What kind of additives do you run in your classic car?
12-06-2011, 03:00 PM
#1
1st Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Indiana
Posts: 123
What kind of additives do you run in your classic car?
After reading a little bit about the differences between leaded and unleaded gasoline, I am curious as to how many people use a lead additive? Is it really necessary to use one?
12-06-2011, 04:57 PM
#3
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: 1984
Posts: 1,188
It's really not needed in a street car. I remember back in the early seventies, when they took the lead out there was going to be chaos and everyone's engine was going to eat itself... Well let's just say it hasn't happened yet.
12-06-2011, 05:06 PM
#4
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: The garage (near SF bay- Calif)
Posts: 469
It's an old myth from the 1970s. Unleaded is fine without additives.
Oil is another story. They reduced ZDDP out of oil and it's ruining the cams of flat tappet engines. Maybe not so important on low performance engines like your 6 cyl.
You can search Zddp and get all kinds of threads.
Oil is another story. They reduced ZDDP out of oil and it's ruining the cams of flat tappet engines. Maybe not so important on low performance engines like your 6 cyl.
You can search Zddp and get all kinds of threads.
12-06-2011, 09:30 PM
#6
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Smyrna, TN
Posts: 678
I'll be putting pure gas in mine from first start, luckily I can still get real gas in my state.
http://pure-gas.org/
Jon
http://pure-gas.org/
Jon
12-07-2011, 05:12 AM
#7
6th Gear Member
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Cork, Ireland
Posts: 6,417
Petrol: unleader .... not really a myth. unleaded gas tends to eat up the valve seats. the lead was put in there to help with knocking. I have driven a 289 that hasn't seen additives since the 70s and the valve seals were ok. what I heard (not sure if true) is that it tends to be worse when you're pulling with your car (trailer attached etc).
Anyway all modern engines have hardened valve seats just for that. if you overhaul your heads go and change them otherwise I'm with the others: simply ignore it.
Alcohol: alcohol in petrol seems to slowly but surely cause havoc with old fuel lines (rubber) and gaskets. They tend to get hard and break. So if you can avoid petrol mixed with Alcohol (E5) it would be better in the long run
oil: ZDDP is missing from most oils (has been taken out). You should use oil with high levels of that stuff though. it seems when a cam is failing for missing ZDDP it goes very fast. So if you change it make sure to use that stuff. If the spring pressures are not too high it seems to not be too bad (like mentioned above)
Anyway all modern engines have hardened valve seats just for that. if you overhaul your heads go and change them otherwise I'm with the others: simply ignore it.
Alcohol: alcohol in petrol seems to slowly but surely cause havoc with old fuel lines (rubber) and gaskets. They tend to get hard and break. So if you can avoid petrol mixed with Alcohol (E5) it would be better in the long run
oil: ZDDP is missing from most oils (has been taken out). You should use oil with high levels of that stuff though. it seems when a cam is failing for missing ZDDP it goes very fast. So if you change it make sure to use that stuff. If the spring pressures are not too high it seems to not be too bad (like mentioned above)
12-07-2011, 09:44 AM
#10
6th Gear Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Elk Grove, CA
Posts: 5,896
Valvoline VR-1. High zinc content for flat-tappet engines, and it's racing-quality oil to boot, which means it'll take abuse.
Another option is to run regular oil and a zinc additive, like ZDDPlus, GM's EOS, or even a bottle of STP.
Another option is to run regular oil and a zinc additive, like ZDDPlus, GM's EOS, or even a bottle of STP.