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inkedflesh Contributor Posts 115 
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04-15-12 08:57 AM - Post#2215316
Hey all its your friendly neighborhood pain in the butt again, I just had a quick question, or mainly just a general bit of a majority rule of what you guys use for those of you with the old 235s, use for motor oil weight? Mainly what you guys have had good luck with? Thanks as always for the advice! Mark |
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dsacton Contributor Posts 383 |
04-15-12 09:22 AM - Post#2215326
I've always used 10-40 in my 54 Bel Air. The engine was rebuilt at 100,000 and has another 65,000. Still running strong. Not sure why I use 10-40 (I think someone told me that it was the best oil for that engine, about 30 years ago). Try to get Quaker State when I can. Cheers Scott A.
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rrausch "12th Year" Silver Supporting Member Posts 9713 |
04-15-12 09:30 AM - Post#2215329
10W30 here.
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fbama73 Contributor Posts 303 
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04-15-12 09:31 AM - Post#2215330
Did Quaker State ever solve their sludge problem? I remember back in the 80's just dreading tearing down an engine when the guy said "Never ran anything but Quaker State in it!"
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2blu52 "12th Year" Silver Supporting Member Posts 13087 |
04-15-12 09:44 AM - Post#2215338
10/30 castrol. Used to use straight 30 summers but am now staying with the multi weight stuff. 
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usmile4 "6th Year Gold Supporting Member Posts 3084 |
04-15-12 04:09 PM - Post#2215462
10W30
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FortyNineCoupe Contributor Posts 155 
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04-15-12 04:56 PM - Post#2215476
I use Valvoline VR1 30W in my '55 235.
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52HardTop Senior Member Posts 1550 
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04-15-12 05:47 PM - Post#2215495
I originally used Rotella straight 30 as it had additives that were right for my solid lifter motor. Since Rotella has been changed I now use AMSOIL synthetic with a zinc content that has been recommended for solid lifter motors. Dom
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6-bangertim "2nd Year" Silver Supporting Member Posts 1868 |
04-15-12 11:14 PM - Post#2215610
Without knowing how good the oil pressure is, its hard to say. IMO, 10-30 is to light for a worn engine with loose clearances - even with a can of STP (for the extra ZDDP). My current 235 in my '57 has a really sloppy bottom end that drops to around 5 lbs. with 10-30, HOT and at idle. Was just under 10 lbs. with 20-50. I would start off with good ol' 30-weight with a can of STP (the ZDDP in it helps with cam and lifter wear), then add an oil pressure gauge and keep your eye on it. 10-40 might be OK, too. I prefer VALVOLINE, but am OK with CASTROL or HAVOLINE. NAPA oil is packaged by Valvoline and is the same stuff AFAIK. It usually depends on what I can pick up at WalMart - they have the best prices and I really like the 5-quart jugs!  'Hope this helps.  DO NOT THINK FOR A MINUTE that you are a pain in the butt - WE all learn from each other here, exchanging ideas and thories about the cars and engines WE LOVE!My feeling is that a question that sounds foolish when we ask is anything but - if it prevents a foolish mistake. I'm often prone to brain farts, so I take the time to recheck myself with the shop manual or other sources! Hard to see a redo as forward progress, but the lessons is long remembered, so like to keep them to a minimum.  Good Luck, Tim
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rrausch "12th Year" Silver Supporting Member Posts 9713 |
04-16-12 08:21 AM - Post#2215702
Shell Rotella has ZDDP in it.
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BottleJack Forum Newbie Posts 42 |
04-16-12 10:26 AM - Post#2215749
 Chevrolet engineers designed the oil system and bearing clearances of that engine to be served by approximatly 10 weight oil when new (then when broke-in and cold start-up), 20 weight oil when under normal operating conditions, then 30 weight oil when under higher piston speeds/loads/temps. So 10W-30 multi-viscosity is a good baseline average oil to run your engine with. BUT too many folks fixate on oil pressure at the gage and forget that the engine was made to run on a precise amount of oil FLOW PER MINUTE at a given pressure. The oil pump in that engine was made to overcompensate pressure, and a relief valve is there to make sure the PSI is not too much. As the bearings and engine parts wear , the clearances open up wider & wider and the oil pump continues to try to keep up pressure. BUT the flow out of the bearings in "throw off" can detrimentally overload (about 25X normal) the piston rings and slosh up the valve guides , etc etc. Chasing the oil gage with ever thicker oil will NOT make up for worn bearings. It will show higher pressure on the gage, BUT that does NOT correlate to proper oil flow thru the bearings and passageways. That gauge reads pressure-per-inch NOT flow per minute. Start with 10W-30 oil, then read your oil gauge,and this could give you a good indicator of MAYBE how worn you engine is from stock (or how extreme your driving or climate is). This is all an approximation, an educated guess, another shot in the dark ... and a fertile ground for spirited debate 
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Gene_Schneider Ultra Senior Member Posts 10513 |
04-16-12 10:30 AM - Post#2215750
Quaker State and all Pennsylvania oils had a sludge problem year ago if the oil was not changed every 2000 miles or so. Today Quaker State and Pennzoils are made from a division of the Shell oil company and are no longer a Penn. oil Shell Rotella and other disel oils no longer have the high Zinc content for the same reason the gas engines have the reduced amount. All "good" oils have a sufficent amount of Zinc for a 235 engine that has a rather low valve train load. The exception would be if you have a new junk camshaft that was made in China.
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VANDENPLAS Frequent Contributor Posts 1458 
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04-16-12 11:53 AM - Post#2215774
i just saw an add in hot rod delux for lukas oil with zddp. snake oil or needed? the 261 im rebuilding will have solid lifters and cam and i was under the impression that with a solid lifter engine it was more of an issue at least during breaking to use an oil high in zinc. i know this may sound simple but could you not just add some zinc to any oil to get the vaule up higher? can you over zinc an oil. just wondering as i remember as a kid my "first chemistry set" and it had some zinc pellets in it,could you not just buy this and add it to the oil? or is this too simple., also im all my old cars including the original 235 in my 50 i just used regular 10w-30 with never an issue. i just ask as this rebuild is the first vintage engine i have with solid lifters.
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BottleJack Forum Newbie Posts 42 |
04-16-12 01:07 PM - Post#2215796
Quote:"the 261 im rebuilding will have solid lifters and cam and i was under the impression that with a solid lifter engine it was more of an issue at least during breaking to use an oil high in zinc." In my opinion, the break-in is when I would risk paying the extra $$ for a ZDDP additive. This issue has been splatterd on the internet for the last 10 years , so the debate rages on ----> http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.ph... On old worn in-line 6 banger stocker 1950's Chevy engines (with relatively low loads in the force train from cam to rocker arms), as Mr. Schneider wisely inferred, extra Zinc additives may have limited returns for your investment. Regular oils may have the same positive effects for less money on stock, worn, 6-banger Chevy engines? On the element of "Zinc", well the actual additive is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc_dithiophosp hate One overly simple way to think of that compound is comparing its nature to normal table salt - NaCl -- Sodium Chloride . Seperate sodiums and separate chlorides can be some pretty wicked stuff to come in contact with  ,{I have seen sodium violently explode in contact with water} when combined they take on a different, somewhat benign, nature. Thus with elemental metal "Zinc", it doesn't act much like it does when combined into ZDDP.
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2blu52 "12th Year" Silver Supporting Member Posts 13087 |
04-16-12 01:50 PM - Post#2215807
Gene is the guru of old chevs, he is also involved in another forum where he is practically on a pedestal. His knowledge is from working in the industry and built on a day to day basis, if he says it then it is about as good as it gets and he has commented frequently on zinc and the reason it is not necessary in the 216/235 engines.
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inkedflesh Contributor Posts 115
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04-16-12 05:52 PM - Post#2215899
Hey All Thanks for the advice! I ended up wit the quaker state but I used the Defy Line 10W40? I think i will top her off with some Mystery oild but the local Walmart didnt have any WTF? Roberta loves her Mystery oil shes a growing gal! thank you guys you rock as always!! -Inked |
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rrausch "12th Year" Silver Supporting Member Posts 9713 |
04-16-12 07:22 PM - Post#2215942
Gene is on a pedestal here too, at least as far as I'm concerned!!
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gjwach Forum Newbie Posts 73 |
04-16-12 07:25 PM - Post#2215944
There are several that deserve that placement on this site and deservedly so as their knowledge and already done that skill level places them there for us to pick their brains and save our nerves and sanity. 
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