I own a 1978 corvette with a 350 L-82 motor , I use mobil 1 10/30 fully synthetic motor oil . Do I need to use the zinc additive ? I was told to use a 4 oz. bottle of zdd plus, zinc additive by my corvette guy...

 

Just wondering, has the motor been rebuilt and then used the synthetic? Or has it been run with conventional motor oil and then you switched to synthetic?

 

If you intend to continue to use that oil, you should use a ZDDP additive.
The ZDDPlus is probably fine. You might also want to look at Cam-Shield. http://www.cam-shield.com/
It was designed and is marketed by a senior lubrication engineer with Castrol.

Or you could just switch to an oil that is manufactured with adequate levels of ZDDP.
If you read the oil sticky here http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-t...ppet-oils.html, you will find several that will work for you.

 

Not again........ No oil manufacturer, automobile manufacturer or cam manufacturer recommends any additive of any type to protect flat tappet cams. Additive clash or too high of zddp levels can be as detrimental to your engine as too little ZDDP. Use an oil with an additive package specifically designed for a gasoline engine with flat tappet cam. If you like synthetic and want a 10W-30 with verified correct levels of ZDDP Amsoil Z-Rod 10W-30 (true synthetic) or Joe Gibbs 10W-30 Synthetic Hot Rod Oil both have adequate levels of ZDDP, will work fine in your classic car and protect your flat tappet cam. Read more here:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-t...ppet-oils.html

 

 

I'm with "63" as modern oils are highly engineered packages, and you're not wanting to mess with them the way they come packaged from the factory, or could actually make some things worse. While it's true, a little more zinc is usually good for lubricating flat tappets in older cars, there are some readily availible oils formulated for this. Valvoline VR1 racing oil and Joe Gibbs come to mind.

 

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-g...-zddp-oil.html

 

FWIW, I use Red Line additive in (nowadays) 10-30w (non-syn) Pennzoil. I assume the zinc level is 800-1000ppm and I add a few ounces to the 5 qt pan to bring it to 1200-1500 ppm. Mako is right, too much is no good and IMO the instructions on the Red Line bottle give you "too much" of a boost.

 

I chose the Brad Penn 10/30(green oil) in my 427/390.
It's on the list, locally available, and so far no problems.
Marshal135

 

I user roller lifters now and I do not have to worry any longer. The old BS about Rotella diesel oil,don't believe it

 

"Additive Clash" IMO is a buzzword the oil companies like to throw around when they don't want to be bothered with issues like this.
They used the term decades ago when people wanted to mix grades or brands of motor oils and in order to steer people from straying from their brand of choice (and to avoid having to actually TEST anything, which is expensive), the term "additive clash" was born.
Years later, no evidence of issues due to this "additive clash" have ever been documented and the 'issue' went quietly away..

Fast forward a few decades...
Personally, I think we are seeing the same behavior again-
Oil companies are more interested in profits than testing other vendors products compatibility with theirs- It's not in their best interest and it's expensive to test. It's easier to throw out the old "additive clash" battle cry and leave it at that.

As soon as any reputable (independent) lab can publish any sort of white paper and back it up with real data that claims these additives cause more harm than good, I'll stop using them.
For now, my independent testing is inconclusive- I have never had any premature engine failure from using oil with or without the zinc additive.

I'm not trying to tell people what to do-
People are either for or against the additives.
Follow your best judgement.
I just don't care for the big oil company scare tactics and when pressed to provide proof, none is available.

Just my .02, your mileage may vary

 

There's all kinds of opinions on this, but once you start mixing things in your garage, may as well start with buying cheapo brand X motor oil off the shelf, as good as you'll ever know. Probably nothing at all wrong with this in a street cruiser, but rather be running a straight top brand product, ragged edge on the track.

 

dont forget the 10 oz. of marvel mystery oil. this will fix your worries away.

 

Or the STP... And let's not forget the Teflon additives!

Oil (and fuel) Additives have been around forever- Some snake oil, some maybe not so much.
All I'm saying is it's easy to dismiss something without proof.
People will believe what they want to believe-
I'm just looking for a little meat with my Kool-Aid..
Elm

 

REGARDING MOTOR OIL ADDITIVES

Synergy and Balance

Though some additives may not contain anything harmful to your engine, and even some things that could be beneficial, most experts still recommend that you avoid their use. The reason for this is that your oil, as purchased from one of the major oil companies, already contains a very extensive additive package. This package is made up of numerous, specific additive components ... balanced and blended to achieve a specific formula that will meet the requirements of your engine.

Usually, at least several of these additives will be SYNERGISTIC. That is, they react mutually, in groups of two or more, to create an effect that none of them could attain individually. Changing or adding to this formula can upset the balance and negate the protective effect the formula was meant to achieve, even if you are only adding more of something that was already included in the initial package.
__________

Chemistry Clash

Oil chemistry is a SCIENCE and many hours and millions of dollars ( $$$$$ ) goes into blending oil. To think that an additive maker can come out with something that works in improving the quality of an oil without disturbing the existing oil's chemistry is certainly not thinking about the long term consequences. Chemistry Clash is a good reason to NOT mix differant oils and/or additives to achieve your own "homebrew".
__________

There are many out there - Slick 50, zMax, MMO, Marvel Mystery Oil, Etc.
Be aware of the HAZARDS of using any additives. There are a few good
advantages to additives ... but VERY few.

"Oil Additives" that have been the subject of FTC investigations, fines, etc.

(a partial listing)

- DuraLube -- http://www.ftc.gov/opa/1999/9905/duralub2.htm

- ProLong ---- http://www.ftc.gov/opa/1999/9909/prolong.htm

- MotorUp ---- http://www.ftc.gov/opa/1999/9904/motorup5.htm

- Slick-50 ---- http://www.ftc.gov/opa/1996/9607/slick.htm

Whatever you may record as short-term benefits ---
--- always consider the long-term consequences!

 

For some reason, none of these links work?

 

No they don't. Most of them are on this page.
http://www.carbibles.com/additives.html

 

I would not expect them to say anything different.

Next up. Tertraethyl lead. Fact or falsehood.

 

Consider yourself lucky.

FWIW, I didn't think I was having engine problems until 4 years ago when I took the heads off for inspection from my 1969 oem 350/300 (w/3.08 gears) with under 90K miles. I bought it with 40K miles so I don't know how the care was before that but, I did 3-4 month changes when using it as a daily driver in the 70's with name brand zinc fortified oil available back then.









Of course, all the other lifters looked OK - well, except for a couple that were "indented" a bit.

 

Interesting reading to be sure but most of these cases should fall under common sense and none of them address questions regarding Zinc additives specifically and therefore reinforces my opinion.
Without actual testing from an independent lab, you really will never know if it's good, bad or otherwise.

'Engine Rebuild in a Bottle' type products should be questioned just on principle and shouldn't require government intervention to let you know that this is probably BS. The other products were more or less flat out fraud.
It also appears that even big oil manufacturers such as Castrol can get caught selling snake oil. Go figure?

Please don't get me wrong- I'm just playing Devil's advocate here.
If anyone has any doubts, you will never go wrong with buying a known, name brand oil with the specifications your engine requires.
I just don't think you can totally dismiss the Zinc additives just because the oil companies don't endorse or have tested them. Without actual data, it's just "he said" vs "she said"....

As always, the choice is ours