Lets run 40 yr old oil in a 40 yr old Datsun!

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So I'm going to do a couple autocrosses and a long distance trip on some of my very old stash (60s-70s) of oil and do a UOA at the end of the run for fun. I don't know what to expect but it will be interesting to me at least.

I picked up my uncles stash of oil last year from his basement when he was moving (my payment for helping him move) and then I picked up a 1973 Datsun 240Z that had not run since 1989 this May. After installing a radiator, gas tank and fuel pump in the Z, it fired right up. So lets drive this thing while restoring it and put some New "old" oil in it.

Quaker State 10w40

Here's the video of it running for the first time in 24 years
Here's the stock:
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Last edited:
Originally Posted By: jayg
So I'm going to do a couple autocrosses and a long distance trip on some of my very old stash (60s-70s) of oil and do a UOA at the end of the run for fun. I don't know what to expect but it will be interesting to me at least.

I picked up my uncles stash of oil last year from his basement when he was moving (my payment for helping him move) and then I picked up a 1973 Datsun 240Z that had not run since 1989 this May. After installing a radiator, gas tank and fuel pump in the Z, it fired right up. So lets drive this thing while restoring it and put some New "old" oil in it.

Quaker State 10w40

Here's the video of it running for the first time in 24 years

20130605_100155_zps2344ba05.jpg
20130605_100418_zps4bf05d16.jpg
1005582_637927992116_1591010584_n_zps4700cc76.jpg
20130621_104953_zps23d1eb4c.jpg


*Drools* One of my dream cars!!
 
Originally Posted By: needsducktape
planning a restoration?


Sort of, good enough for a driver but not concourse stuff.
 
Don't you know 70's Quaker State is made from paraffin wax and will sludge that engine up solid in 50 miles!
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Very cool!

Yes you can use some of the oil or sell it on line. You might be able to get a decent price for it.
As far as it's lubrication qualities are concerned, it's a very shear prone grade of that time period. Just make sure you can maintain adequate oil pressure if you put some miles on the oil.
 
Yeah baby!
Looks like this car has little more than some surface rust.
A pretty nice survivor.
Old oil in an old car?
Why not?
They survived back then on the stuff.
I'd probably stay with the old time change interval of 3K, though.
Is that a Lotus lurking in the garage?
 
Originally Posted By: fdcg27
Yeah baby!
Looks like this car has little more than some surface rust.
A pretty nice survivor.
Old oil in an old car?
Why not?
They survived back then on the stuff.
I'd probably stay with the old time change interval of 3K, though.
Is that a Lotus lurking in the garage?


It honestly is just surface rust that I have sanded some off already. Nothing but minor pitting.

That red turd in the garage is the sleeping Ferrari 308 gt4 in my sig.
 
Is it badged as a Ferrari or as a Dino?
IIRC, the Dino 308 GT4 2+2 preceeded the Magnum PI era 308 GTB/GTS.
Anyway, what are your plans for this red machine?
What happened to it?
Incidentally, I was not being sarcastic when I wrote "surface rust".
I was serious.
Around here, all of the daily driven early Zs rusted into pieces sometime before the end of the 'seventies.
 
This is awesome. Although, I'd probably baby that classic, new oil, no abuse and keep it original if it were me.
 
One of the more beautiful cars ever made!

Take care of that rust, respray in the original color, and watch it's value skyrocket.
 
Hope you got the ol metal spout to stab in the oil cans, rust free.
You have a nice project going on there.
 
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