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1973 L82 oil

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Old Mar 4, 2012 | 01:59 PM
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Default 1973 L82 oil

I've been reading quite a bit about oil quality and flat tappet cams.

I have a 1973 L82 with original cam and heads. Do I have a concern related to not enough zinc in "standard" 10W-30 Valvoline or Pennzoil oil?

I thought this issue was with solid lifters, but now I am confused about hydraulic flat tappets...which I think I have.

Last edited by Joebrick; Mar 4, 2012 at 02:01 PM.
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Old Mar 4, 2012 | 02:35 PM
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Everything you need to know is at the link below...which likely won't stop this into turning into a 30 page thread with folks repeating it

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-t...ppet-oils.html
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Old Mar 4, 2012 | 02:40 PM
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Originally Posted by billla
Everything you need to know is at the link below...which likely won't stop this into turning into a 30 page thread with folks repeating it

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-t...ppet-oils.html


No it won't

Yes it will

(repeat as required)
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Old Mar 4, 2012 | 02:52 PM
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Here is what I do and have not had a disaster that I know of.
I run Castrol 10W40 regular blend oil

And a bottle of Comp Cams break in additive.
.
I change my oil 2Xs a year on what ever is in the garage.
I donot run synthetic, but im not saying I won't at sometime, but if I do, I would have no problems with "Royal Purple" or Amsol.
But im a big fan of anything Comp Cams.
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Old Mar 4, 2012 | 02:52 PM
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Originally Posted by Mike Ward


No it won't

Yes it will

(repeat as required)
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Old Mar 4, 2012 | 03:36 PM
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Thanks...appreciate the info.
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Old Mar 4, 2012 | 04:07 PM
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Originally Posted by Mike Ward


No it won't

Yes it will

(repeat as required)
I couldn't find the time to get through the 10,000 messages so I'll just stick with Castrol GTX 10W-30.
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Old Mar 4, 2012 | 10:21 PM
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Originally Posted by paul 74
I couldn't find the time to get through the 10,000 messages so I'll just stick with Castrol GTX 10W-30.
That's what the sticky is for...and as an SM/SN oil, Castrol GTX does not have sufficent ZDDP for a flat-tappet cam.

Your call, of course.
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Old Mar 4, 2012 | 10:28 PM
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Check the first post of the Sticky. Everything you need is there. No need to go through the 508 posts unless you want to educate yourself further on the why behind your choices.

Last edited by 63mako; Mar 4, 2012 at 10:31 PM.
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Old Mar 5, 2012 | 02:57 AM
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I really can't believe that once your cam is broken in that it needs anything.
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Old Mar 5, 2012 | 09:50 AM
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There are 4 posts on this thread that have been rehashed over and over in the sticky that are just flat out wrong. Facts are modern SN/SN oil formulations even when combined with one of the dozens of "miricle" additives are not sufficiant or the correct approach for long term flat tappet cam protection for a variety of reasons. Read the first post in the sticky. It is a consolidation of information from the oil companies, cam companies, experts in many fields and input from hundreds of sources and writeups that has had hundreds of hours of research and effort put into it and is updated regularly as new information is available. Use it. No need to even go their in this thread.
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Old Mar 5, 2012 | 11:48 AM
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How old is your engine? How many miles has it run with 'standard' oils being used?

There's your answer.
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Old Mar 5, 2012 | 01:44 PM
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Originally Posted by 7T1vette
How old is your engine? How many miles has it run with 'standard' oils being used?

There's your answer.
These engines are all over 30 years old years old. Many have run over 100,000 miles. If you buy a "standard" oil that contains the additive package in use when these were built you are fine. As late as 1988 the Standard oil was required to have over 1200 PPM Zinc. Now all are required to have under 800 with most testing well below so, . Run a "standard" oil for the year your car was built. The list of those oils are in post 1 of the sticky. Pretty simple.
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