Great work! Your front exhaust manifold insulator and heat pipe look great--any leads on sourcing those?
Builds "Scout" the 1977 FJ40 (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter 77CruiserDog
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77CruiserDog
GOLD Star
- Thread starter
- #362
Thanks, I appreciate it. The manifold insulator came with the rig but was super ugly so I simply cleaned it and painted it with some high temp silver paint. I think the hot air pipe to the air cleaner I simply found the right diameter of pipe and ordered it on Amazon. It was a while ago so my memory is a bit foggy.
77CruiserDog
GOLD Star
- Thread starter
- #363
Oil change day.
After studying this information 540 RAT - Tech Facts, NOT Myths - https://540ratblog.wordpress.com/
and actually reaching out to him to ask further questions here is what I used.
NO zinc additive and straight up Quaker State Full Synthetic (QSFS) 5w-30. The highest ranking motor oil.
The article referenced above is a tough read but very well worth the time.
My engine runs noticeably quieter.
Here it is next to Falcor getting a little love.
Took it for a spin to grab some plants.
MAN this thing needs some 4 degree shims put in. It’s super twitchy with far more bump steer than I remember. Coming soon.
After studying this information 540 RAT - Tech Facts, NOT Myths - https://540ratblog.wordpress.com/
and actually reaching out to him to ask further questions here is what I used.
NO zinc additive and straight up Quaker State Full Synthetic (QSFS) 5w-30. The highest ranking motor oil.
The article referenced above is a tough read but very well worth the time.
My engine runs noticeably quieter.
Here it is next to Falcor getting a little love.
Took it for a spin to grab some plants.
MAN this thing needs some 4 degree shims put in. It’s super twitchy with far more bump steer than I remember. Coming soon.
What were you running previously?
77CruiserDog
GOLD Star
- Thread starter
- #365
Sorry, long answer Honger,...
For one, I had read that a zinc additive was necessary. It's not and actually can have some detrimental side effects. It's a commonly missunderstood additive to engine oil. More is not better. The complete package of Zinc, Phos and Moly are balanced by oil engineers, me dumping in a zinc additive did nothing good.
MOTOR OIL ENGINEERING TEST DATA
….On smart phones, “Q&A” CAN NOW BE ACCESSED BY CLICKING ON THE 3 HORIZONTAL BARS IN THE UPPER LEFT HAND CORNER…..******..With so many different Blog readers coming here…
540ratblog.wordpress.com
I used the same oil filter Wix 51515 (NAPA 1515) as I've read in tests it proves to be one of the highest quality aftermarket filters availible. I do really like the OEM 90915-40002 and the unobtainum big filter from Toyota.
As far as oil weight goes, I was using a 10w-30 conventional oil, which ranks far below the Quaker State 5w-30. Some will claim that with our high volume oil pumps we need a thicker oil or that the older engines need a thicker 10w-30 or even a 15w-40 oil.... all based on something other than lab testing and science.
As far as brand of oil goes, I've tried a bunch from the most of the big names.... according to the above referenced article (which admitedly is an incredible challenge read) Quaker State Full Synthetic 2 dexos is the king. I've reached out to the engineer who did the testing and ran a few conventional wisdom questions past him. He said he's heard it all, stick with the science.
Hope that helps! My 40 certainly runs quieter now. I'll be able to test it in my 60 as soon as it's put back together too.
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middlecalf
SILVER Star
Is there a good summary of the “science” (or better, engineering of what variables and parameters were used to determine the “best”), that article is terrible for relaying any valuable information. And I’ve had a wee bit too much of this “science” thingy. And my engine(s) always run(s) quieter after I change the oil.
77CruiserDog
GOLD Star
- Thread starter
- #367
Ha! Yeah science can be difficult to distill down. I think it reads well, just painfully long.
Here is the long and short of it. Quaker State Full Synthetic in 5w-30 is what you should use. This is based on wear studies, temperature studies and breakdown testing that far exceeds what normal individuals have access to.
77CruiserDog
GOLD Star
- Thread starter
- #368
One additional piece to note… the oil I drained out had about 1000 miles on it. So I too was surprised when I started it up and it was considerably quieter. I definitely didn’t expect any change.
FJ40Savvy
SILVER Star
Great job on Scout. I admire the attention to detail and the focus to get if running again quickly. Time to venture on longer trips with Louie after reading your adventures.
77CruiserDog
GOLD Star
- Thread starter
- #370
Thanks!! I'm excited to read your build thread now! I equally enjoy the wrenching and the driving so it's tough for me to tear it down for a long time because then I can't drive it, but I love the process of cleaning it up and making some piece on it work better than when it started. It's a never ending process of polishing a turd. HA!
Yes, take that sweet 40 of yours on a trip! I love hopping in my 40 and finding a new back road to explore. Sometimes it takes me to a new brewery or restaurant, sometimes to a lake or trail I've never been to. The best part is that when I drive Scout, it's sort of meditative. I always come home refreshed and a head filled with ideas of what I'd like to work on next.
thecrazygreek
A.K.A. TheCraftyGreek
Not saying anything regarding the oil topic, but man, does anyone else twitch when they read this?
The past two years has really opened my eyes...
Love your approach to keeping things drivable as much/quickly as possible.
I'm going through the blog now... quotes like this aren't reassuring:
"My advice is, ignore any critics of my Blog, because they have always been wrong, and cannot be trusted. They are not Engineers, they don’t have Credentials, they don’t have in-depth real world experience with engines, and they have never done any testing themselves."
I'm a licensed professional engineer... I'd never say sometime like this. Yeesh!
That said, he has done some solid testing. Pretty good info... but I'm not switching oil yet. I'm only about 20% through it now.
^^^ I’m currently running Valvoline VR-1 20W-50 ……. I’ve the valve cover off doing needed adjustments and didn’t like how cruddy the rocker assembly looked!
This thread portion has me wondering if I might need to change to a lighter oil! Waiting on you smarter guys opinion first though
This thread portion has me wondering if I might need to change to a lighter oil! Waiting on you smarter guys opinion first though
77CruiserDog
GOLD Star
- Thread starter
- #374
Yeah the article and the format it's in doesn't work for my style of reading or learning. I can't imagine trying to read that all in one take. The dude is clearly smarter than he is gifted at visual delivery. HA! That being said, I know a ton of engineers, this is just how they work.
77CruiserDog
GOLD Star
- Thread starter
- #375
Good luck with it, I had to take it in multiple shifts. I believe that his information and testing methodology is sound. I also don't believe he has any motivation to sway someone the wrong way... but yes I think some of the things he says are pretty outlandish....
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77CruiserDog
GOLD Star
- Thread starter
- #376
^^^ I’m currently running Valvoline VR-1 20W-50 ……. I’ve the valve cover off doing needed adjustments and didn’t like how cruddy the rocker assembly looked!
This thread portion has me wondering if I might need to change to a lighter oil! Waiting on you smarter guys opinion first though
I'm thinking that a 20w50 is pretty thick... but what do I know. Me giving an opinon is like anyone else. Part of why I like the info in that blog is that it's based on testing and his results are very consistant. Compared to the information I was using, which was mostly hearsay and conjecture, I think I'm at least slightly better off following his reccomendations.
77CruiserDog
GOLD Star
- Thread starter
- #377
I just thought of a possible way to test the oils we all like @rainingagain @imyahucklbrry @thecrazygreek @Honger @middlecalf . I reached out to Blackstone, an oil analysis company and asked for two engine oil test kits. I'll put some of Falcor's dino oil with Zinc Additive in one kit and then put a similar number of miles on Scout and test the Quaker State Full Synthetic without Zinc. I'm eager to see the results of this. I'm not sure if this will be exact science but regardless it will yeild some interesting results. 
Maybe test your oil as well and let's see what results we find. The kits are free, the testing costs $30. If it's your thing.... I'm a nerd about this stuff so I'm eager to see what we find. Ultimately I just want to find the best oil to use in these amazing rigs so we can keep them on the road longer.
www.blackstone-labs.com
Maybe test your oil as well and let's see what results we find. The kits are free, the testing costs $30. If it's your thing.... I'm a nerd about this stuff so I'm eager to see what we find. Ultimately I just want to find the best oil to use in these amazing rigs so we can keep them on the road longer.
Free Test Kits | Blackstone Laboratories
Not much in life is truly free, but these kits are. All it costs you is the time it takes to fill out the form. Just one more reason to love Blackstone!
www.blackstone-labs.com
^^^ I’m currently running Valvoline VR-1 20W-50 ……. I’ve the valve cover off doing needed adjustments and didn’t like how cruddy the rocker assembly looked!
This thread portion has me wondering if I might need to change to a lighter oil! Waiting on you smarter guys opinion first though
I run the same... Valvoline VR-1 20W-50. I've been running that for the last 3 years. I just had my valve cover off, my oil pan off, and pulled my cam. Everything was super clean. Incidentally, the oil we are using is ranked as having "Outstanding" wear protection by this blog engineer. The degree to which the Quaker State is better is splitting hairs a bit in old tractor motors like ours... it'd be different if we were running high-RPM bleeding edge V8's. I'm sticking with my heavy oil that's formulated with zinc.
I just thought of a possible way to test the oils we all like @rainingagain @imyahucklbrry @thecrazygreek @Honger @middlecalf . I reached out to Blackstone, an oil analysis company and asked for two engine oil test kits. I'll put some of Falcor's dino oil with Zinc Additive in one kit and then put a similar number of miles on Scout and test the Quaker State Full Synthetic without Zinc. I'm eager to see the results of this. I'm not sure if this will be exact science but regardless it will yeild some interesting results.
Free Test Kits | Blackstone Laboratories
Not much in life is truly free, but these kits are. All it costs you is the time it takes to fill out the form. Just one more reason to love Blackstone!
Solid move. I've followed some solid forum threads in the past on people testing different oils in their vehicles and sending in tests to Blackstone. What's truly great about such testing is that you get to see exactly how your oil performs over time based on your local conditions... fuel available, your driving style, your ambient environment. One thing that bugs me is that the blog engineer basically dismisses such testing.
I just thought of a possible way to test the oils we all like @rainingagain @imyahucklbrry @thecrazygreek @Honger @middlecalf . I reached out to Blackstone, an oil analysis company and asked for two engine oil test kits. I'll put some of Falcor's dino oil with Zinc Additive in one kit and then put a similar number of miles on Scout and test the Quaker State Full Synthetic without Zinc. I'm eager to see the results of this. I'm not sure if this will be exact science but regardless it will yeild some interesting results.
Free Test Kits | Blackstone Laboratories
Not much in life is truly free, but these kits are. All it costs you is the time it takes to fill out the form. Just one more reason to love Blackstone!
Awesome! I'm excited for the results.
I just want to call out though that the zinc additive is designed to coat engine components and provide protection from cold starts, highways miles, and high revs.
What we need is to have 2 insane mudders with fresh 350s do a 1200 mile road trip. Then we rip out the cam and lifters and have a look. Who's in?!!
