Flat tappet gasser

[NovaMan]

I made the boneheaded decision of putting a flat-tappet cam in my truck, and now I have to change the oil. I broke it in with Valvoline VR1 straight 30 (plus a pint of EOS), but that's close to $4/qt. I'm hoping to find an oil with enough ZDDP but that doesn't cost so much. I know HDEOs used to have plenty of zinc, but I've been hearing and reading that they've cut down on that.
Does anybody have any info or recommendations for me?

 

[Lost1]

Mobil 1 15W-50.
http://www.mobil.com/USA-English/Lubes/PDS/NAUSENPVLMOMobil1_15W-50.asp
Recommended for older-style cams & hi-po engines, turbos, blowers, etc. API SM/SL and CD/CF, and only costs $20 for 5 qts. at any Wal-Mart.

Hard to beat!

 

[G-MAN]

Since you're already using Valvoline, switch to Maxlife 10w30.

 

[NovaMan]

Oops! I meant to post this in the HDEO forum... oh well.

I was hoping to find an oil that costs less but has enough zinc; if I was happy spending $4/qt, I'd probably just stick with VR1.

 

[G-MAN]

Quote:

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Oops! I meant to post this in the HDEO forum... oh well.

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You did post it in the HDEO forum. I moved it. Your car is not a diesel.

 

[KW]

Rotella T should work well for you unless you have super crazy valve spring pressures.

 

[flatlandtacoma]

If you want/need a 30 weight, Rotella 10w30 is a good oil at only $2/qt. The CJ4/SM stuff still has 1000-1200 ppm of zinc.

I get it at Menards, do you have those up there? Otherwise Warlmart and nearly everywhere has the Rotella 15w40 which is fine also.

 

[BuickGN]

I had good luck (with the valvetrain at least) with M1 15-50 in the Buick. I was running 100lb spring pressure with a 1.5 rocker arm, 212-212 cam. Can't remember the lift but the cam had a fairly aggressive ramp speed for a flat tappet. With the rest of the motor including valvetrain, I've had the best luck with the cheap Superflow 20-50. Kept hammering the rod bearings and getting cylinder scuffing with the M1. Both oils were using 500-1K OCIs.

 

[NovaMan]

Flatland, yes we have Menards up here. As a matter of fact, I used to work at one. I'd like to run 10W30, so I'll have to check for it. Good to know Rotella still has at least 1000ppm zinc; VR1 has 0.130% Zn and 0.120% P, so it sounds like CJ-4 HDEOs would probably be OK for my mild cam.

BuickGN, your valvetrain seems fairly similar to mine: it's a small block Chevy with a Crane 113902 cam, about 115-120# on the seat and around 310 over the nose, multiplied by the 1.5:1 rockers. I took it out of my Nova, changed the cam and intake, and put it in my truck. I'm a frame hitch and 4 ratchet straps away from being able to haul my Nova instead of driving it to and from the strip.

I'm guessing your short OCI is because your GN is an occasional use vehicle... what does it run in the 1/4?

 

[BuickGN]

Originally Posted By: NovaMan
Flatland, yes we have Menards up here. As a matter of fact, I used to work at one. I'd like to run 10W30, so I'll have to check for it. Good to know Rotella still has at least 1000ppm zinc; VR1 has 0.130% Zn and 0.120% P, so it sounds like CJ-4 HDEOs would probably be OK for my mild cam.

BuickGN, your valvetrain seems fairly similar to mine: it's a small block Chevy with a Crane 113902 cam, about 115-120# on the seat and around 310 over the nose, multiplied by the 1.5:1 rockers. I took it out of my Nova, changed the cam and intake, and put it in my truck. I'm a frame hitch and 4 ratchet straps away from being able to haul my Nova instead of driving it to and from the strip.

I'm guessing your short OCI is because your GN is an occasional use vehicle... what does it run in the 1/4?

It's made one 10.60 pass @ 126mph. I have a roller cam sitting in my room waiting to be installed. I've had great results with the flat tappet cams but I'm running out of breath up top and need a bigger cam. The car has to idle smooth at 800rpm which means keeping duration <118 degrees on a 112 lobe center so hopefully a more aggressive ramp with the same duration will help a little. More than likely I'll start breaking the stock rocker arms and have to dump more money into the money pit.

 

[NovaMan]

You mean keeping duration 218? My truck cam is 204/216 @0.050" on a 112LSA, and it idles very nicely with a Holley 670 straight out of the box (well, I adjusted the idle mixture and speed). Don't force-fed engines usually like wide LSAs?


I bought some CJ-4 Rotella T from Menard's the other day; $2.22/qt sure beats $3.79/qt!

 

[JREwing]

I'm running my first batch of Amsoil 10w-40 in my '79 Cadillac (425.) Looking forward to my next UOA to see how she likes it.

 

[BuickGN]

Originally Posted By: NovaMan
You mean keeping duration 218? My truck cam is 204/216 @0.050" on a 112LSA, and it idles very nicely with a Holley 670 straight out of the box (well, I adjusted the idle mixture and speed). Don't force-fed engines usually like wide LSAs?


I bought some CJ-4 Rotella T from Menard's the other day; $2.22/qt sure beats $3.79/qt!


Sorry, I meant 218, not 118. On my particular car each cylinder is 42cid and 218 degrees is pushing the limits of a smooth idle. I'm sure you could get away with more on a V8 where each cylinder is larger than mine.

The Buick motor is a little different than a lot of small displacement 6 bangers in that most of us on the stock bottom end only spin it 5,500rpm. On the street for most of the easy runs, I let it shift itself at 4,900rpm. 112-114LSA is pretty normal for our rpm range. I tried a 110LSA one time and hated it.