What's the best oils for tappet cam engines?

Boy I got some history with this one,

When I was young (Broke) I ran whatever oil I came across in my leaker 318. Even recycled oil! It worked, and the truck never died from an oil issue, not even the light filckering when I came to the stop and had to add at least a quart if thats all the money I had, which was usually the case. It may have worn a few things out, but it did keep running. Point, CHANGE YOUR OIL REGULARLY AND KEEP IT FULL. I bet half the posters here have some engine in their household thats a quart low right now. I know mine probably is. But its a toyota, and I could probably use cooking oil in it.

Now, THE OLE LADYS CAR, gets Mobil 1 synthetic. But I am going to read up on that as suggested above. I frowned on synthetics for years, calling them snake oil. Then I tore down a 150 thousand mile engine that had properly been cared for with synthetic oil. I have torn down alot of engines that had petroleum based oils, and alot of them had been taken care of and looked quite good. But they didnt look exactly the same before and after they were put together. That properly cared for synthetic engine blew my mind. I cant remember off the top of my head, but there were things that just should not have been. Parts that just should have had wear and just plain didnt. Hard to explain, but after that I aint running nothing but synthetics. OK thats over. BTW: That engine with no wear was my moms toyota highlander, BEWARE OF WORKING ON ONE OF THOSE, it was amazingly clean inside, but it took volumes one and two of my dirty word books to finish the job.

The cam breakin needs the zinc, with a non synthetic oil. Then change the oil with a non synthetic for a couple of oil changes and the swap to full synthetic without the zinc additive. And the oil needs to be combined with zinc only for a flat tappet cam. Rollers dont. Thats how I do anything since that crazy, rebuilt brand new looking engine. Like I said though, I am gonna read that article about the synthetics, that bums me out about mobil 1.

The way I use synthetics is I buy enough oil to have one quart over the fill up during the change. I also buy an extra filter (usually factory replacement, they are as cheap as anywhere else for the most part these days). After 3000-4000 miles I change the filter and use that extra quart to fill the engine back up. Then at 3000 I change oil again. Keeps the costs relativility the same as non synthetic and cuts down on the work a little. The thing is, I use regular oils till I think the engine is properly broken in then swap to synthetics.

Also, that line about not being able to swap back and forth between synthetic and non synthetic is a line of bull. Only time I ever saw something come up from oil missmatches was with Slick 50. Remember that stuff? I cant tell you how many quarts of that stuff I dumped into engines, and every one of them was at least a quart low. Now that stuff mixed with some certiant oil would fill the oil pan with some sort of candle wax stuff. I never saw it, but my diesel mechanic teacher told me about his daughters car and that issue. And he was skeptical about everything he heard about engines from shadetree mechanics. So I believe him fully, I still wish I new what that man forgot.

Here is one more thing about synthetics. They are saying these days not to mix different types of synthetic COOLANTS. Not sure on that one but I follow the rule just so I dont have to tear one down. But that same toyota of my moms had a water pump go out, which I changed during a timing belt swap. I pulled the old one off and laid it in the bed of my truck next to the new one. When I went back I freaked out. I could not believe it. The new one and the old one looked EXACTLY the same. Brand new, like as cast on both. Only way I could tell the difference was the wear marks on the old ones pulley and the shakey shaft. So I am going to start using that when I do a rebuild.

And last, I stay away from Fram oil filters. Have had alot of problems with those in the past. Not every single one, but enough to make me not use them unless necessary. ONe example was noisy lifters in magnums at the chrysler dealership I worked at for awhile. Swap out the filter and no more noisy lifters. Dont know why, but I also dont know why my Ole Lady washes disposable drinking cups when we have a cabinet full of nice glass cups. The also ever once in a while leaked around the pinch at the gasket plate to housing joint.

Sorry about my long post but I felt like soapboxing it this morning! Dont know why, Im kinda strange like that sometimes.

Hope this helps.