turquoise and white. I took my driver's test (including a tight parallel parking requirement) in that car.

My favorite feature was the tail light which folded down to reveal the gas filler. You could always tell when a gas jockey (remember them) was new, because he couldn't find the filler.

At our recent Autorama car show which featured all the top cars on the ISCA circuit, my three favorite cars were '56 Chevys. It didn't hurt that they were all works of art, but I still noticed the coincidence. I agree with Benz that the '56 is the best of the tri-fives. The styling on that model is just fabulous.

 

[Johnny]

When I was a kid my neighbor bought a new 56 Hardtop. It was a two-tone cream and this dark metallic bronze color. That was one beautiful car.

Just like this one:

http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/chevrolet-bel-air-27.jpg

 

[mpvue]

Originally Posted By: Powerglide
The motor ran well prior to being rebuilt. The ONLY reason it was redone was because it sat idle for 4 years in the early 1980s when I went to college. It emerged from storage leaking oil---the transmission started slipping because the clutches had dried out---and the motor ran warm/hot because the coolant passages were corroded and blocked. The motor was NOT bored .30 as is customary. The original pistons were re-used and the cam, bearings, lifters, pushrods, and gaskets were replaced with new. Classic case of disuse casuing FAR more harm than regular exercise. I'll try to post some pictures later today. Thanks for the advice and kind words.

good move. rings and gaskets are much higher quality now. did you convert it to a modern PCV? that would help your rings to seal as well.

 

[SargeBB]

Your choice of the Rotella T 5W-40 is an excellent one...and this comes from a confirmed long-time Mobil 1 user who owns a 49 Dodge 3/4 tone and a 51 Plymouth, both with rebuilt original flathead 6 engines, both on Mobil 1. Honestly, I do not believe any engine oil would be better for that fine old OHV Chevy V-8 engine than your choice.

 

[mechtech2]

I'd use a conventional oil in that car.
The cam is already broken in, and is not high performance in any sense of the word.
The Full Synthetic offers nothing with your conditions.

 

[HM12460]

as much as i like synthetic fluids, i'm inclined to agree with mechtech2. not to say the rotella t 5w-40 is a poor choice, it is a fine quality product.