End of season oil changes

[Transtar56]

After the car show in Sherbrook this weekend,Im thinking of putting the Hawk up for the winter and driving my Lark untill snow flies.
One reason is I suspect the Larks had her feelings hurt pretty bad as Ive pratically not driven it at all this summer,what with the Transtar and the Hawk,but Dads had her out a bit. Another reason is its got a better working defrost system than the Hawk,and were going to be needing it soon enough.
Another most important reason is I miss the little bugger,and shes got a great stereo in her.
Now I know that alot of people recomend changing the oil before you put the car up for winter,then changing it again first thing in the spring to get rid of any condensation(unheated storage).
I,myself have never done this,I always just clean the heck out of them,run them in the garage,shut it off,and pull on the car cover.
Now I realize that there are nasty acids and stuff in the dirty oil,but Im just wondering,how many of you actually do the double oil change thing?Do you replace the filter each time too?
Im just a bit on the frugal side(OK,Im cheap)and I hate to waste good oil.
As long as you change it first thing before the car goes a mile in the spring,isn't that good enough?

[oldcarfart]

Synthetic oil would not revert back to dino turds and form acid from sitting.

[rockne10]

I change once, every spring. Synthetic will find places to leak you never thought existed. Use good grade diesel oil.

[Commander51]

Rockne's right. 15-40 diesel is the way to go. Spring seems to make the most sense for oil. As cold as it gets for you, do you freshen your antifreeze or drain the system? My storage can get to 10 below F. and I'm considering draining....

[Transtar56]

Yea,Im sticking to my Shell Rotella 15-40 diesel,Id be afraid if I switched to the synthetic it would all be on the garage floor by spring.
I just make sure my anti-freeze is good and strong,at least good for -40.
By the way I know an old Stude dude who sticks his finger in the rad,takes a lick,and then says"-30".
You take your tester,and sure enough hes very close if not right on.

[Blue 15G]

If he's licking Ethylene Glycol, he won't be doing that for very long! [xx(] (Too much of that and he may not be dead, but he'll wish he was.)

[MarkC]

I use Rotella 15-40 full synthetic in everything and haven't experienced any unusual leakage in any vehicle. I changed my 259 Daytona to it last year when I got it, and it actually leaked WAY less this year than last.

MarkC, 64 Y8
Working in Spokane, WA

[raprice]

My favorite oil is Castroll 20W-50 im my '59 Lark VI. Terrific oil.
No problems here.
Rog

[castlepk]

I purchased my '51 Champion 10G in 2000 and the last owner told me to use only 30W non detergent oil in the crank case because detergent oil could dislodge old deposits in the Champions 43K un-rebuilt engine and cause problems. My Champions engine starts and runs great and maintains 40psi oil pressure. I've been reading the interesting articles in Turning Wheels about the benifits of using the Shell Rotella 15-40 diesel oil in these older engines. Do you guys feel it is ok to use the Shell Rotella Diesel oil in an original un-rebuilt engine, or should I keep using the 30W non detergent oil? My Champion never had the add on oil filter installed. Because of that, I do change the oil every 1000 miles as the manual suggests. I'd like your opinion as I thought that I would like to try the Shell Rotella oil since it is so highly recommended by Jim Pepper and so many others, but is there a danger that it could dislodge old oil deposits in the engine that could clog something up and cause a big problem? Should I wait until I have the money to have someone like Bill Cathcart rebuild my engine and add a good oil filter before I change to the Shell Rotella Oil? This is my first Stude and I'm having a great time restoring it a little at a time. The engine seems to run so nice now that I don't want to do anything that might screw it up. Here in Rochester, NY it goes into winter storage in October and does not come out for a breath of fresh air untill April. (Come to think of it that sounds like me too!) I'd appreciate any advice! Thanks! Jim C.

Jim Caffrey
'51 Champ

[Commander51]

Jim it sure sounds like it ain't broke--and if it were mine, I wouldn't fix it. The point made about detergent oils is common; there seems to be little risk to your engine as long as you change oil regularly. Wait for the rebuild before switching to detergent oil, IMHO.