Oil chart from 58 Imperial owners manual

[G-MAN]

Take a look at recommended viscosities. This is from the 1958 Imperial owners manual:

 

[GoldenRod]

I didn't even know they had 5W-20 and 10W-30 back then.

 

[i]

I wonder when the last time it was that straight 5w was available at the local gas station?

 

[ekincam]

Wow, even then they recomend 5000 mi OCI.

 

[Racerjk]

My mom had either a '59 or a '58 Imperial as her first car in like 1965 or 1966! My grandpa helped her buy it. Mom said it smoked like heck too. If I know my grandpa, he probably took full advantage of the 5k oil changes.

 

[jbas]

Chrysler Imperial. Great car, rich relatives (far removed!) had one. Didn't it have the in-the-dash push button automatic? Some with black vinyl seats for that extra comfort in summer. 3mo/5K OCI and note the air filter at 15,000 miles changes. We've regressed, eh?

 

[Volvohead]

10W-30 every 5k. The more things change, the more they stay the same. The latest extended interval trend isn't new. Every 10-15 years the manufacturers try it. And every time they wind up back again at the 3-6K range in a few years. Makes one wonder.

 

[Pablo]

Wow - thanks for posting this! I actually didn't know there was 5W-20 in 1958 either and was always under the impression even 5W-30 was 1960's thing.

 

[G-MAN]

Here is the oil recommendation page from a 67 Imperial owners manual:

 

[hominid7]

quote:

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Originally posted by jbas: Chrysler Imperial. Great car, rich relatives (far removed!) had one. Didn't it have the in-the-dash push button automatic? Some with black vinyl seats for that extra comfort in summer. 3mo/5K OCI and note the air filter at 15,000 miles changes. We've regressed, eh?

---

My Dad had an old Plymouth station wagon from the mid 60's. Push button automatic and from riding in it as a kid i remember NO rear seat-belts! Dad drove it to well past 150K miles commuting back and forth to work from Dallas to Greenville, and sold it to our next door neighbor. The neighbors daughter used it to commute to and from college from Dallas to Denton (45 miles one way) for two years. She then gave it back to her Dad and he used it for several more years in his cabinet business as more of a "work-hauling" car. He sold it after that. I dont know how many miles it had on it, but i'm sure well over 250K. Granted most of it highway miles, but still, not bad for a car of that generation. Dad used pennzoil 10w40 and changed it at 3K-5K miles.

 

[dodge1]

This kind of information is fun to read ,great post.

 

[mechtech]

The only 20W oils I ever saw were 20W20 [mid 60s] until fairly recently. Now there are all sorts of 5-20s. I am very suprised.

 

[G-MAN]

I think 5w20 was a seasonal oil that was only sold during the winter months in the extreme north and in Canada. Given base oil technology at the time, winter driving where the day time high temps rarely got above freezing would be the only "safe" conditions to use 5w20 back then. I grew up in Florida and my dad always used 30 wt year round in our Chryslers.