Classic Car and Older Muscle Car Engines With Flat Tappet Cams

If you buy your motor oil at the local auto parts store or other stores such as Wal-Mart you could be headed for serous trouble and not know it. Or, perhaps, you're reading this after finding out you've got some serious engine damage that needs to be repaired. Either way, today's current oils sporting the API SN & ILSAC 5 specs are not good for your engine at all.

The friction modifier added to motor oils to prevent wear is considered a source of pollution. Why? Because many feel it's harmful to the catalytic converter on modern cars. So despite these additives being used in these engines for years, the decision was made to remove or greatly reduce the zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDDP) otherwise referred by most people as "zinc" and others as "phosphorus". Tree huggers don't want us to keep our older cars much longer do they? But what about new car engines? It's been decided that these engines will probably be OK since the worst of the wear will be on flat-tappet camshafts and lifters and modern engines tend to use roller cams. After all, what's a little extra wear among friends anyway?

Older cars will be in serious trouble though, if they have flat tappet cams. The ZDDP would get between moving parts like trillions of ball bearings to prevent metal to metal contact necessary for the sliding action of flat tappet camshafts and lifters. Without it, cams will suffer damage for sure. They won't tear up immediately, but it will finish them sooner or later. If you're operating an older engine with flat tappet lifters, it's not a matter if it will cause damage, but when will the damage rear its ugly head.

So what's an owner of a prized classic engine to do? Lucky for us there are alternatives in the form of specialized motoroils designed for these special engines. Also, the better choices also have additives to prevent corrosion during periods of storage. Here's a link to more detailed and better information that you might find extremely interesting and a Godsend!

Solving the Challenges of Flat-Tappet Cams in Classic Car Engines

Also, watch out about the ethanol that could be in your fuel tank. This can be especially lethal to older cars. If you store your older car it would be a good idea to treat the fuel with a fuel stabilizer. No sense trying to fix something after it's all crapped out.