chevrolet corvette 327 oil question

[stingraymike]

I came right to the source for this one.

I have a 65 corvette, 327/300 motor Professionally rebuilt to stock specs. here is my question/concern. I have about 800 mile on the motor since the rebuild.

I run shell rotella T oil (15w-40) with a half of bottle of GM EOS. Initially I was told this is the perfect combination to get that extra ZDDP additive.

Now i am hearing the newer fromula Rotella T does not have as much ZDDP and to stay away from the EOS. that too has been changed. Some say its the same product as the old days, others say it is different.

Bottom line is, i want to make sure i am getting the proper lubrication and ZDDP requirements so that i get long life out of the engine.

Am, i safe with this combo or should I switch it up. Also, i don't want to say I am lazy, but i like being able to go to wallmart and buy my oil. I like to keep things simple. Some of these specialty racing oils i hear about seem pricey and can not be purchased on a sunday afternoon.

thanks

 

[electrolover]

i would run rotella t5 10/30. it has zddp, its a blend, and its the right grade.
if you want more zddp you can order some comp cams add from jegs or summit. comp also makes a good oil.
vavoline vr1 is another good choice and its cheap...but its special order.

just so you know i have ran the 350 horse 327 cam in many 350s. its even bigger than the 300 horse. with its low lift as long as its broken in properly you can run a sm oil. (last time i had one sm was the new oil) they dont need alot of spring pressure so its not a critical thing. in other words i can tell you from experience it will be alright. you have 800 miles and if it was gonna go flat it would have already done so

 

[Chris142]

Just curious. Are you running the stock cannister oil filter?

 

[aquariuscsm]

Don`t most racing oils have a ton of zddp? RP XPR is supposed to be loaded with it.

 

[stingraymike]

The car is a restoration. I am using the canister (napa gold). The seem to seal nice. I have some older frams with the cardboard top and you have to be a little more careful when installing them.

I am running a slightly hotter cam, nothing radical, in fact it might be the one from the 350 engine. Everything else is stock specs

How would I know if it went "flat" just curious.

thanks for the replies

 

[electrolover]

it would rattle like crazy and you would see metel shavings all over the stick... YOU WOULD KNOW!!

hehe i had a couple go flat on me when oil changed to sm. it took a while to figure out what the problem was. comp cams was a big help on the phone.

what are the cam and spring specs?

crane makes muscle car grinds, you can get the original 350 horse grind from them(i did) its 224 @50 and 430ish lift on a 112 lobe center. stock springs will run it or "z springs"
but i have never had a problem with that cam. even switched it into other engines with mismatching lifters. one started to wear by the time it was in the 3rd engine tho. sm oil in all of them too. im not recommending you do it but im just saying its not a solid flat tappet with 560 lift ya know

 

[Steve S]

Could a half can of EOS be way too much for regular use would be my concern. The HDEO oil probably has enough of an add package but you don't need a whole lot more of zinc phos. I hope the oil filter bypass wasn't blocked off. that old hot rodding trick has lead to more engine failure than almost anything else. You will know if the cam goes flat.

 

[electrolover]

i have blocked off plenty of them with no problems. the oil filters have a valve anyway

 

[Steve S]

Originally Posted By: electrolover
i have blocked off plenty of them with no problems. the oil filters have a valve anyway
No they don't

 

[Audi Junkie]

Originally Posted By: electrolover
i would run rotella t5 10/30. it has zddp, its a blend, and its the right grade.

vavoline vr1 is another good choice and its cheap...but its special order.


I agree, except VR-1 is easy to get, AutoZone carries it now. Consider Mobil 1 High Miles 10w-30, (even tough you don't have hi miles).

 

[aquariuscsm]

Mobil 1 15W50 has 1300ppm of zddp.

 

[addyguy]

I'd make the effort to find Brad-Penn 'Penngrade 1' high-performance oil - it's made for this type of application.

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: stingraymike
I came right to the source for this one.

I have a 65 corvette, 327/300 motor Professionally rebuilt to stock specs. here is my question/concern. I have about 800 mile on the motor since the rebuild.

I run shell rotella T oil (15w-40) with a half of bottle of GM EOS. Initially I was told this is the perfect combination to get that extra ZDDP additive.

Now i am hearing the newer fromula Rotella T does not have as much ZDDP and to stay away from the EOS. that too has been changed. Some say its the same product as the old days, others say it is different.

Bottom line is, i want to make sure i am getting the proper lubrication and ZDDP requirements so that i get long life out of the engine.

Am, i safe with this combo or should I switch it up. Also, i don't want to say I am lazy, but i like being able to go to wallmart and buy my oil. I like to keep things simple. Some of these specialty racing oils i hear about seem pricey and can not be purchased on a sunday afternoon.

thanks


All the Rotellas still have at least 1000 PPM of ZDDP. You're good to go, no need for EOS after break-in.

M1 0w40 and 15w50 also have plenty of ZDDP. Remember, its not the SM or SN rating alone that limits phosphorous to less than 800 PPM. Its the additional ILSAC (or ACEA, I actually forget which one) rating. An oil can be SM/CJ4+ and still have over 800 PPM zinc and phosphorous, it just won't carry the other ratings too.

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: stingraymike


How would I know if it went "flat" just curious.



When I wiped a lobe on my '69 440 (with pre- SL oil by the way- it was a flawed cam casting), it would idle great but then you'd get the unmistakable sound and feel of a dead cylinder when you put a load on it. Pulling the the rocker cover revealed one exhaust rocker barely moving at all. I have the lifter from that hole on my "shelf of shame" to this day...

Oh, and its not exactly a gradual thing, either. The cam will hardly wear at all until the surface hardened layer breaches, then it will grind down in a matter of 20-30 miles, usually. In spite of that, I had no visible flakes in the oil- the wear produces very, very fine particles.