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FE Power Forums => FE Technical Forum => Topic started by: Dubs1 on May 05, 2019, 09:01:17 AM

Title: Which nonsynthetic oil to use
Post by: Dubs1 on May 05, 2019, 09:01:17 AM
Hello Jay  and engine brain trust

  I  just received back from builder my sons 351W engine.  Ran break in oil about 80 miles  and now want to shift to a nonsymthetic  street oil to set the rings.

Engine has stock cam, hydraulic lifters,  edel intake 4V  for street use only.

What oil with the zink can I use?

Many thanks

Larry


Larry
Title: Re: Which nonsynthetic oil to use
Post by: Katz427 on May 05, 2019, 09:27:20 AM
IMO after 80 miles the rings should have " seated in". If the hone was done correctly. Modern rings and honing method seat very quickly. On the small diesel engines , I would dyno them under a varying load for about 1/2 hr to seat them.  Lots of folks use Brad Penn, or Valvoline VR1 is very popular.  The owners manual for cars in the 50's, had longer "break in" periods, like 500 miles some even longer.
Title: Re: Which nonsynthetic oil to use
Post by: My427stang on May 05, 2019, 03:30:40 PM
Valvoline VR-1 is pretty tough to beat. I like Penngrade too but it’s a semi synthetic
Title: Re: Which nonsynthetic oil to use
Post by: Dubs1 on May 05, 2019, 04:36:23 PM
Hi Ross

Thanks much.  Need to look around town to  see who sales it.

All the best

Larry
Title: Re: Which nonsynthetic oil to use
Post by: 427LX on May 05, 2019, 04:47:54 PM
I use the 10W30 VR1 race oil non synthetic and our local NAPA has it. BUT you can order it online cheaper.
Title: Re: Which nonsynthetic oil to use
Post by: blykins on May 06, 2019, 04:41:13 AM
I agree, if the rings aren’t seated by the first couple instances of loading the engine, they’re not going to.

I would use the Valvoline VR1 non synthetic.  Brad Penn also offers a full mineral oil and if you can pony up for it, I would use that.

Title: Re: Which nonsynthetic oil to use
Post by: BattlestarGalactic on May 06, 2019, 01:06:22 PM
VR1 in everything I own.
Title: Re: Which nonsynthetic oil to use
Post by: wayne on May 06, 2019, 02:57:34 PM
VR 1 all the way for me
Title: Re: Which nonsynthetic oil to use
Post by: Falcon67 on May 06, 2019, 03:23:16 PM
VR1 in everything I own.

Same - flat tappet and roller.  NOTE - as above.  With moly rings and the proper cylinder wall finish, rings seat nearly immediately.  If done properly by the shop, they seated before you left the driveway.  In my engines, once running I load the engine against the converter 2 or 3 times, then its hammer time.  I don't use flat tappet cams anymore, so that's the full extent of break in.  I put in VR1 10w-30 and run it.  I only run conventional oil in the race engines because if the worst happens it can be removed with mops and lacquer thinner.  Synthetic is very hard to get up off a drag strip.  You pretty much have to mop and burn the hell out of it which risks harming the track surface and rubber buildup. 
Title: Re: Which nonsynthetic oil to use
Post by: winr1 on May 06, 2019, 04:45:49 PM
Hi Jack ....

Anyone break in a mill with non detergent oil ??

We did that in the late 50s and 60s



Ricky.

Title: Re: Which nonsynthetic oil to use
Post by: e philpott on May 06, 2019, 04:59:57 PM
Non detergent is good for cam break-in because it won't wash off the Cam Paste as quick like detergent oils do , but I've always used VR1 10-30 and never have trouble with mine or customers engines , so it's hard to switch up something that works and is proven to work good by many of us
Title: Re: Which nonsynthetic oil to use
Post by: Falcon67 on May 07, 2019, 09:46:15 AM
Hi Jack ....

Anyone break in a mill with non detergent oil ??

We did that in the late 50s and 60s

Ricky.

Never.  Lots of improvements and changes in the last 50 years. 
Title: Re: Which nonsynthetic oil to use
Post by: Stangman on May 07, 2019, 10:53:53 AM
Brad Penn here 30 weight breaking oil, then 10-40 regular oil. But it seems Brad Penn and VR-1
are the go to oils for solid cam motors, as a matter of fact on this forum at least any motor no matter
 solid, hydraulic or solid roller.
Title: Re: Which nonsynthetic oil to use
Post by: Hemi Joel on May 09, 2019, 06:45:43 PM
I'm also running VR1. I made it thru Drag Week
Title: Re: Which nonsynthetic oil to use
Post by: fryedaddy on May 09, 2019, 08:40:51 PM
all i can find local is the vr1-50wt.is that ok for summertime
Title: Re: Which nonsynthetic oil to use
Post by: blykins on May 10, 2019, 06:40:20 AM
all i can find local is the vr1-50wt.is that ok for summertime

Getting close to gear oil on that one......

You can order it from Summit if you need it.
Title: Re: Which nonsynthetic oil to use
Post by: BattlestarGalactic on May 10, 2019, 07:34:48 AM
Summit does carry VR-1.  I just bought up a bunch of cases for all my stuff.  Get Summit bucks to boot.
Title: Re: Which nonsynthetic oil to use
Post by: ACHiPo on May 10, 2019, 09:14:46 AM
From my research (not personal experience, so you get what you pay for) the VR1 and Brad Penn oils are good, if expensive.  A less expensive option that I chose to run (still has 1200 ppm ZDDP) is Rotella 15w40--runs about $15/gallon on sale.
Title: Re: Which nonsynthetic oil to use
Post by: cammerfe on May 10, 2019, 12:39:21 PM
Back in the late '50s and early '60s when I first started worrying about oil, the local speed shop sold 'D-A Speed Sport' oil in a yellow can. I bought it by the case and used it religiously. I recently realized I never saw it any more and looked them up on the 'net. It turns out that they not only still exist, they are the owner/producers of the kind of oil brands we're talking about.

I called and talked to their tech people. They are quite willing to be of service and happy to answer questions. I recommend it.

KS
Title: Re: Which nonsynthetic oil to use
Post by: RustyCrankshaft on May 13, 2019, 09:14:32 PM
Back in the late '50s and early '60s when I first started worrying about oil, the local speed shop sold 'D-A Speed Sport' oil in a yellow can. I bought it by the case and used it religiously. I recently realized I never saw it any more and looked them up on the 'net. It turns out that they not only still exist, they are the owner/producers of the kind of oil brands we're talking about.

I called and talked to their tech people. They are quite willing to be of service and happy to answer questions. I recommend it.

KS

These days most oil brands are just marketing labels and most of the oil is blended by a handful of companies. I think Chevron is the only one who makes ALL of their own oil. Chevron has their own base oil refineries that use Chevron catalysts (that are sold to other refinery brands). Chevron has their own additive company - Chevron Orinite, and their own blending and bottling operations.

Brad Penn is (or at least was last time I looked) a product of American Refinery Corp which I believe is the oldest refinery in the US that has been continuously in operation. If you trace it back far enough you can find that this is where Kendall started and got it's popularity from. Now Kendall is mostly a marketing label from ConocoPhillips.

DA Speed has some good stuff, they are a blender only I believe. They buy base oils and additives and blend to their spec. Most of their current business is private label stuff. If it's the same place I'm thinking of? They got their start around the early 1920's and sold a lot of their early lubes to weaving companies and then start-up Caterpillar.

Also, a large percentage of "synthetic" oil marketed in North America really isn't what most in the oil industry would consider synthetic. Although good oil, most of the NA synthetics are group III oils (or severely hydrocracked) rather than a PAO or POE/Ester base oil. There are others of course, but Chevron oil is quite good and colloquially a semi-synthetic on a lot of their oils and all the standard diesel oils because they use a POE base oil as a carrier for the additive package which typically makes up around 20-30% by volume.   
Title: Re: Which nonsynthetic oil to use
Post by: 67428GT500 on May 13, 2019, 09:50:23 PM
Penngrade and it is available in Semi-synthetic and mineral.  I used the straight 30WT break in.  8.99 QT from Summit. I have seen it as low as 7.99 qt. I am also running a flat tappet cam.
                                                                            -Keith

https://www.summitracing.com/tx/parts/bpo-71206/overview/