Interesting Find in Dads Shop

[irv]

Originally Posted by ZZman
I wouldn't have thought 6,000 mile oil changes were recommended back then. And 5w - 20 oil?


Same, and some are still worried about taking syns nowadays to 6000 miles or 10,000 kms.

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted by chainblu
We had a Vista Cruiser for a few years in the early '70s . I was too young to know much about cars and engine sizes back then and actually, my dad wasn't much better. In later years, when I'd ask him about the car, all he knew was that it had "the big V8". So... who knows. It could have been a 400 or 455. But, I do know this: When it needed oil, it got Quaker State 10w40.


Well you had a few c.i. options but then when you got near "top pickins" you could also get 2 or 4 barrel, high or low compression etc and at the peak one of the ~500 race car engines they had to sell to commoners to meet NASCAR rules.

 

[Kestas]

Back in that era all our cars got 10W-40 with 6K OCI. The motors always outlasted the car.

 

[CharBaby]

Originally Posted by Onetor
Originally Posted by rubberchicken
I did not even know 5w20 existed back then

Put it up on eBay- somebody will want it.


Nor did I?


Oh yeah, I remember 20 wgt back then. 5W20 and IDKY but, 20W20.

Even my '80 Formula Firebird suggest 7500 miles or 1 year.

And every car I owned back in the 70s recommended against using 5W20 for sustained high speeds. But, didn't say that you couldn't use it at all.

 

[Shannow]

Here's a 1960 patent for a 5W20 which promises to fix the problems with the grade
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/3860328/1961_5W20_patent..

 

[Reggaemon]

Before CAFE. Now that same engine would be 5W-20 and nothing else.

 

[Garak]

GM's 10w-40 recommendations disappeared some time after that.

 

[fdcg27]

What a great OM where the writers assumed that the owners weren't as dumb as dirt.

 

[zrxkawboy]

Surprisingly, 5W20 is listed in the FSM for my '57 Plymouth.

 

[rubberchicken]

Originally Posted by chainblu
We had a Vista Cruiser for a few years in the early '70s . I was too young to know much about cars and engine sizes back then and actually, my dad wasn't much better. In later years, when I'd ask him about the car, all he knew was that it had "the big V8". So... who knows. It could have been a 400 or 455. But, I do know this: When it needed oil, it got Quaker State 10w40.

My family had a 1970 Olds Cutlass Cruiser, with the Rocket 350 4 barrel. It did not have the rear glass up high but was otherwise identical. It was peppy for a wagon, and would burn the tires with no problem.