What synthetic oils were available in 1982?

[oldsoul24]

Pardon if this is in the wrong forum, mods feel free to move if so.

I helped a buddy pick up a high-mileage but original 4.1 4-barrel Buick V6 out of a rear-ended 82 Riviera for his same-year Olds Tornado project he's working on. It'd sat for 5 years but with some starting fluid and jumper cables it fired up and idled just fine, no gallop or anything. The son of the original owner was parting out the car and was very adamant that his father used full synthetic engine oil since new, said his dad knew Buick engines and that they had oiling issues back in the day, so he always used the 'slipperest' oil he could (seller's words).

I'm known as the car/oil guy amongst my friends and I'm aware Mobil 1 brought out their first synthetic (5w-20 I think?) in the mid 70's but 82' is way before my time, I honestly have no idea and google hasn't been much help. I'm always looking to learn and my buddy's curious as well, he'd been planning on running a conventional or blend 5w-30 but isn't sure now with the reveal of the synthetic use since new. I figure quite a few of the minds around BITOG have been around longer than I have and would probably have an idea of what grade and brand of synthetic oils this engine might've used early on. All I know is that it originally called for 10w-30 with 5w-30 being suitable for cold temps, which is what I'm assuming was used (seller wasn't sure) though in 82' everyone and their grandma seemed to use 10w-40 but I don't know if that was available in synthetic at that point yet. There was an old empty jug of Pennzoil Platinum 5w-40 euro in the passenger footwell and I'm assuming that's what was in the sump when it was parked.

 

[2dogs]

Mobil 1 came in a white plastic bottle shaped like a funnel. It was only sold in mobil stations; not in stores.

 

[kschachn]

Mobil 1 came in a white plastic bottle shaped like a funnel. It was only sold in mobil stations; not in stores.

Interesting, I wonder when that was? I purchased Mobil 1 at a station in the late 1970s and early 1980s, that was the only place around my area that had it for sale. It was in those round oil containers that required a piercing spout.

 

[Number_35]

There was an AMSOIL ad in Popular Science, Popular Mechanics, and/or some of the many car magazines I read as a teen.

From memory:
A man is standing by his c. 1964 Cadillac. "My car has 167,000 miles on it, and it's never had an oil change!". He was running AMSOIL, changing the filter, and adding make-up oil. He may have run a bypass filter as well.

Later on (early '80s?) there were ads for Mobil (1?) in 5W-20.

 

[KEVINK0000]

Dad used Mobil 1 synthetic only from new. Factory ordered…wait for it… 1975 AMC Pacer. That was most readily available I believe. Was reviewed and advertised in Popular Science magazine, so of course it was his choice. He wore turtleneck sweaters and smoked a pipe. Borkum Riff cherry. The 70s were an odd time for me…

 

[addyguy]

For that Buick, a High-Mileage synthetic 10W-30 would probably be a good choice.

 

[Tom NJ]

To name a few:

Mobil 1 5W-30, PAO/Diester
Amsoil 10W-40, PAO/Diester
Zenex SL1000 10W-40, Diester
Pacer Eon E11 10W-40, Diester
Red Line 10W-40, POE
Neo 10W-40, Diester
Certified 10W-40, Diester
Kling Oil 10W-40, Diester

 

[Jmoney7269]

Motul was around since 1971. Its a group v racing oil

 

[Jmoney7269]

Im positive I used bel ray mc1+ around that time in my atc.

Thats some good stuff!

 

[oldsoul24]

Hey everybody, thanks for all the great info. Just thought I'd give a conclusion this whole thing in case people were curious- my buddy went back to the same seller for some misc odds and ends and garnered a bit more info, other than the factory fill the original owner used Mobil 1 5W-30 in the winter and SynLube 5w-50 in the summer all the way into the late 80's/ early 90's. SynLube was a local oil company in Vancouver, B.C. where the car was originally sold, the seller was unsure of what oil was used after.

 

[RobbS]

I've been using Mobil1 since 1986 on my 74 Ventura.

 

[RMaybeth]

Pardon if this is in the wrong forum, mods feel free to move if so.

I got my first car in 1978. It was a 1964 Plymouth Fury my dad passed down to me to fix (valve job) and then gave to me. 318 V8, push button torqueflite transmission, 4 wheel drum brakes. I learned how to fix cars on it, and at one point I became very interested in engine oils.
And one day I found an interesting article about the new-fangled synthetics in a 1976 issue of "Popular Science" magazine.

https://surl.li/ebhtxg

Needless to say, I had to try this oil in my Plymouth the first chance I got. IDK what I was expecting to happen, but this magic oil seemed to make little or no tangible difference in engine performance. So I reverted back to the conventional oil I'd used before.

Another development in engine oil during that same time, was a unique oil called "Arco Graphite". "The Black Oil" was heavily pushed in Arco's tv ads (presented by actor Mike Road, the same guy who voiced Race Bannon in Hanna-Barbera cartoons) and I tried that oil too.
Now if the oil did literally nothing else, you'd at least have reason to hoper that a graphite oil would be the solution to dry starts (since even back then, we knew dry starts were what caused engine wear). But if it was the answer, nobody ever did any tests, "official" or otherwise, to try to prove it.

 

[CrackerG]

The first commercially available 100% synthetic motor oil meeting automotive/API standards was AMSOIL in 1970. Mobil 1 a couple years later.

 

[nickaluch]

I remember mid 80s my girlfriend dad worked for Mobil in Brooklyn he had cases of Mobil one in the garage silver and black cardboard cans if I remember correctly

 

[Tom NJ]

The first commercially available 100% synthetic motor oil meeting automotive/API standards was AMSOIL in 1970. Mobil 1 a couple years later.

Actually it was 1972, but close enough.

 

[facility1]

I remember mid 80s my girlfriend dad worked for Mobil in Brooklyn he had cases of Mobil one in the garage silver and black cardboard cans if I remember correctly

was it metal cans?

 

[nickaluch]

was it metal cans?

Very possible

 

[SR5]

Over here, I was one of the first to use the first synthetic oil on the market, it was labelled mobil rally and believe it was a 10w50 (or maybe 15w50).
The name was changed to mobil 1 few years later. The change the viscocity to 5w50 which caused some oil consumption issue. They reinstated the original viscosity and also introduced the 0w40.
For that age engine, I would go for a 15w50 or 10w but keeping an eye on oil consumption

I think the original Mobil 1 over here was 15W50, or at least the first one I recall being advertised.

 

[facility1]

I think the original Mobil 1 over here was 15W50, or at least the first one I recall being advertised.

5w-20 as far as I know.

 

[daniel327]

Valvoline introduced its first synthetic blend engine oil in 1996

 

[Japanese]

There was an old empty jug of Pennzoil Platinum 5w-40 euro in the passenger footwell and I'm assuming that's what was in the sump when it was parked.

Pennzoil Platinum Euro 5W-40 is a special oil (Ferrari approved). So somebody new 1 or 2 about oils.