Proper oil for original 289

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I'd fall into the "don't mess with success" catagory. Most of the guys I know with 60's musclecars with original engines run straight 30-weight.
 
quote:

Originally posted by JohnnyO:
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I'd fall into the "don't mess with success" catagory. Most of the guys I know with 60's musclecars with original engines run straight 30-weight.


JohhnyO,

Funny you should say that because I was thinking if only they still made Gulf "Formula G" straight 30 wt which I believe probably came ouf of Gulf's road racing program and which I ran in my 67 Mustang fastback...but that is reminiscing and doesn't help 65convertible. I'd stick with the Havoline 20W50 if that is easily available and working for you...or Castrol GTX 20W50 if you can find it. My next choices after that would be Castrol or Pennzoil 10W30 or 40 and Shell or Chevron 10W30.

[ April 11, 2004, 02:20 PM: Message edited by: pscholte ]
 
If it's any consolation to you I used straight 30 weight in all my cars for over 30 decades and never ever had any problems with it....until I bought my new Impala and it required 10W-30....Belive me I was tempted to put straight 30 Weight in it also... but didnt...

In your old style engine most anything will work but I would say that at least a 30 Weight or if you like something thicker a 15W-40 or your 20W-50 will work just fine.... You have no CAFE or Cat Con or warrenty issues to worry about..... I doubt that the current popularity of the XW-20 weights would be what you would be wanting or needing in an origional 65 289.... Even into the 1970's Ford was still recmonding " 20W-40 for above freezing temperatures , or SAE 30 Weight for freezing to 90 deg F and SAE 40 Weight for above 90 deg F temperatures "... on all their domestic gasoline buring V8 engines....
 
quote:

Originally posted by Calvin:
If it's any consolation to you I used straight 30 weight in all my cars for over 30 decades and never ever had any problems with it....

OK, I can't resist. How did your cars like the Nantucket whale oil in the 1700s?
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The 20W50 that you are using seems to be working good for you. One of the 15W40 heavy duty oils might be a better option seeing that it does not use any oil. The Rotella T and Delvac 1300 are both readily available.
 
quote:

Originally posted by DonCT:

quote:

Originally posted by Calvin:
If it's any consolation to you I used straight 30 weight in all my cars for over 30 decades and never ever had any problems with it....

OK, I can't resist. How did your cars like the Nantucket whale oil in the 1700s?
tongue.gif


DonCT,

Well actually the Nantucket oil seemed to have better rust preventing qualities than did the West Coast whale oils.... The West Coast basestocks seemed to have more lubricity tho !! Intrestingly enough both had near identicle fire points as witnessed by the old oil lamps that were common back in the day...
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Geeze.... Cant belive I wrote that ...
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Hehehehhehehhee
 
I run 15W-40 Chevron Delo in my 1960s era vehicles with great success in mild climates.

There really is no need to go as thick as 20W-50.

John
 
Remember these were a wee bit prone to sludge if oci's weren't kept short. They also had hydraulic lifters that could be pretty sensitive to viscosity and any contaminants.

I had one in my 65 Ford Galaxie. I ran around Georgia in it back in the early 70's.

Oils weren't that good back then. Especially the 10W-40 grade I ran.

I'm thinking you don't want to get too thick, but have really good detergency and keep the oci's short.

I might try the Castrol Syntec Blend 10@-40, available at Wal-Mart. I also might try an HDEO 15-40 like Delo 400, Pennzoil Long life or Mobil Delvac in Summer heat.

Don't get the thicker is always better mindset and use additives. The hydraulic lifters gotta pump up.
 
quote:

Originally posted by Calvin:

quote:

Originally posted by DonCT:

quote:

Originally posted by Calvin:
If it's any consolation to you I used straight 30 weight in all my cars for over 30 decades and never ever had any problems with it....

OK, I can't resist. How did your cars like the Nantucket whale oil in the 1700s?
tongue.gif


DonCT,

Well actually the Nantucket oil seemed to have better rust preventing qualities than did the West Coast whale oils.... The West Coast basestocks seemed to have more lubricity tho !! Intrestingly enough both had near identicle fire points as witnessed by the old oil lamps that were common back in the day...
tongue.gif


Geeze.... Cant belive I wrote that ...
banghead.gif
pat.gif
Hehehehhehehhee


...not to mention that if you brushed your teeth with whale oil you'd find you had about 30 that had...ummm..deecade.
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I am a long time reader but just signed up today for this forum. I have learned so much and feel that some of you I know from reading a lot of posts over time. Anyway here is my question:

I have an original 289 1965 Mustang and am trying to figure out what would be the best oil to run in it. This oil should be rther easy to obtain as I live in a rural section of the country.

At present I am running Havoline 20W-50 because that is what the previous owner ran in it. This car does not smoke or use oil.

I was thinking about one of the high mileage oils. However, I cannot locate the Havoline high mileage oil in my area.

Should I stick with the heavy 20W-50 or go to a lighter weight? Perhaps it is one of those if it works stick with things I am not sure.

Any advice is much aprreciated since when I change I am not sure which way to go or just stick with the Havoline.

Thanks in advance
 
In general, the most common oils used back then were 30w, 10w-30, and 10w-40. A 1973 Petersen's general automotive repair guide I have doesn't even mention 20w-50, only the grades above, plus a few weights which are now obsolete. The 10w-40 grade went out of favor by the 90's due to the increased shearing and burning (a large amount of polymers was required to achieve that particular spread), but modern 10w-40s now use better base oils, so this is no longer an issue.

From the current Chevron/Havoline oil spec sheets:
10w-30: "Recommended for many older vehicles...often those with larger 6 cyl and V-8 engines."
10w-40: "It is often recommended for older model cars that see regular high temperature operation."
20w-50: "Recommended primarily for older engines in high temp and heavy duty operations...towing heavy trailers up inclines...racing and rallying."

The Mobil Drive Clean spec sheet concurs, essentially referring to 10w-30 as a default choice, and 10w-40 "where a higher viscosity oil is preferred and recommended." For 20w-50 they start right off by saying, "MDC 20w-50 is recommended for high-performance engines found in race and rally driving."

Based on this information, it seems to me that 10w-40 would be better suited to your ride than 20w-50, with the former certainly being the much more popular choice, even in hot climates, back in the "old school" days.

[ April 12, 2004, 07:14 PM: Message edited by: TC ]
 
Gee great answer.

I kind of wanted to get rid of the heavy weight oil and was thinking and hoping I could go 10-40. Would it be acceptable to go with one of the "high mileage oils" or could it cause me trouble?

So far I can't locate Havoline High Mileage Oil in my area but there are other available. i.e. Valvoline, Castrol, and I suppose some others but no Halvoline High Mileage Oil yet.
 
quote:

Originally posted by 65convertible:
Gee great answer.

I kind of wanted to get rid of the heavy weight oil and was thinking and hoping I could go 10-40. Would it be acceptable to go with one of the "high mileage oils" or could it cause me trouble?



A HM oil might actually do the motor some good . If you have an oil pressure guage let it be the deciding factor for you when it comes to viscosity . A nice thick 10w-30 will do fine if the motor is still in sound condition .

My favorites are the Citgo Ultra Life , Mobil HM " uses PAO " and Pennzoil HM and I would probably be more condusive to using one of these than any Synthetic Blend oil offered OTC which uses group II/III base oils . Especially the Mobil in cold weather .

I'll take PAO with my blends ....thanks
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My '67 289-2bl Galaxie w/ 70K miles requires 10-40W weight. Otherwise after running around for awhile in summer w/10-30, it will just barely get the oil light flickering in drive at idle.

Only thing with heavier oil, is I do notice the idle speed is a bit slower with heavier oil once the viscosity goes up. CU JR
 
You should easily be able to find Castrol or Havoline dino anywhere in the USA. I would go with 10w30, but if you experience oil usage, go to 10w40.
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I believe that I will try 10w40 oil in it. I didn't mean that I can't find Halvoline. It is the High Mileage version that is not available here.

Should I use the high mileage version or just use the regular version. My guess is it doesn't have over 75000 on it since a rebuild some years ago. It has no oil leaks. However, I read somewhere where this High Mileage oil can soften seals and cause a problem so I am leary of it.

Any thoughts?
 
65Convertible: Here's my best attempt at a "horse's mouth" answer. From my "1973 Petersen's General Auto Repair Manual," recommended oil weights (including a few obsolete weights) for typical rides of that era:

CONSISTENTLY ABOVE 32F DEGREES:
SAE 30w, 40w, 10w-30, or 20w-40
0 DEGREES F TO 32F:
SAE 10w, 20w, 10w-30, 10w-40
BELOW 0 DEGREES F:
SAE 5w, 10w, 5w-10, 5w-20

Interestingly, as I mentioned before, 20w-50 isn't even mentioned. I'm curious as to when that weight became popular. In addition to having different seal swelling characteristics, the "high mileage" oils tend to use better base stocks as well, and are generally superior to standard oils. But keep in mind that ANY basic API "SL" oil is LIGHT YEARS ahead of what that car came with from the factory, so even the 59 cent Shell Formula somebody mentioned in another thread would be a perfectly good choice. Whether to go "hi mileage" is simply a pocketbook issue for ya -- there's no right or wrong answer, although if you've got some leaky seals, that might affect your decision. Personally, I'd opt for a low-cost 10w-40 year-round in Georgia.
 
I work for a guy that has ten cars in the collection, all the old muscle cars had Dello 400 in them, We now have Amsoil 15W-40 synthetic in all of them, great storage aditives and the oil is good for a long time. I`m not saying how long.
 
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