Looking for options regarding oil for the 82CF. 10w30 or 5w30, however many have recommended using Amsoil Z Rod synthetic which already has the ZDDP for the flat tappets. Have read some posts that say stay away from using Zinc additives to Oil and consider using classic motor oil, which specifically contains ZDDP already. Valvoline, for example. Any help is appreciated. J

 

how many miles on the motor?If you have a high mile car I would go a little thicker 10 40 .a low mile car 10 30 would be okay .imo I would not use the synthetic. you may be asking for all kinds of leaks.The additives should work fine.there are lots of opinions on what type of oil that's best, this is just my opinion.

 

Use the Amsoil Z Rod synthetic. My seals didn't leak when I switched to synthetic. Also, I'm not aware of any gaskets and seals that are required for synthetic oil. If your seals do begin to leak, then you needed new seals anyway.

 

Synthetic oil does not cause seals to leak , that's a myth.. unless your seals were made in the 40s , or already leaking .. They do however, provide superior lubrication and protection against wear and thermal breakdown, double or triple your change interval and actually cost less over time.. use one designed for flat tappet cams.. or use dino oil if you prefer.. 10W30 was recommended for your car unless you live at the North Pole or Sahara Desert

 

 

5w is too thin unless you live in a real cold place.
10w min and the high would depend on the temp
of your area.
more temp, more weight.
finding a flat tappet oil is a pain.
lucky the springs and cam in 82 were low pressure.

i struggle find an oil i can be confident in.
i use 20-50 here in south ca

 

As others have stated, synthetic oil does NOT cause leaks, bad gaskets cause leaks!

I started using Mobil 1 15W-50 synthetic in my OEM L-82 engine in the 80's all the way up to my rebuild of that motor in 2014. The OEM L-82 cam looked brand new at the rebuild. Mobil 1 15W-50 is made specifically for flat tappet cammed engines like your 82 350 CF and has 1200/1300 ZDDP additive necessary for flat tappet cams.

As far as engine oil weights are concerned, I would not be concerned. Not one of all my cars, power equipment like my lawn tractor, snowblower, generator, etc uses the manufacturer recommended oil weight of 5W-30, 10W-30, Straight weight 30, etc. Everyone one of the aforementioned engines uses Mobil 1 0W-40 European Formula (1,000/1100 ZDDP) which is a true full Group IV synthetic and not one motor burns an oz of oil between oil changes including my 78 L-82 355 with 450 Gross HP now, 10 C6Z06, all of the power equipment motors, my 01 Pontiac Grand Prix with 210,000 miles on its motor, or my 08 Chrysler 300 with 155,000 miles on its motor.

The majority of engine wear occurs at cold start and during the initial minutes when the engine is cold and running.....Use the thinnest oil you can for cold engine start and one that offers protection while running hot...Mobil 1 0W-40 Euro Formula synthetic does both and has superior anti wear additives as specified by most of the foreign German manufactuers

BTW-None of the OEM manufacturer of the motors mentioned above recommends using a synthetic 0W-40 weight oil...NONE.

Edit...........I am not saying that Mobil1 15W-50 or 0W-40 Euro Formula is the best by any means..........It's what I use and why I use it...That's all, just in case, any folks read it as such or into my statements beyond sharing my personal experience......

 

Agee.

Similar to my post elsewhere about the best shock absorber.

 

So you are saying ..if theres more than one opinion..no one should express theirs? we should just sit down and shut up and let the "smart" people like you talk? The OP asked because he WANTED OPINIONS! If you don t like the question, DON T JOIN THE THREAD! Do we now need your OFFICIAL OK to discuss a topic? You need to get over yourself...

 

ITS NOT old to the OP or he would not have asked.. I saw no one hawking their brand like its goldplated.. or shoving it on him... like I said, don t reply if you think its just a big waste of time.. OP obviously does not think so.. Have a nice day

 

Lucas makes a 10-30 or 10-40 oil called classic car /hot rod oil that is for older engines with flat tappet cams .I use the 10-30 in my Hot rod and 77 L82 Vette .

 

Use whatever oil is recommended in your owners manual.
Unless you are racing it or really torturing it.
Its a stock engine nothing special.... don't waste your money on fancy oils!A lot of people overthink oils!!!!!!

 

Depends what you call a fancy oil though.
Being in Europe, amsoil Z rod is about the only proper oil around. Wich is what I'll be using.
Pictures of what happens when you use bad oil:

 

I used the same oil in my CF motor for a long time when I had a flat tappet cam still in it. I would recommend going to a roller at some point if you are really concerned about ZDDP issues and flatting the cam which without it can happen. Once you flat the cam, you will have to pull the motor for a complete rebuild since it will send metal all through the motor. With a roller cam that I now use, I run 10W 40 year round, but I'm in Arizona and works just fine here.