Magic potion for vintage cars?

Hi, Ray - I have been driving a 1967 GTC quite regularly for almost 30 years. There are no potions needed, just good reliable products.

For fuel, I use regular, unleaded, whatever is cheapest. I have tried all brands and found absolutley no difference. Regarding rumors about unleaded ruining the valves or seats - I had one head off a few years back and the valves were perfect.

Oil - since my engine consumes a bit, I have found that Kendall GT-1, 20W50 shows the least consumption - once again, I've tried most brands but the Kendall just lasts longer.

Brake fluid - I use ONLY castrol LMA. Don't waste your time or money on silicone. We've tried it in a number of vintage cars including a 250 GTO and some older race cars, all with unsatisfactory results. I have never rebuilt the brake calipers on my car. I will discuss my theory on silicone if anyone is interested.

Gearbox/transaxle fluid. I've used both Valvoline and Havoline multi-viscosity. I can't remember for sure but I think it was 90W140. My car shifts effortlessly into second and all other gears when cold.

Anti-freeze - Peak, Prestone, whatever is on sale.

Grease - I bought a Craftsman grease gun and I just use a good general purpose moly-type grease for everything on the car.

Additives - the only additive I use is Gumout. I pour a bottle in the tank every month or so to minimize varnish in the fuel system. It's a great product.
I've had the car since 1975 and have put well over 110,000 miles on it.

No matter what anyone tells you, the requirements for a vintage Ferrari are very basic. Don't get conned into spending a fortune on items that you do not need.

I also drive a 1967 ALFA GTV and it gets the same fluids.

By the way, I've tried all sorts of polishing/waxing products. The absolute best I've used is Nu-Finish.

And, I use Rain-X on the windshield.

Bob Z.

PS - I ran an exotic car repair service in the 70s & 80s and I would only recommend products to customers after testing them in my own cars. I never had a problem.

 

At the recommendation of a then FAF mechanic, I always used a little Marvel's Mystery Oil mixed in the fuel of my ex-330GTC and now use it in my BB512i. It helps keep things lubricated since unleaded fuels don't have the lubricating qualities of lead.

 

Bob
Is that gear oil a little thick? I use 80-90w without problems and it seems to warm up a bit faster.
Best

 

Frank and Nap - you are both correct. Marvel is an excellent upper cylinder lube when added to the fuel but I do not think that it is formulated to replace lead which, as I understand, is strictly for the valve seats. The real advantage of MMO is it provides a very tenacious film that adheres to the cylinder walls, helping inhibit corrosion, especially in vehicles that are not often driven. I use it in my Piper Warrior as it is stored outside and sometimes will go for weeks without being run. If you fellows think Ferrari parts are expensive, you should see what they get for aircraft spares - I know, I'm in the business.
The only reason I do not use MMO in my 330 is that it uses so much oil that I'm sure everything inside is well covered. Plus the fact that I use it so often.
Nap, you mentioned the lighter gearbox lube - the reason I initially started using the 90W140 was for my old 330 2+2. The rear end gears tend to be a bit noisy as they are spiral bevel instead of hypoid. I recall reading a (factory?) bulletin recommending 240W lube - try and find that. Since I had the lube on hand when I bought the GTC, I decided to try it.
I was truly surprised at how well it shifts and the relatively short warm-up time. Remember, the transaxle is remote and does not benefit from conductive heating as does an engine mounted gearbox.
By the way, I put the same lube in my 308's and customer Dinos without problems.
Hope this information helps.
Bob Z.

 

I use 4 oz. MMO + 1 oz. Redline lead substitute per 10 gals. of Mobil premium unleaded. These cars were designed to use leaded fuel. The heads have never been off my car and I guess the valve guides are in excellent condition because it does not smoke at all, even on starting, at 42.5K miles. It catches on the first or second crank, starts right up and runs extremely smooth once the water is at 190F, the oil temp is straight up, and the gearbox is warm.

 

Have you tried your local tractor dealer/workshop?
I use 150W in the diff on my Healey and initially had a few problems finding it. Eventually found a local John Deere work shop stocked the lot.

They had a range of very high viscosity oils in drums along the back wall. The guy put my can(2 litre) under the drum, turned the tap and told me to come back in half an hour. I'm guessing you'd need about three days for the 240W

Cheers
Simon

Perhaps if Ferrucio had used his own oil in his gearboxes he wouldn't have complained to enzo about reliability.

 

Agree with MMO
Most airplane guys use this and it works.