Synthetic Oil Improvement in /6

Ruger64 said

I just bought this B body with a 225, with 93K on it. I honestly didn't know they went that many miles. As you stated you had one with many miles on it.
When I build my 440 over the next year to slip into it.
My question would be, with a clean rebuild, and all new updated parts. Would it be considered a motor that still needs high ZDDP? Or run the synthetic right from the start?
I sure hope that made sense...

Click to expand...

The 225 that got over a qurter fo a million mles was a 76 and it was switched to Mobil1 at 10k miles. Other 225's have gone this long but mine was running full power and with new-like compressions when I sold it. (Wish I hadn't!) It was using oil at about 1 qt per 1500-2000 miles at that point.

Don't break in a new engine with Mobil 1 or any synthetic blend. It can very likely prevent the rings from seating. Use a good petroleum based oil for the 1st 2-3 changes and switch to Mobil 1 after a few thousand miles. My '03 Dakota got Mobil 1 at 5k miles, and my son who now has it) and I re-worked the heads at 247k miles for a coolant leak into a cylinder, and there was no ring ridge in the bores and the factory honing was all still there in the cylinders. With the heads reworked with all new lash adjusters, a good valve job, and the coolant leak gone, it now gets as good mileage as when brand new and ditto for power.

Yes, your 440 would be a candidate the older, higher levels of zinc to be safe. The zinc levels were reduced for environmental concerns. (Real or not.) Just buy an additive and add some per oil change with whatever oil.