| Kpyto71 | -- 02-16-2026 @ 6:04 AM |
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Just wanted to post up... after a bit of a winter nap, and looking towards the coming car season (I'm in Chicago), it was time to get some things done with our 1941 convertible: I'll make a quite note here about my abilities... My dad was a mechanic back in the 60's. replaced lifters and rods in my first car (a '76 Olds Cutlass Supreme), I changed, oil, and I did brakes. That was about the extent of it. I would say I'm more a novice, but I'm not afraid to dive in. So... back to this weekend. It was darn near 60 degrees, so might as well take advantage of it. Oil Change... I did some self-education on the oil to use. It was abundantly clear that there are a LOT of opinions on oil... from specific this or that, to "anything will be better than what they had back in the day". After all of my research, I settled on Sh*ll Rotella 15w40. I know my engine is likely the original (but rebuilt at least twice), and has over 200,000 miles on it. No performance modifications of any sort... just the original 95 hp engine with 6v electrical. Getting the drain plug off was fun... someone decided it needed to be on with the hand of Thor, but once off, everything went smooth. About 4 quarts later, I was at full on the dipstick. Hot Start Issue... We purchased the car last year, and after taking a bit to understand how this engine starts, it ran great, except that the seller (who was selling the car for someone else) told me that there was a hot start issue... once it was up to temp, it needed to cool down for about 15 minutes or so before you could start it again. I posted about this in the General Ford area... so I'll keep it short here. As I was checking my battery cable to see the gauge, I noticed that the cable from the battery to the starter solenoid was loose at the solenoid. A took everything apart, wire brushed it all, put it back together and... voila! It was like a new car! Getting it up to temp and shutting it off, then starting it up again, was a breeze! So thankful that it seems this issue was resolved. I'll know more in a few weeks once we get some rains to wash the salt off the roads, but for now... my smile yesterday was never-ending! I'll post separately about a different issue (emergency brake), but for now... I can't wait to get the car back out on the road!
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| carcrazy | -- 02-16-2026 @ 2:58 PM |
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Most of the oils available today no longer have the required amounts of ZDDP (zinc and phosphorous) additives required to minimize wear of the camshaft lobes and tappets in our older flat tappet engines. One way to make sure you have enough ZDDP in your engine's oil is to use Red Line Engine Break-In Oil Additive. Follow the instructions on the label and add it to the oil when you change it.
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| carcrazy | -- 02-16-2026 @ 3:09 PM |
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If you can't find the Red Line Engine Oil Break-In Additive at you local auto parts store, you can order from Summit Racing. https://www.summitracing.com/parts/red-81403?seid=srese1&ppckw=pmax-oils-fluids-sealer&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIjtvg0Y7fkgMV5x2tBh1hbSonEAQYAiABEgIFmvD_BwE
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| same | -- 02-16-2026 @ 7:19 PM |
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I dont know what to think about the ZDDP use in our flathead engines. seems kind of like the same discussions on the ford barn about as to what motor oil to use. what has been discussed that some say the lighter valve spring pressure in our flathead motors does not warrant the use of ZDDP.
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