406ci SB Chevy

[haulinace]

Hey guys, getting ready to fire up the 406 in my 77' Chevy C10. I'm not sure what oil I should be running. I can't ask the engine builder, he closed shop and moved out of state. A little on the motor - 11:1 compression, World Product Sportsman II heads, Comp cam (don't recall the specs about .540 lift) hydraulic lifters, Mighty Demon 750cfm carb, Performer RPM Air Gap manifold.

I'll be driving the truck on weekends, usually cruising, occasional highway use, but not much. Head to the strip now and again as well. Synthetic or not, price isn't an issue. I just need some recommendations, and I trust your opinions. Thanks

 

[Drew99GT]

Non roller cam? Shell Rotella 15w40. Roller cam and roller rockers? Any 10w-30.

 

[haulinace]

Yeah non roller. I knew I left something out.

 

[daman]

RTS 5w40..

 

[haulinace]

Thanks for the replies. I'm in the dark on this. The last time I drove the truck, it had the original 350 with over 200,000 miles on it. I always threw 20-50 in it. That was 7 years ago though. Definitely not using that anymore.

 

[MrCritical]

What fuel will you be using in the truck?

Sounds like a blast to drive.

 

[coffee]

Use MaxLife 10w30 Full Syn or Blend and it will work well for you.

 

[haulinace]

I mix 91 and 100. They sell it at the 76 station a couple miles down the road from my house. 11 gallons of 91 and 4 gallons of 100.

 

[Mokanic]

If you know someone with a Sam's Club card go get you some of the Rotella T 5W40 synthetic. They are closing out the CI-4plus version of this oil and it is hard to beat for the cost if you aren't interested in really long drain intervals. I think they have it for a little over $3 a qt. which is a deal. It has everything in it to keep your small-block purring for a long time.
Wally-Mart also carries it but not quite as cheap as Sam's. It is the perfect oil for what you want to use it in.

 

[Merkava_4]

Quote:
Hey guys, getting ready to fire up the 406 in my 77' Chevy C10


I would fire it up with straight 30 weight and run it for 20 minutes at about 1200-1600RPM. Then I'd drain the oil out and refill with more straight 30 and run that out to 500 miles. Then I'd drain that out and refill it with 15w40.

 

[Rock_Hudstone]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
[I would fire it up with straight 30 weight and run it for 20 minutes at about 1200-1600RPM. Then I'd drain that out and refill it with 15w40.

Straight 30 weight isn't bad idea, in fact, most California temps should allow year round use.
However, better make sure it's Shell Rotella 30 wt. Any of the regular SL/SM grade 30 wt. passenger car oils, (Castrol, Formula Shell, etc), will have not have enough ZDDP ant-wear additive for an agressive flat tappet cam.
I'd also throw in a bottle of GM E.O.S. (engine oil supplement) for the initial start up.

15w-40 diesel motor oil would be nice as well, but unless you know what to look for you'll probably end up with a lowered ZDDP CJ-4 version.

See this similar post:
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/need-rec-for-a-1966-shelby-gt350-clone.81306/

 

[Merkava_4]

Quote:
Any of the regular SL/SM grade 30 wt. passenger car oils, (Castrol, Formula Shell, etc), will have not have enough ZDDP ant-wear additive for an agressive flat tappet cam.


Holy smokes, really?

Not even for 500 miles? I had no idea it was that bad.

 

[Rock_Hudstone]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Quote:
Any of the regular SL/SM grade 30 wt. passenger car oils, (Castrol, Formula Shell, etc), will have not have enough ZDDP ant-wear additive for an agressive flat tappet cam.

Holy smokes, really?

Not even for 500 miles? I had no idea it was that bad.

Sure, for example take a look at the PDS for SM grade Castrol HD 30 wt: (800 ppm Phosphorus, 900 ppm Zinc).
http://www.castrol.com/liveassets/bp_int...s_HD30_HD40.pdf

Granted it is slightly higher than an average SM grade oil but still short of the 1200 ppm Zinc level needed for an agressive flat tappet cam.
Mind you, these are ZDDP levels when the engine oil is fresh, it will decrease as the miles go by.

 

[Merkava_4]

So it's the zinc level of 1200 ppm that's more important than the phosphorous level?

 

[Rock_Hudstone]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
So it's the zinc level of 1200 ppm that's more important than the phosphorous level?

Not exactly, my understanding is the phosphorus and zinc work together to form the ZDDP molecule, (others can probably explain it better than I).

The 1200 ppm zinc level is what I've seen mentioned as the general rule of thumb for a flat tappet cams and heavier than stock valve springs.

 

[haulinace]

Wow!!! I can't believe how much information you guys supply. This is great. So should I be looking to use conventional over synthetic? What about VR1 Synthetic? How about Top 5 list? Thanks again for all the help guys, I really appreciate it.

 

[Rock_Hudstone]

Originally Posted By: haulinace
. So should I be looking to use conventional over synthetic? What about VR1 Synthetic? How about Top 5 list? Thanks again for all the help guys, I really appreciate it.

It's your call for synthetic or conventional, but I wouldn't use synthetic oil for the intial break-in, instead use Shell Rotella straight 30 wt.
If you decide on synthetic oil after break-in I'd suggest Mobil 1 15w-50. Their product specs claim a 1200 ppm zinc level and independent lab tests have confirmed it, plus it's easily found at Walmart or the major auto parts stores.
http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Oils/Mobil_1_15W-50_.aspx

For conventional oil use a previous CI-4/CI-4+ grade heavy-duty diesel motor oil in whatever brand you can still find it.

 

[Tremo]

For that flat tappet cam you'll definitely want an oil with more ZDDP than most "normal" oils have these days. Else you'll flatten the cam. I'd look at HDEOs. Doesn't DELO 400 have a lot of ZDDP still?