Guest longman Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 Hi,I'm working on a '30 Whippet 4 coupe. I have a non original external oil filter attachment that accepts a common cheap filter and was wondering if there was any real benefit to fitting this. Considering the car never had a filter in the first place and I'm pretty sure the quality of engine oils today is far superior to back in 1930, what would you recommend. I'm happy to sacrifice some originality if it's going to provide a benefit. I'm also thinking of an air filter for the updraught brass carby.Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W_Higgins Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 I say no. At least not in any practical sense given the application. The oils are better and, more importantly, the intake air is cleaner as most driving was done on dirt roads back then. Additionally, if it's just what they call a "bypass filter" and not 100% full flow, you're only getting a minimal benefit, anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 Yes it will definitely clean your oil and lengthen the life of your engine. With one that is old and hard to rebuild and lets face it, not that long lived to begin with, an oil filter is a good thing to have.The old oil filters before about 1953 were partial flow. They did an excellent job of cleaning the oil but only cleaned part of it at a time. The newer theory is to clean all the oil before it goes to the bearings but of course, this requires a coarser filter.If you are using a partial flow filter which is the only kind for some old engines I recommend one that uses toilet paper for a filter medium. They do the best job of filtering and are used by the military for stationary power plants and on big hiway trucks where the ultimate in filtration is required. Big engines actually use a roll of paper towels.There are several brands on the market including one that dates to the early fifties and another that is made in Australia. Or you could continue to use the one on your engine.An air filter is also an excellent idea. It will double your engine life by itself. I recommend an aftermarket filter as used on motorcycles. Easy to fit and can be removed in a minute for car shows. No brand names because that would violate board policy but if you do a web search you will find the filters I mentioned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 Engine life for your car when new was 1O,OOO to 2O,OOO miles between overhauls. This was with an oil change every 1OOO miles.An air filter and oil filter will do your engine nothing but good. And extend your oil change intervals as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stude Light Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 My two cents:Filters are absolutely better to have. That said, I would personally not add an oil filter to your car. Air filter is an absolute yes - something you can remove and install the original parts while showing.Reasoning:Most of the dirt and grit that gets into an engine and causes excessive wear comes through the air induction system. From there it gets into your cylinders (highest wearing part of the engine) and eventually your oil. The other oil contaminants come from the burning of fuels and wearing of metal parts which are much smaller particles, much less damaging and are often not able to be filtered out. I can tell you that the oil in my diesel tractor, which has an oil filter, turns black in an hour from all the fine carbon particles created by combustion, but no engine damage is done due to the size of these particles. Yes, today's oils are vastly superior to the 1930 oils and you can easily keep your oil clean by performing more frequent oil changes. Now if you plan on driving several thousand miles per year, then you may want to consider an oil filter. But if you are like me and drive hundreds of miles per year, then I suggest you keep your car as original as possible.FYI - There are still a lot of piston engine airplanes and helicopters flying around without oil filters. They just have 25 hour oil change recommendations instead of the 50 hour recommendations when equipped with an oil filter. Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 Not much dust in the sky compared to an updraft carb a foot and a half above the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stude Light Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 That's for sure. A lot of airplanes don't have air filters either. The helicopter manufacturers quickly figured out the error in their ways and added air filters early on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lozrocks Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 In my opinion, yes. I have modified all of my cars to have a full flow oil filter. The Chrysler originally had a bypass partial flow filter, I modified the system to have a full flow filter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest longman Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Thanks for the replies.Hey Lozrocks, I'm in Newcastle as well.How can you tell if it's a full flow or partial flow? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lozrocks Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 I'm not familiar with Whippets, so it's just a case of tracing the oil line through. Where does the oil travel after it leaves the oil pump? If it's a full flow then all of the oil travels through the filter. Partial flow generally splits with some oil going to the filter and the rest to the engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Al Brass Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 A WW2 jeep owes it's origins to the Whippet engine and a jeep had a by-pass filter as standard. The oil feed is taken from the front of the oil gallery an oil from the filter enters back into the engine via the timing cover and where it assists with chain lubriction. The cannister, elements, hoses and mounting brackets are all readily available and it would be a perfect solution if you wanted to add a filter but keep your engine Willys Overland. The choice of filter is important and this one has an oriface in the central tube of the cannister which regulates the oil quantity passing through so as to not starve the engine of lube oil.If you wanted to check prices etc, try Ron Fitzpatrick (g503.com) and he is at Grant's Pass in Oregon.RegardsAl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest longman Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 Hi,Whippet fours have a copper pipe from the sump up to the oil pump which is mounted on the upper side of the block. There would be space to fit a filter just after the pipe leaves the sump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 The full flow filter was first used in the early fifties. Older engine designs used the bypass filter up to the mid sixties. If you see a full flow filter they are usually built into the block. If you see a separate filter with little pipes leading to it, you have a bypass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Al Brass Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 Hi,Whippet fours have a copper pipe from the sump up to the oil pump which is mounted on the upper side of the block. There would be space to fit a filter just after the pipe leaves the sump.Yes, the pipe goes to the gallery so oil could be T'd into the pipe from the pump or from the gallery.Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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