What motor oil do you use in your Shelby

[FL SAAC]

FYI

https://mobiloil.com/en/faq/ask-our-auto-experts/questions-for-auto-experts/has-zinc-been-removed-from-motor-oils

[csheff]

Here's some good info on oils: A look read but full of good info.
https://540ratblog.wordpress.com/

[zray]

There are numerous oils, boutique and otherwise, more than  good than enough for our vintage engines. We are fortunate to have such a wide selection to choose from with no apparent significant downside to any of them. 

To those people who drive infrequently enough to only need a single yearly oil change, I would urge y'all to make that yearly oil change it before the car is put to rest for the winter, not after the winter slumber.  That way the acidic combustion blow-by, however minimal it may be, is not munching on your engines bearings while it sits over the winter months.

Additionally, consider this: just drive the dang thing more ! Someday you won't be physically or mentally able to drive, and you'll be wishing you had just ONE more day behind the wheel to remember the joy of it all....

Personally, I've  been putting Mobil 1 15w-50 in both small and BB vintage Ford engines for a little over 20 years. including every variety of Ford's 200, 260, 289, 302, 352, 390, 406, 427, and 428 CJ & SCJ.  Have also put it in customers cars, including e type Jags, XK-120's, Triumph TR-3, 4's and 6's., MGA's, Sunbeam Alpine's, Jensen- Healey's,  Sting Rays, and Chevelle's, the list goes on and on.  I just like the way an engine wears with that oil:  that is, undetectable.  The ease of availability and price are hard to beat as well

The Mobil 1 0w-40 is a great oil too, especially if you drive in a cold winter, but their 15w-50 is faultless above 25 degrees F. which is cold enough for me.

Mobil 1 oil filters are pretty good too.

Z

PS   if one must use an oil w/o the sufficient amount of zinc and phosphorus (1200 ppm minimum of each in my view) then use a zddp additive. The best one I know of is:    http://www.cam-shield.com/
it comes with a formula concentration table so you know exactly how much concentration of zinc / phosphorus you are ending up with.  It takes VERY LITTLE Cam-Shield to bring up the standard level of zinc found in todays oil, usually 800 ppm, to an acceptable level in the 1200's, or more. So the oil is not being diluted significantly as is the case with other additives requiring a much greater volume of additive to accomplish the same thing. Of course, the best strategy is to use a proper oil in the first place.

[FL SAAC]

There are numerous oils, boutique and otherwise, more than  good than enough for our vintage engines. We are fortunate to have such a wide selection to choose from with no apparent significant downside to any of them. 

To those people who drive infrequently enough to only need a single yearly oil change, I would urge y'all to make that yearly oil change it before the car is put to rest for the winter, not after the winter slumber.  That way the acidic combustion blow-by, however minimal it may be, is not munching on your engines bearings while it sits over the winter months.

Additionally, consider this: just drive the dang thing more ! Someday you won't be physically or mentally able to drive, and you'll be wishing you had just ONE more day behind the wheel to remember the joy of it all....

Personally, I've  been putting Mobil 1 15w-50 in both small and BB vintage Ford engines for a little over 20 years. including every variety of Ford's 200, 260, 289, 302, 352, 390, 406, 427, and 428 CJ & SCJ.  Have also put it in customers cars, including e type Jags, XK-120's, Triumph TR-3, 4's and 6's., MGA's, Sunbeam Alpine's, Jensen- Healey's,  Sting Rays, and Chevelle's, the list goes on and on.  I just like the way an engine wears with that oil:  that is, undetectable.  The ease of availability and price are hard to beat as well

The Mobil 1 0w-40 is a great oil too, especially if you drive in a cold winter, but their 15w-50 is faultless above 25 degrees F. which is cold enough for me.

Mobil 1 oil filters are pretty good too.

Z

PS   if one must use an oil w/o the sufficient amount of zinc and phosphorus (1200 ppm minimum of each in my view) then use a zddp additive. The best one I know of is:    http://www.cam-shield.com/
it comes with a formula concentration table so you know exactly how much concentration of zinc / phosphorus you are engine up with.  It takes VERY LITTLE Cam-Shield to bring up the standard level of zinc found in todays oil, usually 800 ppm, to an acceptable level in the 1200's, or more. So the oil is not being diluted significantly as is the case with other additives requiring a much greater volume of additive to accomplish the same thing. Of course, the best strategy is to use a proper oil in the first place.

Z +1

[69 GT350 Vert]

Adding a small bottle of zddp to oil does not provide the same level of protection as buying oil with the proper amounts of zinc and phosphorous blended in at the molecular level when the oil is produced.  I've read this and have been told this by 2 engine builders that know their stuff and race. 

I always thought that the bearing clearances in each engine dictate what viscosity oil is required to give proper oil pressure. 

[corbins]

Valvoline 20/50 Racing Oil for 28 years.  Have not had any engine problems.  Change oil and filter once a year.

+1..

[zray]

"......I always thought that the bearing clearances in each engine dictate what viscosity oil is required to give proper oil pressure.

On a recent SBF engine with a fresh overhaul, I did some very basic experimentation with two  different viscosity of oils. This experiment was on a '65 289 HiPo w/ a stock long block, blueprinted HV Melling oil pump, and Weber induction. The bearing clearances were on the low end of Fords "desired" specifications for  rod and main bearings.  Without  having my manual in front of me, I think that range starts at 0.0008" for rod big ends and 0.0005" for mains. .  My clearances were  right at 0.001".

Back to oil viscosity;  once the engine was at full operating temperature, I had zero change of oil pressure at idle, or thru the rpm range. Whether  the oil was 15w-50 or 0w-40, the pressure was the same. In an engine set up more loosely, that may not hold true, or with a stock oil pump there might be a measurable change as well, don't know. I was a little surprised to see the pressure not change with a change in oils

O.T. :

FWIW, I don't subscribe to the philosophy of setting up street engines with the bearings at the loose end of Fords published desired clearances. Racing is whole different ballgame, and my experience with racing engines is so dated as to not really matter.  But, when a street engine has 0.0025" of main bearing clearance , I want it to be because it's got 150,000 miles on it, not just starting out that loose. To me, that's just giving away a hundred thousand miles of normal wear. Every new-ish engine I was able to get my hands inside of, way back when, ( practically when  dinosaurs were roaming around ), had barely 0.001" of bearing clearance. Clearly, that was the spec. Ford preferred in their new engines. My uncles shop disassembled a lot of wrecked cars that got totaled by the insurance companies, and it was one of my 1st jobs to cannibalize engines for parts. In that lowly job I got to see the insides of many factory fresh engines. Heaven for a 14 year old kid in 1965.

Z

[427heaven]

There are numerous oils, boutique and otherwise, more than  good than enough for our vintage engines. We are fortunate to have such a wide selection to choose from with no apparent significant downside to any of them. 

To those people who drive infrequently enough to only need a single yearly oil change, I would urge y'all to make that yearly oil change it before the car is put to rest for the winter, not after the winter slumber.  That way the acidic combustion blow-by, however minimal it may be, is not munching on your engines bearings while it sits over the winter months.

Additionally, consider this: just drive the dang thing more ! Someday you won't be physically or mentally able to drive, and you'll be wishing you had just ONE more day behind the wheel to remember the joy of it all....

Personally, I've  been putting Mobil 1 15w-50 in both small and BB vintage Ford engines for a little over 20 years. including every variety of Ford's 200, 260, 289, 302, 352, 390, 406, 427, and 428 CJ & SCJ.  Have also put it in customers cars, including e type Jags, XK-120's, Triumph TR-3, 4's and 6's., MGA's, Sunbeam Alpine's, Jensen- Healey's,  Sting Rays, and Chevelle's, the list goes on and on.  I just like the way an engine wears with that oil:  that is, undetectable.  The ease of availability and price are hard to beat as well

The Mobil 1 0w-40 is a great oil too, especially if you drive in a cold winter, but their 15w-50 is faultless above 25 degrees F. which is cold enough for me.

Mobil 1 oil filters are pretty good too.

Z

PS   if one must use an oil w/o the sufficient amount of zinc and phosphorus (1200 ppm minimum of each in my view) then use a zddp additive. The best one I know of is:    http://www.cam-shield.com/
it comes with a formula concentration table so you know exactly how much concentration of zinc / phosphorus you are engine up with.  It takes VERY LITTLE Cam-Shield to bring up the standard level of zinc found in todays oil, usually 800 ppm, to an acceptable level in the 1200's, or more. So the oil is not being diluted significantly as is the case with other additives requiring a much greater volume of additive to accomplish the same thing. Of course, the best strategy is to use a proper oil in the first place.

Z +1

Z- I agree with most everything you said above,so MOST all streetable hydraulic cammed engines from the most mundane six bangers to a performance 460 and everything in between will run very well on standard 30 weight or whatever is on sale at the auto parts. Many on here feel good about spending 50.00 dollars on an oil change with specialty oils when the bargain brand will do just fine. Remember 50 years ago 100s of millions of cars ran on 30weight and got approx. 100k miles of trouble free driving. Today most of these cars might see 500 miles of driving if there lucky. Sorta like running 18 dollar a gallon race gas when their 8 to 1  302 wont even ping with 40 degrees of timing in the 110 degree desert... to each his own