Coolant for older cars

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I have several 1960's and 70's cars in various stages of completion. Engines have been rebuilt, cooling systems totally flushed, etc. I was wondering if I should go to the newer HOAT, or the OAT, or perhaps a universal type coolant/antifreeze rather than putting in the older green technology. Once these cars are done I would like not to change the green coolant every two years that is why the other coolants appeal to me with their 5 year change intervals. None of the cars will be driven much, just to shows and to keep things lubricated. I would say hundreds of miles a year and not thousands. Any opinions would be welcome. Thanks
 
I've been using Peak Long Life in a 289 Ford for years because I never knew it was a dexclone and, guess what, no problems.
 
Some of the modern green coolants have significantly reduced silicates and/or phosphates, making them not that much different than G05 in that respect.

If you stripped away your former green coolant system chemical protective layers via chemical flushes, it will take much longer to build that protection back up with a low silicate/very low phosphate formula coolant. That's possibly one advantage to sticking with a green coolant that has moderate silicates. If you pick a Zerex G05 for example it has approx 250-300 ppm silicates which will help (and less than 30 ppm phosphates).

Interesting that the Zerex green is also limited to silicates at 250 ppm. I would have thought it had more. No info on the spec sheet on phosphates.

Zerex original Green Coolant
 
I've used Zerex G05 in older engines with success, not as old as yours, but still from back in the IAT (inorganic additive technology - silicates, phosphates, etc) days. The G05 is a hybrid coolant, so it contains both inorganic adds (for quick protection) and inorganic acids adds (for long life).

I changed my Zerex G05 every 5 years and everything looked very clean inside the radiator.
 
I have used the old green coolant for years . Our 1991 Caprice has it .

Our 2015 Sonic & 2006 Lacrosse both have DexCool . Will probably stick with DexCool , in them , for now . Both , I dumped 1 gallon and added a gallon of fresh / new DexCool .`

Best of luck to you all , :)
 
Rotella ELC. It's an OAT coolant that has an inhibitor package to protect solder, brass, copper, and a variety of mixed metals. No need to hunt it down at a specialty store or dealer. It's at WM and AAP. Also silicate free, like most ELC.

Using this in a lot of old radiators without issue.
 
Thank you very much for the quick replies. It sounds like using the older green technology with test strips or the hybrid G05 are both acceptable and easy to find anywhere.
 
The Deere CoolGard II is specifically designed for the applications you have described as its good for new tier 4 compliant diesel engines and also good for all of their gas/diesel legacy engines. I currently use it in over 20 engines, varying from a couple '49 Ford flatheads to new marine diesel engines. Its service life is 6 years/6,000 hrs. and can be extended with their additive.
 
You can still get old school green, Zerex's formula is closer to G-05 but probably doesn't have an organic acid. Many parts stores have the old school green but in low silicate formulation to play nice with SCAs.
 
Originally Posted By: SR5
The G05 is a hybrid coolant, so it contains both inorganic adds (for quick protection) and Organic acids (for long life).


Fixed typo from above.
 
G05 and Cool-Gard II have worked great in my '02 Ranger. The cooling system is spotless with no flushes ever, just drain and fills. It did need the original water pump replaced at 195K due to a leak, but the impeller looked new.

I still use green in my 1994 Ranger because I'm too lazy to really clean it out.. it's got a layer of funky stuff. If I ever really flush it, I'll probably use G05/Cool-Gard II.
 
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