Engine fluids - 1935 Dodge 4 dr. 6cyl. 218CI

[Larry McCarthy]

I have a 1935 Dodge 4 dr sedan and am working toward getting the engine running with some minor updates. I would like some recommendations for coolant, motor oil, gasoline and water pump grease. Thanks for any help.

[Hemi Joel]

Back in the 30's that had a whole bunch of different very specialized lubricants because they weren't that highly developed.

 

Nowadays I ignore all of the recommendations from the original factory service manual and just use modern readily available fluids, aiming for a motor oil with high zinc levels for your flat topic cam. The exception would be if the engine has always been run on non-detergent oil. If that is the case, the inside is going to be full of sludge and you don't want to put a detergent oil in there where it will knock all the sludge loose and block off some of the oil galleries and orifices. Non detergent oil is generally available only in straight weights as far as I have seen so in the summer you're going to want to put in 30 weight, or 40 weight if you live in a really hot climate. In the winter 10 weight or 20 weight, depending on how cold it is.

If the engine has been rebuilt and cleaned up and run on detergent oil, I would just put in 15W40 rotella or 10W30 Valvoline VR1. Or if you're in a really hot climate, the VR1 is also available in a 20W50.

For antifreeze I just use the least costly green standard antifreeze. 

For all the grease fittings on the chassis in the u-joints and so forth, I just use a good moly grease. I have a tube of grease, I can't remember what it's called, but it's rated for boat trailer wheel bearings so I figure it must be kind of waterproof. I use that on the water pump.

For gasoline I like to use the non-oxygenated, especially if the fuel pump diaphragm, and any rubber hoses in the fuel system are old. But by now most old rubber hoses have been replaced and fuel pump diaphragms have been upgraded to Buna N. If that is the case, as long as you're fuel system is clean, you can burn the oxygenated gas without a problem.