1956 Oil change

[lovedoves]

Hi everyone,
This will be the first oil change I will do. We have a updated while we still have the oil bath air filter system.
Looking for the type of oil to use - thinking it will be 1040?
Also, how much oil should be in the air filter bath?
Will be lifting the car with 4 jacks - keeping the car level.
Any input greatly appreciated.
God bless America

 

[sre]

I use 10-40 oil in the engine. When you clean the oil out of the filter there should be a line on the inside of the filter assy. indicating the proper level. When I had an oil bath filter on my '55 Fairlane I used 30W oil

 

[dmsfrr]

Your engine may have its original style bolt-on canister oil filter... or a previous owner may have converted it to a spin-on style. Confirm which you have before heading to a parts store.
NAPA can often have more general maint. parts for your Bird than you might expect. Stick with parts 'Made in the US' as much as possible. Off-shore made parts seem to be getting worse by the day.

Engine oil? Most owners will recommend a high Zinc oil to help protect the cam and lifter surfaces.
There are special engine oils available for older & classic cars with solid lifter valve trains, which these engines have.
It's like insurance, usually better to have it than wish you had.
Here's one example, there are several others as well.

In general: a newer engine operating in cooler weather can use a lighter weight oil than an older tired engine in hot climates. Multi-weight oils can help compensate for this so I use them.
10-30, 10-40 or even 20-50 can be good choices depending on your specific conditions.
.

 

[ICON 56]

I too have the original oil bath set up. I use a high zinc oil for the engine when I change. Regarding the oil bath air cleaner I would use a 30 w oil. It's also recommended to wash out the oil bath filter canister with gas some say kerosene just whishish it around and dump it....before adding fresh oil.

 

[Ward 57]

I too have the original oil bath set up. I use a high zinc oil for the engine when I change. Regarding the oil bath air cleaner I would use a 30 w oil. It's also recommended to wash out the oil bath filter canister with gas some say kerosene just whishish it around and dump it....before adding fresh oil.

I would think denatured alcohol would do the trick also. I keep a big can around when working with shellac.

 

[doug7740]

Hi everyone,
This will be the first oil change I will do. We have a updated while we still have the oil bath air filter system.
Looking for the type of oil to use - thinking it will be 1040?
Also, how much oil should be in the air filter bath?
Will be lifting the car with 4 jacks - keeping the car level.
Any input greatly appreciated.
God bless America

According to the label on the side of my oil bath air cleaner; you should use 1 pint of 30W oil in the air cleaner for temperatures above freezing.

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue

 

[ICON 56]

YEP !