65 Mustang, 289 oil recommendation

[paulswagelock]

Here is my 1965 - all stock except the wheels. I have the original wire spokes and bias tires to go with it. Stock 289, 54,000 miles, all original. I currently run Brad Penn Semi Syn 10w30 for the ZDDP levels. Thoughts? I tried M1 20w50 but the start up noises were horrible, so I switched back. Recommendations? 500-600 miles a year, only in nice weather.

 

[aquariuscsm]

How about VR1 10W30?

 

[Steve S]

Nice !!!, What is wrong with the Brad Penn oil.

 

[paulswagelock]

Originally Posted By: Steve S
Nice !!!, What is wrong with the Brad Penn oil.


Nothing that I know of - just an old school formulation. Like many on here, always a quest to see if there are other opinions/facts on using something different that might be better. Use is so low that it might not really matter??

 

[LargeCarManX2]

With the stock engine, Zinc levels for the cam really don't play into the equation. A good SL oil will work fine. 500 miles in the Summer time, put her too bed, wake her up next year...Naw, just use a good SL rated oil and save some money.

 

[abycat]

would he want to use a good qual syn cause he should do a yearly change right before storage. He probly doesnt put 5000 on it before the year is done. But does he have to do a change before and after storage. or is that after storage change not needed?? I wonder if it has a flat tappet set up or roller most likely hyd. would those play a part in oil choice. Sounds like its a tight engine if the 20W-50 made it loud. or should i say lazily lubed.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: abycat
would he want to use a good qual syn cause he should do a yearly change right before storage. He probly doesnt put 5000 on it before the year is done. But does he have to do a change before and after storage. or is that after storage change not needed?? I wonder if it has a flat tappet set up or roller most likely hyd. would those play a part in oil choice. Sounds like its a tight engine if the 20W-50 made it loud. or should i say lazily lubed.


It is hydraulic flat tappet.

OP: Just keep doing what you are doing if it seems to be working. If you are looking for something a bit more readily available, M1 TDT 5w40 at Walmart should work very well in that old Windsor.

 

[Johnny]

Beautiful Mustang. I had one just like it, only mine was called Poppy Red, which had a little more orange in it.

The oil you are using is just fine, but there would be nothing wrong with any of the popular OTC 10W-30 oils. No real need for a synthetic here.

 

[mcrn]

M1 does not make a 20w50? Did you mean 15w50?

Nice car by the way!

 

[Oldwolf]

You look like you could afford an annual change using synthetic. That's what I would use if that baby was mine.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Beautiful car.

FWIW, my father-in-law is a nationally known collector and runs all of his Mustangs on Castrol GTX 10w-30.

Works well for him with 3k mile OCI's.

 

[kcfx4]

Beautiful!! Try Edge 5w30? just a thought

 

[UncleS2]

What a beauty!

IMO your current oil is fine. If you want to try something else in a 10w30, how about the Rotella syn-blend 10w30(T5?), you could pick some up at WalMart. Use Motorcraft or Wix oil filters & you're good to go!

Amd once again: WOW, that's a great looking old Mustang!

 

[Virtuoso]

Would not change a thing! What a nice looking 'Stang. They just don't come much cleaner than that.

 

[paulswagelock]

Originally Posted By: Virtuoso
Would not change a thing! What a nice looking 'Stang. They just don't come much cleaner than that.


I almost hate to admit this, but the car has not needed washed in over 10 years now. The inside is as clean as the rest:

 

[NHHEMI]

While I am not a huge Ford fan that is a very clean and nice Stang.

I would not change a thing on your oil. Classic example of an old engine with flat tappets that needs extra ZDDP. Stay with an SL oil or use a ZDDP additive if you use an SM or SN oil. The Bradd Penn oil seems perfect for your needs.

Again, cool ride.

 

[Familyguy]

Nice car. I helped a buddy restore 2 1st gen Mustangs. One has an FE390 with a 4-speed toploader and the other one is a 289/auto like yours. He was running Mobil1 5W-40, but recently switched to Rotella T6 Synthetic 5W-40 when he saw how well it was working on my applications.

Best,

 

[electrolover]

if you wanted to save $ rotella would work
i would stick with the oil u have or use a racing oil like vr1

 

[paulswagelock]

The car is hardly driven as you can tell, so my main concerns are: start up protection after long sitting (I crank it over for a while without allowing it to start to get the oil moving),damage from the oil sitting so long (acidic?), flat tappet protection.

I have researched a bunch on here and came to the conclusion synthetic was not really beneficial for this application, but my schooling is internet (opinion) based mostly. Money is not a concern with one oil change in it a year. When I attend the car shows, the Brad Penn oil is like PP on this forum - not a bad word said. With their elevated Z and P levels, I settled into that as my choice. I am not an expert in lubrication, so I am looking for info that convinces me to stay with it, or switch to a more suitable oil for the application. The classic car forums are full of subjective opinions on the subject, so they are not much help.

 

[fraso]

I would use a 10W-30 HDEO. See Widman's article on Flat Tappet Engines.