Valvoline Restore and Protect, flat tappet application

[skippermatt]

I have an old pieced together SBC, the bottom end has never been touched, but I threw some heads and a cam that I had laying around in to get the engine together and in my truck. The cam is a hydraulic flat tappet and the springs have high enough seat and open pressures to, in my opinion, “require” an oil with elevated levels of ZDDP. Would it be wrong to try and use restore and protect with some sort of additive in this engine?

 

[Nuclear_42]

I have an old pieced together SBC, the bottom end has never been touched, but I threw some heads and a cam that I had laying around in to get the engine together and in my truck. The cam is a hydraulic flat tappet and the springs have high enough seat and open pressures to, in my opinion, “require” an oil with elevated levels of ZDDP. Would it be wrong to try and use restore and protect with some sort of additive in this engine?

Valvoline VR1 Racing conventional or synthetic would be better for your application and readily available. You could add HPL Engine Cleaner cleaner if you think it’s dirty inside.

 

[edyvw]

I have an old pieced together SBC, the bottom end has never been touched, but I threw some heads and a cam that I had laying around in to get the engine together and in my truck. The cam is a hydraulic flat tappet and the springs have high enough seat and open pressures to, in my opinion, “require” an oil with elevated levels of ZDDP. Would it be wrong to try and use restore and protect with some sort of additive in this engine?

Get appropriate oil for application.

 

[Japanese]

Would it be wrong to try and use restore and protect with some sort of additive in this engine?

Yes, it would be.

 

[JeffKeryk]

I use the Castrol Classic. I imagine your engine would be happy with any decent 10w30, unless you have real high pressure springs.

 

[MurkyAsparagus]

I'd probably just use an oil already high in zinc. Mobil Delvac 1 Extreme 15w40 is a good, cheap option.

 

[PontiacHO]

The best suggestions already…Castrol Classic or Valvoline VR1. Using an additive to “clean” the engine may clean the protective zinc off the cam & lifters. Then it’s ruined. Run the oils suggested and engine that engine.

 

[GW.]

Mobil 1 Classic would do the trick.

 

[skippermatt]

Yea I use vr1 currently, was trying to potentially clean the ring area a bit.

 

[cutnapath]

Why not just run Valvoline Restore and Protect 5w-30 as is? Lake Speed Jr just did a video dyno using SP rated oil on a small block Chevy. He has said SP oil is plenty fine for flat tapper.

 

[Neniod]

Used Valvoline Restore and Protect myself on a flat tappet setup, but it’s key to pair it with an additive that has over 1200 ppm ZDDP. Without that, cam wear shows up fast.

 

[GI_GRIFF]

I have an old pieced together SBC, the bottom end has never been touched, but I threw some heads and a cam that I had laying around in to get the engine together and in my truck. The cam is a hydraulic flat tappet and the springs have high enough seat and open pressures to, in my opinion, “require” an oil with elevated levels of ZDDP. Would it be wrong to try and use restore and protect with some sort of additive in this engine?

You could use Royal Purple HPS. You wouldn't need an extra cleaner additive cause it is known for it's cleaning ability. It costs more than Mobil or Valvoline, and less than the Boutiques. Last I knew, you can get it off the www.summitracing.com website. Here is a link to the Royal Purple HPS PDS if you want to check it out.

https://www.royalpurple.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Royal-Purple-HPS-PDS-06July2021.pdf

 

[CleanSump]

Amsoil Z-Rod or one of their other higher zinc choices. I ran Amsoil 10W-30 Heavy Duty and Marine in a Mercedes Diesel to 348k miles and to make life simple at the time I ran the same in a Blazer 4.3 V6 over 200k (when I sold it). Both with 10k mile OCI. Those will take care of your cam and clean out anything hiding in the block.

 

[cheesepuffs2]

Mobil 1 Classic would do the trick.

People seem to forget that this oil exists but it’s absolutely what I’d be using in this case.

 

[OVERKILL]

Depending on how aggressive the cam is and how high the spring pressures are, this will determine whether you need an oil like VR1 or just a full-SAPS Euro oil. @RDY4WAR can likely provide some guidance here, he's more familiar with the SBC stuff than I am.

 

[Hohn]

I have an old pieced together SBC, the bottom end has never been touched, but I threw some heads and a cam that I had laying around in to get the engine together and in my truck. The cam is a hydraulic flat tappet and the springs have high enough seat and open pressures to, in my opinion, “require” an oil with elevated levels of ZDDP. Would it be wrong to try and use restore and protect with some sort of additive in this engine?

Any full-SAPS Euro oil is going to be plenty protective for any vintage flat tappet type of engine. Especially in the newer higher-magnesium formulation. Bonus if it has some MoDTC in signficant amounts.

There are few oil myths that need to die as badly as the idea that old engines need some kind of special sauce oil when many modern oils will protect them quite sufficiently.

LSJr made a comment to this effect in his recent video testing a bunch of oils in a flat tappet dyno mule engine with a cam DESIGNED TO WEAR faster. All of these oil-- not even Euro formulations-- protected the flat tappet quite effectively.

Dedicated flat tappet oils are a nothing burger. They exist only because manufacturers saw the change to cash in on the myth because it let's them sell a really cheap oil with no current API/ILSAC burden to a sucker who has bought the "muh high zinc" baloney.

Now, this obviously doesn't apply if you are running some massive solid roller cam with a triple valve spring. If you built a race engine, you need a race oil with the appropriate EP and FM package.

But most "flat tappet cam" oils are market a boomer types with an old nearly stock V8 for which any modern synthetic will suffice.

 

[Tempest1]

Yea I use vr1 currently, was trying to potentially clean the ring area a bit.

Consider using Auto RX in your normally run oil.

 

[skippermatt]

Depending on how aggressive the cam is and how high the spring pressures are, this will determine whether you need an oil like VR1 or just a full-SAPS Euro oil. @RDY4WAR can likely provide some guidance here, he's more familiar with the SBC stuff than I am.

Yea the cam is a 294/306 duration, .519/.523 lift, hydraulic flat tappet, unsure of where the “line” is where a full saps euro oil will not be sufficient. It has dual valve spring but I can’t remember the specs on those.

 

[OVERKILL]

Yea the cam is a 294/306 duration, .519/.523 lift, hydraulic flat tappet, unsure of where the “line” is where a full saps euro oil will not be sufficient. It has dual valve spring but I can’t remember the specs on those.

So, this guy:
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/cca-12-254-3
https://www.compcams.com/xtreme-energy-250-256-hydraulic-flat-cam-for-chevrolet-small-block.html

Looks like the recommended springs are 137lbs on the seat, they don't mention open pressure with the recommended springs on the cam spec page unfortunately.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Alternatively stab a hydraulic roller and be done with it.