Trusting a low oil pressure 302 for a long trip

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There was a guy here years ago who kept a worn out engine alive using VR1 SAE60. His had bottom end knock and that oil kept it going until he rebuilt it.
 
Originally Posted By: artificialist
When I researched 1970s GMC RVs, many people promoted electric vacuum pumps that were connected to the brake booster. Those kinds of pumps were originally used on engines that didn't produce enough vacuum to operate brake boosters.


We had a couple of those when they were new. As I recall, the wipers, etc., were vacuum powered. They were pretty cool at the time.
 
I would 2nd the 20W50, I ran that in my worn-out 350 TBI Suburban & it made several trips from here to Virginia Beach & back with 4 or 5 people & all our luggage, over the Appalachians & back, just keep it topped up. I wouldn't wait until it clatters from low oil pressure, you're playing with fire letting it run that low. Keep it full!
 
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
There was a guy here years ago who kept a worn out engine alive using VR1 SAE60. His had bottom end knock and that oil kept it going until he rebuilt it.


We can probably guess that the engine has worn out bearings and a worn oil pump. However, what we might not know is the actual bearing clearance.

As I quoted above, the larger the clearance, the higher viscosity oil needed. Done properly, there is no metal to metal contact, and therefore very little wear.

It's not unusual for race engines to have clearances beyond "worn out" specifications. However, when set up this way, they generally use high volume oil pumps and high viscosity oils. Note: this type of setup is becoming increasingly uncommon, but it was common in the 1970's. I've seen race engines with 0.004++ inches connecting rod bearing clearance. And, they held up just fine. (that's enough clearance to create knock)
 
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