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I read somewhere (I think it was in Mustang Monthly magazine before they went out of business" that simply going to 10W40 would protect our older engines without needing any special additives. May not hold true for higher HP engines but for my stock motor it seems to work just fine.
With what I have read from both oil manufacturers and fellow enthusiasts, I made a very conscious decided to opt to err on the side of caution when it comes to using an engine oil with Zinc to prevent needless and avoidable damage to my flat tappet designed engines in our 69 Shelby GT500 428CJ, our 73 Mustang Convertible 302 2v, and our 73 Mach 1 transplanted 351W Street/Strip engines. Further, I also decided (after doing research on this matter) to use AmsOil as in every test and comparative analysis I have read shows it is the best of the best when it comes to engine oil.

If you opt to use 10W40 without Zinc in the oil already, or a Zinc additive, that is your call for your engine. That you have apparently not had a problem yet is at the lest your good fortune. It could also be that the oil you are using "without additives" already contains Zinc - or you are one lucky guy.

In any event, whatever happens I hope you do not end up having costly and avoidable damage done to your engine. Going the direction I did hurts nothing, although it may be I am using a more costly oil than I may really need to. If I am paying more for protection that is truly over the top, so be it. It is a safer bet, in my opinion, than not heeding the counsel of others who have done various tests to different engine oils, and advised to make sure Zinc is available for flat tappet engines, and further report their overall analysis of oils on the market show AmsOil to be significantly superior in those areas that concern me (cleansing, lubrication, stability when hot or cold, viscosity, ability to transfer heat away from internally lubricated components of an engine). And of course, YMMV.
 
Does anyone use the STP oil additive?
I do not use it currently. I had an old 1966 Oldsmobile station wagon back in the early 70s that I purchased for $50.00. The engine was quite worn, so I added STP to help thicken the oil and the piston slapping I heard was reduced significantly. It was a band-aid solution until someone offered to buy it (sold for $200, after advising of the piston slap and how I used STP to quiet things down). I would only be willing to use such a product (STP, Motor Honey, etc.) as a way of keeping the engine running long enough to get by until a proper repair can be effected.

On the fyi side, I knew a guy who used to drag race professionally. He told me they would accept promotional money from STP, put the sticker on their car, and would pour STP in before making their strip run. But, right before going out to the strip wo make their run(s), they would drain the engine oil (to get rid of that crap), and pour in fresh engine oil with a new filter so keep as much of the STP as possible out of their engine. I always thought that was pretty funny, especially how they poured in the STP, and before firing up the engine draining and refilling the crankcase oil, and swapped the oil filter to make certain all of the STP possible was not in the engine. That is one heck of a de-endorsement.
 
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+1 on Lake's oil vid. Very interesting, he really stresses change your oil often.
And he stresses not to use additives with the oil because of the risk of not knowing how the different chemicals will interact. I think he said that you are playing "Russian roulette" when you do it.
 
I ran Mobil 10w40 with a zinc additive for years in the B1 and B2. The bearings on both engine looked great at teardown. The B1 a couple of years ago and the B2 just recently. Since the B1 O/H I am now running Amsoil 10w40 that has the zinc in it. I used the 30wt Amsoil break-in oil during break-in. First oil run was only around a total of 30 minutes. I wanted to get the majority of the build greases out. I put the original camshaft back in the Boss 351. It literally had zero wear after 76k miles and 50 years. Not so lucky on the B2. Comp Cams now makes an exact camshaft replacement for the Boss 302. Only option we added was hardening process for durability. I haven’t started the build up on the B1 yet. I highly recommend Mission Auto in San Antonio, Texas for engine work. John Hamilton is a Boss engine expert. David Kees, south of there, is your go to guy for toploader rebuild.
 
I use Kawasaki 10w40 General Purpose engine oil and Wix filters. The oil has 1200ppm zinc and is formulated with heat resistant additives.
Wix 51515HP is the best filter out there.
Remember... most of what I know is opinion...
 
There MUST be at least three threads on this subject going at the same time. That makes it hard to follow, let alone remember who said what about this or that. I'm f'n confused!!
In one thread, don't remember which one, I mentioned that here in SW Ontario where I live, there seems to be a limited stock of oils containing zinc available. I can get AmsOil Z rod synthetic, synthetic is not my preferred choice due to the small amount of driving per year and it's expensive, or Lucas Hot Rod/Classic that is a conventional oil, BUT it has 2100ppm zinc.
So MY question is; is this too much zinc? I mean Lucas are a renowned company for additives of all sorts, so why would they put an oil on the market that is not in step with conventional wisdom?
And the debate continues..................
 
I found this quite interesting.
https://www.tdxltd.co.nz/blog/passenger-car-motor-oil-blogAlso I have emailed Lucas for clarification on why their Hot Rod Classic oils contains higher levels of Zinc. Awaiting their reply.

EDIT: I had a reply from Lucas Oil Canada and the short answer was their R&D department came up with 2100ppm as an appropriate zinc level in THEIR oil. They also mentioned that using Lucas zinc additive TB Zinc Plus #10063 @ 4 oz /5 quarts (US I presume) will yield about 1900ppm in any conventional oil.
 
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So MY question is; is this too much zinc? I mean Lucas are a renowned company for additives of all sorts, so why would they put an oil on the market that is not in step with conventional wisdom?
And the debate continues..................
Because any vehicle with catalytic converters can't use the oil with much zinc in it. They are trying to produce products for the masses. Just a few brands carry a high zinc oil for us old heads.
 
Because any vehicle with catalytic converters can't use the oil with much zinc in it. They are trying to produce products for the masses. Just a few brands carry a high zinc oil for us old heads.
That IS the truth, we're dinosaurs!! But my question was solely about the zinc content in Lucas Hot Rod & Classic oil compared to other high zinc oils on the market for our older cars. You are however, correct.
 
Does anyone use the STP oil additive?
The Racer's Edge! Everyone in Junior High School, (Middle School for you youngsters), had STP stickers on their notebooks, bicycles, lunchboxes, along with Batman stickers and such. No doubt people still use it, if they still make it. I haven't looked.
 
So
What’s the better oil and or oil additives and how much to add at oil change. I usually use a full bottle of AC Delco
 
So
What’s the better oil and or oil additives and how much to add at oil change. I usually use a full bottle of AC Delco
4 oz per 4-5 US quarts is what Lucas say. The brand that NPD sell is also 4oz /4-5 quarts. A full bottle may be too much, read the label.
 
The Racer's Edge! Everyone in Junior High School, (Middle School for you youngsters), had STP stickers on their notebooks, bicycles, lunchboxes, along with Batman stickers and such. No doubt people still use it, if they still make it. I haven't looked.
STP is still everywhere.
 
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