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Hey everyone. 1st time poster. Just joined. Here is my first question for the forum. I have a 1949 F2 pickup truck with an original flathead 6 cyl engine. The engine has ran on 10w-30 for the past year on and off and I want to make sure that from here on out I use the best grade of engine oil for this type of engine this old. What is the overall opinion of the people in the forum for which engine oil type to use?
Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Hi, welcome!
I'm using Delo 400 LE 15w-40 in my '50 254 six cylinder. It gives me stable oil pressure at cold and hot idle on my "million miler" cement mixer. And not to mention that it reduces inventory because I use it in all my equipment except the leaf blower and chainsaw. Very nice pic btw.
Welcome! There will be a number of opinions about oil - none of them wrong or harmful that I've seen. The concern that I have from your picture. It appears that your battery cables are undersized and that you may have the negative post as the ground. Pictures and eyeballs can be misled, but you'll want to assure these are both correct.
I agree it looks like your truck is wired 6 volt negative ground. Does your ammeter peg backwards when it's running? Those cables look like they're for a 12 volt system. You could simply rotate your battery and swap the cables, but you might have to polarize your generator (easy to do).
Your engine has been repainted at some point. Mine is 2 years newer and looks considerably less "red".
I just changed my oil, and used Rotella T 15W40 with 1/2 pint of STP oil treatment (for zinc), and 4oz of MM oil added to keep my rings from sticking. I have also read where people begin to become concerned about smoke coming from the oil fill tube and road draft tube on these straight sixes. I then read a thread where an individual made the comment that the amount of vapor coming from the crankcase could depend on the miles on the oil. I did notice after changing my oil that crankcase vapor did reduce, although still there slightly. I think slight vapor, especially when speed is not pulling the vapor from the road draft tube, would be normal.
My engine is a 226 in an F1. I did run into issues with the oil filter, so if you are changing yours, I would like to see pictures of the top of the filter after you remove the cap, and how the pieces are put together on the center rod in the oil filter canister. I still do not think mine is put back together correct.
Thanks for all the feedback on oil types. I tried using a 6 volt battery but it wouldn't crank over fast enough to start. The engine has been rebuilt so that is probably why. I switched to an 8 volt battery and she starts up fine. You think my battery cables are really undersized? You could be right so I'll have to look into that. Is the whole point of having a positive ground so that the ammeter reads correctly or is there something else it could be affecting? Man I'm glad I joined this forum. Lots to talk about.
The system was designed as a positive ground. Reversing the wire direction for the ammeter coil will allow the gauge to read correctly with your current setup.
If the battery cables now in place were used with a 6V battery, they wouldn't help when cranking. Also, you need to shine up the battery and starter connections (that means the connector surfaces not just the visible parts) and re-tighten well. An 8V battery is a crutch that sort of obscures an underlying problem - like cables, connections, or generator function.
I understand. I will contact LMC truck to see if they sell the appropriate battery cable size for the 6 volt system. I will make the update along with the ground cable switch and polarization and see how she does. Thanks.
There a a few choices for cables from LMC. Be sure to check the distances from your posts as not every battery today is configured with the same post positioning as back in the day.In addition, the braided ground strap is also a viable choice.
...In addition, the braided ground strap is also a viable choice.
Even tho a braided cable was stock (on V8s anyway), I checked ratings on the ones available nowadays and they are pathetic, compared to #0 copper cables. There are some made for solar eneergy systems that are pretty robust ($$$), but most places are selling braided cables equivalent to #4 ga.
