65 Mustang, 289 oil recommendation

[paulswagelock]

Here is my 1965 - all stock except the wheels. I have the original wire spokes and bias tires to go with it. Stock 289, 54,000 miles, all original. I currently run Brad Penn Semi Syn 10w30 for the ZDDP levels. Thoughts? I tried Mobil 1 20w50 but the start up noises were horrible, so I switched back. Recommendations? 500-600 miles a year, only in nice weather.

 

[aquariuscsm]

How about VR1 10W30?

 

[Steve S]

Nice !!!, What is wrong with the Brad Penn oil.

 

[paulswagelock]

Originally Posted By: Steve S
Nice !!!, What is wrong with the Brad Penn oil.


Nothing that I know of - just an old school formulation. Like many on here, always a quest to see if there are other opinions/facts on using something different that might be better. Use is so low that it might not really matter??

 

[LargeCarManX2]

With the stock engine, Zinc levels for the cam really don't play into the equation. A good SL oil will work fine. 500 miles in the Summer time, put her too bed, wake her up next year...Naw, just use a good SL rated oil and save some money.

 

[abycat]

would he want to use a good qual syn cause he should do a yearly change right before storage. He probly does not put 5000 on it before the year is done. But does he have to do a change before and after storage. or is that after storage change not needed?? I wonder if it has a flat tappet set up or roller most likely hyd. would those play a part in oil choice. Sounds like its a tight engine if the 20W-50 made it loud. or should i say lazily lubed.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: abycat
would he want to use a good qual syn cause he should do a yearly change right before storage. He probly does not put 5000 on it before the year is done. But does he have to do a change before and after storage. or is that after storage change not needed?? I wonder if it has a flat tappet set up or roller most likely hyd. would those play a part in oil choice. Sounds like its a tight engine if the 20W-50 made it loud. or should i say lazily lubed.


It is hydraulic flat tappet.

OP: Just keep doing what you are doing if it seems to be working. If you are looking for something a bit more readily available, Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel Truck 5w40 at Walmart should work very well in that old Windsor.

 

[Johnny]

Beautiful Mustang. I had one just like it, only mine was called Poppy Red, which had a little more orange in it.

The oil you are using is just fine, but there would be nothing wrong with any of the popular OTC 10w30 oils. No real need for a synthetic here.

 

[mcrn]

M1 does not make a 20w50? Did you mean 15w50?

Nice car by the way!

 

[Oldwolf]

You look like you could afford an annual change using synthetic. That's what I would use if that baby was mine.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Beautiful car.

FWIW, my father-in-law is a nationally known collector and runs all of his Mustangs on Castrol GTX 10w30.

Works well for him with 3k mile OCI's.

 

[kcfx4]

Beautiful!! Try Castrol EDGE 5w30? just a thought

 

[UncleS2]

What a beauty!

IMO your current oil is fine. If you want to try something else in a 10w30, how about the Rotella syn-blend 10w30(T5?), you could pick some up at WalMart. Use Motorcraft or Wix oil filters & you're good to go!

Amd once again: WOW, that's a great looking old Mustang!

 

[Virtuoso]

Would not change a thing! What a nice looking 'Stang. They just don't come much cleaner than that.

 

[paulswagelock]

Originally Posted By: Virtuoso
Would not change a thing! What a nice looking 'Stang. They just don't come much cleaner than that.


I almost hate to admit this, but the car has not needed washed in over 10 years now. The inside is as clean as the rest:

 

[NHHEMI]

While I am not a huge Ford fan that is a very clean and nice Stang.

I would not change a thing on your oil. Classic example of an old engine with flat tappets that needs extra ZDDP. Stay with an SL oil or use a ZDDP additive if you use an SM or SN oil. The Bradd Penn oil seems perfect for your needs.

Again, cool ride.

 

[Familyguy]

Nice car. I helped a buddy restore 2 1st gen Mustangs. One has an FE390 with a 4-speed toploader and the other one is a 289/auto like yours. He was running Mobil 1 5W-40, but recently switched to Rotella T6 Synthetic 5W-40 when he saw how well it was working on my applications.

Best,

 

[electrolover]

if you wanted to save $ rotella would work
i would stick with the oil u have or use a racing oil like vr1

 

[paulswagelock]

The car is hardly driven as you can tell, so my main concerns are: start up protection after long sitting (I crank it over for a while without allowing it to start to get the oil moving),damage from the oil sitting so long (acidic?), flat tappet protection.

I have researched a bunch on here and came to the conclusion synthetic was not really beneficial for this application, but my schooling is internet (opinion) based mostly. Money is not a concern with one oil change in it a year. When I attend the car shows, the Brad Penn oil is like PP on this forum - not a bad word said. With their elevated Z and P levels, I settled into that as my choice. I am not an expert in lubrication, so I am looking for info that convinces me to stay with it, or switch to a more suitable oil for the application. The classic car forums are full of subjective opinions on the subject, so they are not much help.

 

[fraso]

I would use a 10w30 HDEO. See Widman's article on Flat Tappet Engines.