Street rod oil

[edogg]

My dad has a few custom street rods and wants to make sure he’s using the right oil in them for longevity and smooth running. I think he’s been using conventional 15w40 oil and wants to switch to a semi or full synthetic, possibly 10w40. He’s hoping to have a ZDDP additive with it but not sure if that matters too much. He’s considering Driven Hot Rod oil or PennGrade.

The cars are located in Florida so it gets pretty hot.

The cars in question are:
1936 Ford with a TPI 4 bolt main iron head Chevy 350 with a roller cam
1956 Ford F100 with a stock 5.0l HO
1937 Ford with a carbureted 390 bored and stroked to 468 with a roller cam

Any recommendations? I can get more specifics if that matters.

 

[Taildragger]

https://www.drivenracingoil.com/collections/ford-engines

 

[BobsArmory]

Amsoil has an oil for classic cars Amsoil Z-rod Higher Zinc, extra corrosion resistance etc. Comes in 10-30, 10-40 and 20-50

 

[JeffKeryk]

If the valve spring pressure is not elevated, a nice 10w30 is fine.
I use Castrol GTX Classic in my cars.

 

[tedsweet]

non issue with the cars roller cams

 

[paulswagelock]

Penn Grade 1 oils, previously Brad Penn. Great application for them. Call tech support and they will geek out on oil with you for a half hour…

 

[TnT_M]

If he wants synthetic then run a 15w40 synthetic HDEO. With roller valvetrain no worries on ZDDP.

 

[novadude]

Right or wrong, I just use Valvoline Maxlife 10W-30 syn blend in my Chevy Nova w/ a carbureted 350 and hydraulic roller cam.

Running Valvoline VR1 10W-30 in my dad's flat tappet Chevy Big block (396). I had the big block top end apart last year and lifters and cam looked good.

 

[Chris142]

All of those have a roller cam so oils with extra zddp are not needed.

 

[addyguy]

15W-40 synthetic HDEO would be perfect for them all.

 

[edogg]

Thanks for all the recommendations! Passing them along to him for a decision and will keep an eye out for more thoughts.

 

[facility1]

Royal Purple HPS in what ever viscosity works for you,

 

[kschachn]

I'll be the contrarian and suggest a Euro oil with Porsche A40 approval, such as Mobil 1 0W-40 available at Walmart for $25, or Castrol 0W-40 for $24. Sufficient ZDDP, adequate HT/HS and everything else those engines may need.

 

[Japanese]

Right or wrong, I just use Valvoline Maxlife 10W-30 syn blend in my Chevy Nova w/ a carbureted 350 and hydraulic roller cam.

But why? There are so many full synthetic oils.

I've used Valvoline MaxLife 5W-30 for about 10 years and it served me well, but I use it mostly for the price and because my previous car (90s Civic) burned some oil and didn't want to spend money on full synthetic. If I had that car now I'd use full synth.

 

[novadude]

But why? There are so many full synthetic oils.

I've used Valvoline MaxLife 5W-30 for about 10 years and it served me well, but I use it mostly for the price and because my previous car (90s Civic) burned some oil and didn't want to spend money on full synthetic. If I had that car now I'd use full synth.

As to "why", it seems like the cork oil pan gaskets tend to seep a little with full synthetic oil, and I like to keep it spotless. Could be my imagination... maybe i need to try full synthetic again, but it seemed like I was getting some oil residue around the pan with Mobil FS 0W-40.

 

[Faawrenchbndr]

Valvoline VR1 10w30 in the MG

 

[Selmorides]

Walmart has 5 quart jugs of VR1 10W-30 on the shelf for about $27.

 

[Faawrenchbndr]

Walmart has 5 quart jugs of VR1 10W-30 on the shelf for about $27.

Wow, thanks for the heads up, I need to take a trip to Walmart

 

[Japanese]

Right or wrong, I just use Valvoline Maxlife 10W-30 syn blend in my Chevy Nova w/ a carbureted 350 and hydraulic roller cam.

This is the valve train of my former '98 Civic driven 8 years only with Valvoline MaxLife 5W-30. It was changed always at 3,000/4,000 miles. There was some varnish, but there was no sludge. However, I wouldn't recommend it for high performance or hot rod engine.

 

[GW.]

This is the valve train of my former '98 Civic driven 8 years only with Valvoline MaxLife 5W-30. It was changed always at 3,000/4,000 miles. There was some varnish, but there was no sludge. However, I wouldn't recommend it for high performance or hot rod engine.

View attachment 302118

View attachment 302119

How many miles when these pics were taken?