CLASSIC CARS – OILS WITH ZDDP

MOBIL 1 HIGH MILEAGE 10W30
Mobil 1 15W50

Castrol GTX 20W-50 (SL,SM)
* Castrol GTX Diesel 15W-40 (CI4,CH4,CG4,CF4,CF,SL)
* Castrol GTX High Mileage 20W-50 (SL,SM)
* Castrol HD 30 (SL,SM)
* Castrol HD 40 (SL,SM)
* Castrol Syntec Blend Truck 15W-40 (CI4,CH4,CG4,CF4,CF,SL)(Semi-synthetic)
* Castrol Tection Extra 15W-40 (CI4Plus, CI4,CH4,CG4,CF4,SL)
* Castrol Hypuron S 15W-40 (CI4Plus,CH4,CG4,SL)(Semi-synthetic)

Castrol Syntec 5W-40 (SL,CF)(Synthetic)
* Castrol GO! 10W-40 Motorcycle O il (SG)
* Castrol GO! 20W-50 Motorcycle Oil (SG)
* Castrol Grand Prix 4-Stroke Motorcycle Oil 10W-40 (SG)
* Castrol Grand Prix 4-Stroke Motorcycle Oil 20W-50 (SG)
* Castrol TWS Motorsport 10W-60 (SJ)(Synthetic)

ALL MOTORCYCLE OILS 10W40 AND HIGHER

VALVOLINE ZR-1, Valvoline VR1 Racing Oil 10W30,
VALVOLINE 4 STROKE OIL 10W40
AMC HD - BULLTEAR

OTHER OILS THAT COULD WORK
PENNZOIL RACING OIL
SHELL ROTELLA T 15W40
CHEVRON DELO
MOBIL DELVAC
ROYAL PURPLE
API guidelines do not need apply to “racing,” “severe duty,” or any motor oils that do not
carry an API “starburst” seal or clearly state for off-road-use only

ADDITIVES

ZDDP PLUS
Synpower Oil Treatment
Wynn's Supreme
GM EOS – Old formula
CRANE ENGINE LUBE
STP OIL TREATMENT – RED OR BLUE BOTTLE (EYE IRRITANT WARNING)
Red 4 cylinder STP

Here are some of the things that Sudebaker was first to use or develop during their time.

1921 – Molybdenum steel and produce a car using it

1925 – Hydrostatic gas gauge and produce Hardtop body

1927 – Mechanical Fuel pump

1928 – Ball Bearing spring shackles

1929 – Rubber covered steel core steering wheel

1930 – Carburator silencer, thin steel-backed main bearings, to use free-wheeling, automatic vacuum spark control advance and helical gears in transmission (high and second).

1933 – “Heat dam” Pistons

1934 – Celeron spoke-type camshaft gear

1935 – Plane wheel suspension

1936 – Automatic Hill-Holder

1937 – Hancock rotary door latches, variable ratio steering gear, direct action shock absorbers and install double walled pickup boxes

1940 – won 1st place awards in all 3 divisions of the Gilmour economy run

1941 – First major production of curved windshield (Sedan- Coupe)

1946 – produce post-war automotive styling and use self-adjusting brakes

1948 – Truck with enclosed cab step

1950 – air-cooled torque converter, automatic transmission anti-creep device and inhibitors for “Park” in an Automatic Transmission

1951 – Polyurethane rear spring liners

1953 –To produce a low silhouette car

1954 – Self-centering and self-energizing brakes

1956 – Finned Brake Drums to minimize “Fading” and Acoustic sound deadening Headlining

1961 – Instrument panel safety padding as standard equipment on all passenger cars

1962 – US Automotive manufacturer to offer Disc Brakes on a full-sized car and install seatbelt mountings for four belt installations inevery car

1963 – Installed seatbelts in the front of every car and produce a stationwagon with a sliding roof

“Always offer more then you promise”

While at Studefest in 2010 our 64 Cruiser stalled out and was really hard to start. Al Jordan and Bill Patterson were assisting me in trying to start the old girl by pouring some gas down the Carburetor and after some flooring of the gas pedal she finally started up. They both indicated that it was probably vapourlock but it was news to me as this was the first time it has happened in the Cruiser. I was able to keep it going and got to a gas station where I filled the tank and made it back to the hotel with no further problems.

What is Vapourlock? It’s when the fuel in your gas line is so hot that it turns into vapour due to its close proximity to the engine. You can’t run your car on vapour so this situation will leave you sitting on the side of the road scratching your head. The thinner ethanol based fuels we use now also increase the chances of vapourlock so this needs to be fixed if you want to use your car on these hot summer days. When back at home I inspected my fuel line and notice that I had installed it too close to the intake manifold and so I re-routed it away from the hot engine towards the water pump manifold. It’s closer to the fan and further away of the motor so this will help.

Some of the other things you can do:

Use only Non-Ethanol Gasoline – Some premium gases sold in Ontario are High Octane non-ethanol fuels. Although most of our Studebakers were designed to be used with regular gas, all regular gas in Ontario has Ethanol which should be avoided when possible. In Ontario, Shell, Cdn Tire & some Flying J locations sell 91 Octane Premium which has no ethanol and most gas stations in the US sell non-Ethanol Premium gasoline. Visit http://www.e0pc.com/index.php (Ethanol Free premium Coalition) and http://www.pure-gas.org/ (Pure Gas) for the full story.

Insulate your Fuel Line – It comes from Tech Flex and it’s good for 950 degrees F. You install over the fuel line and put ties on it to properly secure it. This cover protects the fuel line from getting too hot and greatly helps in preventing vapourlock. For more info go to www.techflex.com. It’s available at www.wirecare.com for $10 or more depending on size and length.

Install an electric or 5 or 6 blade clutch fan to keep the engine cooler. The stock 4 blade doesn’t always cut it and if you have a V8 that has rust and corrosion in your water jackets, this tends to make the engine run hotter. When Bill Patterson took out a small coffee can of build-up rust and corrosion from the water jackets in the engine block when he was rebuilding my 289, I learned that this is a common occurrence in all V8 designed engines. If you look at the way the engine is installed. It points up at the front end and if the engine’s cooling  system isn’t flushed out regularly it tends to allow accumulation of rust and corrosion in the rear of the engine block water jackets.

Install an electric fuel pump – this will ensure you have a constant flow of fuel to the engine, it needs to be installed near the fuel tank and hooked up via an on/off toggle switch under the dash and used mainly for hot summer days when this situation usually happens. Under normal conditions you would leave it off and use the regular mechanical fuel pump. Remember to ensure it’s turned off whenever you stop the engine because it may cause your car to leak out fuel due to the much higher pressure in the fuel line.

You can also install an in-line fuel filter which has a return line to the Fuel Tank as Bob Easton did on his 1960 Lark Convertible. He had the same problem when he went to the Crossroads Zone Meet in Chilicothe, Ohio. He had no problems now driving from Welland to Brockville return during last year’s Studefest.

Final Diagnosis and repair: After breaking down again en-route to the Maple Leaf Tour I proceeded to replace the Intake manifold which saw the original having burnt paint on the middle  portion. I also found that the Heat Riser valve was sticking closed which was the real culprit in this situation. After I replaced the intake manifold, cleaning/resetting the carb and removed the heat riser valve the car has worked fine since and has seen no reoccurrence of this problem. Ethanol Gas is still a problem and I now only use Premium non ethanol gas in all of our vehicles.

Maintaining our Studebakers in these days of unleaded, ethanol based fuels and hot summers has always been a challenge but if you have stalled out under similar conditions then this could be your fix to having a lot more fun and less time being under the hood fixing your car on the side of the road.

For over two years our GT Hawk has been off the road due to a tired engine. After $2500 in parts, machine work and with much assistance from Bill Patterson, the GT Hawk will be out on the road in 2008 with a superbly rebuild 289. I was talking to Bill the other day and he indicated that we should start looking for oil for the newly rebuild engine and I asked what he meant. Well to my great surprise proper oil for our Studebakers is getting very scarce with the news that the new standard for oil is “SM” which has completely eliminated the additive “ZDDP” (zinc dialkyl dithio phosphate). This additive has been present in oil for over 70 years in various content levels and greatly assists in the proper lubrication of camshafts and flat-top lifters in older stock engines (pre-1988) cars or trucks.

I have done much research on this subject and many on the internet have a lot of concern that that the oil companies have eliminated this additive. In 2007, they have removed ZDDP in most of our motor oils to meet new emission standards, while being no longer needed in modern engines and also ensures longer life for your catalytic converter. Without this “ZDDP” additive your camshaft and lifters in such cars as Studebakers, AMCs and many other similarly designed engines could prematurely wear out and will have to be replaced much sooner then necessary. Many antique or vintage car owners have different solutions for this problem but being in Canada does create some problems with the quick availability of any suitable additives or oil. Many major oil companies are still doing “research” on this problem which does little for us if our camshafts are prematurely wearing out.

So what do we do for the next oil change? Ensure to check the oil and don’t use “SM” standard or Energy Conserving oil unless supplemented with some ZDDP additive. On the market is an additive called “ZDDPlus” which is available on the internet at www.zddplus.com or at such Auto flea markets as York or Reidsville. I have just purchased six bottles at around $10 US per bottle. One 4 oz bottle mixed with any suitable oil which includes the “SM” grade will help ensure that your camshaft and lifters are properly lubricated. If you can track down some 4 Stroke motorcycle oil rated at “SG” or Diesel oil which is Heavy Duty rated such as straight 30 or 40 SAE oil then it should be suitable. Check the product label or their company website and the applicable product data sheet to see the Zinc or phosphorus content in the oil. If you have oil in your garage then see if it is in the “SH” to “SL” grade ranges which can still be used in our Studebakers with varied levels of success. Also some older bottles of STP oil Treatment or GM EOS reassembly oil have ZDDP in it. For myself, the best bet was to
get afew bottles of the ZDDPlus additive and let’s hope that the oil or additive companies can come up with readily available, alternative solutions to keep our Studebaker engines
properly lubricated and on the road for many years to come.

Well it’s soon time again to hold our annual Executive Committee elections at the AGM. During the past three AGMs that we held elections it was voted to have two year Committee terms of office so we would have continuity. I thought it would be a good time to let you know what positions we are looking to fill for 2013 and 2014. The elected positions are:

President
Vice President
Treasurer/Membership
Recording Secretary

Presently our Recording Secretary position is vacant. If interested in any of the above positions just give me a phone call or send me a letter and I can let you know what is expected if you are interested in becoming an elected Committee Member. The deadline for accepting nominations for these positions is Sept 15th so we can post them via e-mail. The Chapter member that submits their name is expected to be at the AGM so if there is a runoff then a vote can take place and the winning member can be introduced. The following Committee positions are appointed by the above Committee members or are volunteers for certain functions, areas or events. The following members currently fill the following positions year by
year and are expected to remain in these positions for 2013.

Tourmaster(s)
Bill Foy – Eastern Ontario Region
Paul Revell – Toronto Region
Bob Easton – Niagara Region
Verne Brinsmead – Muskoka

Webmaster – Eric Norton
Editor – Eldon Kemp

Presently our Historian position is vacant and what we also need is a Tourmaster in the Southwest or Kitchener Waterloo areas so we can attempt to hold Chapter events in that area on a more regular basis. If you are interested in helping out as a Tourmaster in any of our areas or become our Historian give me a call or e-mail. If you aren’t sure then I hope you will consider attending the annual General meeting at The Village Inn in Lakefield on the 14th of October, 1 PM and get to meet your Executive and fellow Ontario Chapter SDC members. Come early and have lunch with your fellow Chapter members. The present Committee has worked hard to organize events for your enjoyment. Always looking for new ideas and events to make our Chapter better. See you at the Annual General Meeting

Will Norton
President
613-777-5314
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Mailing address:
P.O. Box 184
Yarker, ON
K0K 3N0

If you made it to Studebaker Made in Canada, congratulations as it proved to a highly successful event which saw us pay homage to eight guests of honour while proudly driving or displaying our Studebakers to all who came to the car show or admired our Studes while driving around in the Bay of Quinte area. The Ontario Chapter members support for this event was excellent whether coming for the car show or the whole weekend, helping to operate the registration desk or organize the car show, we did ourselves proud. In addition, the Hamilton Chapter SDC and the Canadian Avanti Owners Association had many of their members in attendance. Also visit the SMIC website with updated with photos from the event!