Oil! What’s everyone running in the mighty SBB?

Discussion in 'Small Block Tech' started by Paul Stewart, Feb 17, 2018.

  1. Paul Stewart

    Paul Stewart Well-Known Member

    Any issues with running 20w 50?
     
  2. Brad Conley

    Brad Conley RIP Staff Member

    IMHO, 20w50 is way too thick for any Buick, if your clearances are set correctly for both oil pump and bearings.
     
  3. Paul Stewart

    Paul Stewart Well-Known Member

    That’s what I was worried about. Will stick with the Brad Penn 10w-30 then.....
     
    70skylark350 and Mark Demko like this.
  4. Mark Demko

    Mark Demko Well-Known Member

  5. gsjohnny1

    gsjohnny1 Well-Known Member

    dragster uses amsoil; plain 10-30 oil, not racing oil. same as I run in my truck with no issues.
     
    300sbb_overkill likes this.
  6. Fox's Den

    Fox's Den 355Xrs

    10-30 Mobile 1 engine is still as clean as the day I put it in.
     
  7. BYoung

    BYoung Stage me

    Valvoline VR-1 10w-30
     
    MrSony likes this.
  8. Dwayne B

    Dwayne B Well-Known Member

    Same for me,valvoline VR-1 10-30
     
    MrSony likes this.
  9. LARRY70GS

    LARRY70GS a.k.a. "THE WIZARD" Staff Member

    Rule of thumb for ANY engine. You run the thinnest oil that gives you the required oil pressure for the RPM you intend to run. That is 10 psi/1000 RPM for the SBB. Running thicker oil hurts cold/initial start flow, takes more power to pump, and actually increases oil temperature. (from increased shear, I think)
     
    Paul Stewart likes this.
  10. Golden Oldie 65

    Golden Oldie 65 Well-Known Member

    I run Mobil 1 in everything. 10W30 in the old cars, 5W20 or 5W30, whichever is called for in the newer car/truck. Been using it since nearly the beginning of synthetics and never had any problems. Benefits in this part of the country is much easier warm starts, they spin over much quicker which also tells me the protection is better, therefore safety factor is better than dino oils. 263,000 miles on my last truck when I sold it and it didn't even burn any oil yet. Some say I'm wasting my money on the more expensive oils but you'll never be able to convince me of that.
     
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  11. MrSony

    MrSony Well-Known Member

    10w30 over here. Cold psi @ 800rpm idle is 60, hot is 20.
     
  12. alain

    alain Well-Known Member

    :)If you have a flat tappet cam run a oil with a high zinc content.Modern roller cam any good quality synthetic oil is good:)
    Alain;)
     
  13. Golden Oldie 65

    Golden Oldie 65 Well-Known Member

    True to a point. Break-in with a flat tappet cam is critical, for that I always use Joe Gibbs break-in oil. After the initial break-in it is drained and good quality high zinc content oil is used for the first 2,000 miles or so. After that you can safely use synthetics, I've been doing it for many years and have had no problems at all. Here's the label for the break-in oil suggesting it not remain in the engine for more than 400 miles.
     

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  14. stk3171

    stk3171 Well-Known Member

    I cant buy it. KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN AND ANIMALS
     
    Harlockssx likes this.
  15. bigce1972

    bigce1972 Well-Known Member

    Mobile 1 10w30 as well, no probs!!
     
  16. Blurredman

    Blurredman Well-Known Member

    Interesting this has come up. I use 20w50 Mineral because that is the only oil I can find locally that applies to SE/SF specifications as I was aware of the possible Zinc requirement, and have been using it for a few years now, 7k miles put on using it..
    Every vehicle in this country ran standard 20w50 in the 70's and 80's in this country, GB.
    Though I guess British cars were poor ;)

    I use 20w50 mineral (although SJ) for some of my bikes, but

    You're all saying modern off the shelf oil like a standard semi synthetic 10w40 (which is what I use standard on all my cars) will be fine on a used engine?
     
    Last edited: Mar 20, 2018
  17. Fox's Den

    Fox's Den 355Xrs

    I would say it applies to full synthetic only as far as protection goes I have put Mobile 1 in a steel cap and heated it up and all it did was bubble and hardly any smoke with not much change in color. Do that with regular oil and it smokes like mad and turns black
     
    Mart likes this.
  18. Smokey15

    Smokey15 So old that I use AARP bolts.

    I run 20w50 Penn Grade as recommended by Bobb.
     
  19. TrunkMonkey

    TrunkMonkey Well-Known Member

    Back in the 70s-80s I ran Castrol GTX 20/50 in a 330 Olds .060 over 4 speed 3.08 and shifted WOT at 7k consistently. (I would run anything I could from a traffic light...)
    Ran it like that for 5 years, daily to and from work driver 15 miles each way, romp and stomp on the weekends and one trip with a car full of luggage one way, and a king sized water bed on the return trip to and from Fort Walton Beach FL to Wichita KS. (Averaged 70 MPH back in the Sammy Hagar era).

    Never a bit of trouble, and I did change oil at 3k miles religiously. Oil was always clean and clear. Had a "chip detector" magnetic plug. Never any fuzz, and only a trace amount of very fine grey residue when wiped with a paper towel.

    Being an Aircraft Crew Chief and drag racing background, understanding the importance of preventative maintenance and inspection was simply a thing I did.

    Perhaps, newer engines with closer tolerances, cleaner running engines and cleaner fuels, the lighter oils are a must, but the older engines in the day, with fuel and all the other things that old had to "deal with", I think the heavier oils had a large part in "carrying the load and garbage" thrown at them.

    The more we learn about mechanical efficiency and design, the more we realize the guys in white shirts, pocket protectors, slipsticks and bad glasses, were some pretty smart dudes.

    WWII gave us muscle cars, and hot rods and were the forebears of the stuff you see rolling out of the factories today.

    Yeah. I think the word is; "Badass".

    Today, I run "Driven HR2 10-30" in my Nailhead and 350 SBB. Time will tell if I chose wisely.
     
  20. Nothingface5384

    Nothingface5384 Detail To Oil - Car Care

    If it's just original motor I'll use quaker state defy for the needed zinc and the lack of calcium..if built either Amsoil Zrod or Driven hr2/4
     
    Last edited: Mar 27, 2018

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