Oil for a 1976 Chevelle 350ci Daily Driver

[Oldswagon]

My father's daily driver is like new 1976 Chevrolet Chevelle coupe, with a mere 80K on it's 350 2BBL engine. Although the car is his only driver, as you can tell by the mileage it isn't used very much. Later this week I will be visiting him, and he asked if I could do an oil change on his car. So, now I have to decide what oil to use, which isn't such an easy decision. He has been using either Castrol or Pennzoil dino for the last few years. This has worked fine, but quite frankly I'd like to run something a little better (especially since I will likely acquire this car some day). I also wanted to run an oil that would offer the best protection for the flat tappets and cam. The car is also mostly used for shorter trips now, although it may see the occasional light highway trip. That said, I think a high TBN is important, especially since this is a carbed engine. I was thinking of switching him over to a 10W30 HDEO. I don't want to run a 15W40 since the car is used during the winter months, and it is far too thick. One readily available 10W30 HDEO is Esso XD-3, and this was the choice I was thinking of trying. I also might be able to get Chevron Delo 10W30, since their is a Chevron dealer in his city. My dad is too old fashioned for synthetics or extended intervals, so that is out of the question. So, is a 10W30 HDEO my best choice for this car, or should I just stick with plain old Pennzoil dino? Does anyone have any experience with Esso XD-3 oil? Any comments appreciated.

 

[Mr. Ram]

Hello: I am running Esso XD-3 15w-40 in my dodge ram truck. so far so good I have noticed an increase in oil pressure even at hot idle which makes me feel more comfortable then when i was using a 10w-30. I also have a friend who has used the 10W-30 and 5w-30 line of XD-3 for several years in his truck and did comment on how clean the engine was kept after a repair that allowed him to have a look indside. So although my time with this oil is limited I am hearing increasingly good things about this oil, there is even some new intrest about this oil on this board. Use the search button and have a read for yourself. All in all i dont think that the XD-3 would be a bad choice as it is readily available and cheap to boot.

 

[Oldswagon]

Thanks for the comments. I haven't used XD-3 before, but I was interested in trying it out. An added bonus is that my Dad is cheap, so this oil will appeal to him. Have you used this oil in the winter yet? What grade have you run and how did it perform? I don't know if I can convince my dad to run the 0W40 synthetic in the winter, but I don't think it's too critical since his car is always garaged and plugged in during the winter. His garage isn't heated, but it's attached to the house and stays considerbly warmer than the outside temperature. Any other comments appreciated.

 

[Mr. Ram]

I will be running the 0W-40 this winter, it will be my first time. the 5-w30 and 10W-30 have excellent cold weather pour point and I dont think they should have a problem starting in the cold. Have a look at the esso website and check out the XD-3 pdf file all the info you need should be there. Hope this helps.

 

[jthorner]

15W-40 HDEO in the summer, 10W-30 HDEO in the winter would be my choice in such a vehicle. One oil change in the Spring to 10W-30 and another in the fall to 15W-40. Easy to do and effective. John

 

[427Z06]

quote:

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Originally posted by jthorner: One oil change in the Spring to 10W-30 and another in the fall to 15W-40. John

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You mean that the other way around, right? Otherwise, Stephen Hawking is gonna be calling you yesterday.