what weight viscosity

i'm running a blown bbc on alky next year and am not sure what weight oil to run in it, i'm leaning towards 50w, any suggestions? thanks in advance

 

oil

60 is what we use and i think u will find what most use on hear it potects the bearings a little more just my 2 cent

 

you will probably get alot of answers to this one.......we run straight 50w Brad Penn.....really happy with the results.

 

I ran straight 50 brad penn in my smallblock chevy and nitro 70 brad penn in my hemi with no problems .

 

depends on the temp. 50/60/70

 

i ran a blown chevy for years THE GREEN OIL is what i would run i think it has the BEST PROTECTION from BRAD PENN since kendall quit selling it 70w

 

Is the motor assembled?

It is to a large degree a matter of choice, a lot of people feel that a high horsepower blown alky aluminum engine flexes enough to require a lot of clearance to keep parts from coming into contact with each other. If the engine has been built this like this and setup to run 60-70w oil then you had better not run 30w in it, if you do you will hammer the bearings out of it. On the other hand if the motor is setup really tight for 0-5w oil (like if it was a high tech nitrous motor that someone had converted to blower use) then you had better not run 50, 60 or 70 weight in it you will never pass enough through the bearings to keep it from cooking.

On the other hand if you are building the engine then it’s my opinion that a lot of people run 70w since so and so who runs 5 seconds at 260 does. While that’s great if you are trying to run 5 seconds it really is not the best approach if you are running an iron block with an 8/71 making 1300 hp, particularly if you don’t pull the valve covers and oil the valve gear every run. So if you are building a BBC for next year look at the amount of power you are planning to produce and if its a 1300 to 1500 iron block water cooled deal then build it for 50 weight oil if it’s a 1500 to 1800 hp dry block go with the 50-60 deal and if it’s a 1800 up deal go ahead and build it loose as a goose 60-70 with at least 150lbs of oil pressure.


And as far as the oil goes synthetic oil is way to expensive unless you got an oil sponsor and although 0-5 weight is just the ticket for pro-stock its way to thin to mix with alcohol in any roots blown deal.


Just my 2 cents worth and that may be overpriced.


Richard Gavle

 

Is anyone using pan/oil heaters to always start with the same temp oil?

 

We use 50w and heat it.

 

We use Brad Penn 70 wt with a blown 481X... And we heat it...

 

This is such a loaded question. In dealing with weight of oil, the real answer is "Whatever the engine is built for".
If you try to run 50 weight through the clearances of a pro stock engine, you are going to lose a really good engine. If you run 0 weight in a top alcohol engine, you are going to lose a good engine.
What block, what main clearances, what rods, what rod clearances, what bearings? Just too many variables for one answer to work.
The more blower/cylinder pressure and the harder you want to run the engine, the looser the clearances and the higher the weight. Aluminum blocks and aluminum rods want more clearances typically, and then again.
But with a medium to the low side of high clearance deal, which sounds like what you may be aiming for, the above mentioned oils are right in the ballpark, and good oils.

 

Does 160° pre-run oil heat sound like too much?
I feel like I run on the tight side of clearences and run straight 50.

 

Where's the best place to get oil heaters at?

 

We have a heater from an old dishwasher inside the oilpan (fc-style) in our KB Hemi, running 50' and heat it always to around 160° before starting the engine.

 

I run a blown bbc with appox 2100 hp (guess) and run valvoline 20-50 in the spring and fall (cool temps) and 50 weight valvoline in the summer. You can get good deals on it from advance, auto-zone, etc. I welded a moroso heater bung in my pan and use their heater, plug it in when I unload and by the time I'm ready to fire the oil is good and warm. Jody

 

Any idea the actual temperature?

 

Depends on time and volume of oil. I've run the one below for years.

Blessings.............Ron.


Moroso 23980 $74.95
Estimated Ship Date: Today

Brand: Moroso
Product Line: Moroso Internal Oil Preheaters
Part Type: Oil Preheaters
Part Number: MOR-23980
Oil Preheater Style: Internal element
Oil Preheater Attachment: Screw-in
Oil Preheater Thread Size: 1 in. NPT
Watts: 212 watts
Length (in): 4.500 in.
Cord Length: 7 ft.
Power Supply: 110/120 V AC
Quantity: Sold as a kit.
Notes: Includes aluminum fitting.

Oil Preheater, Internal, 1 in. NPT Fitting, Kit

Preheat your oil for better runs.
These internal oil pre-heaters from Moroso are designed to preheat your oil before your runs to ensure greater consistency and smoother operation. They feature a heater element specifically designed to avoid scorching or boiling the oil, like converted water heater designs do. Their 212 watts of power will raise the temperature of 12 quarts of oil by 60 degrees F in about a half-hour. These screw-in elements include a detachable 7 ft. cord.

 

12 qts, 50w, 12 secs (tractor pulling) BBC, 1600HP

 

Don't know the actual temp, but I've got an oil temp guage on the dash and even on cold morning's it's over 100 deg by the time I get my shit together and crank the car. Here in SC in the summer I sometimes don't heat the oil, no need if it's 100 deg outside. LOL

 

Clearances and oil weight

I noticed some interesting comments on this one and would like to ask if there is any more information on clearances and oil weight. We will be running our new engine with 2.5 thou on the mains and still have to decide on the oil. Synthetic 10w-40 would be one option and otherwise Brad Penn single but what weight?
For your info, it's a blown brad engine.

Any comments much appreciated.