Smokey business

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

OldBlueDually

Full Access Member
Joined
Jun 8, 2020
Posts
2,428
Reaction score
8,518
Location
Minnesota
First Name
Justin
Truck Year
1976 GMC
Truck Model
C30
Engine Size
455 Olds
Yeah the oil gets dark really quick. Do you use the carb/fuel injector cleaner once a month or every gas tank?

and I’ve been using 10w-30 but I’ll give your suggested oil a try

thanks

If it gets dark quick, just start changing it when it is dark. It will eventually clean up. Follow the instructions on the can of seafoam to use with the oil. You can also run a can of seafoam with a tank of gas (not needed every month, or every fill up). I usually do a can of seafoam in my gas about once every 6 months or so. For oil changes, if its super dark I would personally maybe do it every other oil change, but that's my opinion.

Take for example, my dads 50 Ford Truck F1 (Flathead V8) and that thing was seriously neglected in the oil change department. He has been doing this same thing with shell rotella 15-40 because of it's detergents and cleaning power it has, it was dirty at 100 miles!!! With frequent changes, and probably once every 3 oil changes a splash of seafoam the oil is finally looking good and clean, the engine runs much better too, but he was also a 35 year GM mechanic and good with all that old points and carb stuff too so he has it running like a top.

I will be doing the same exact I told you when I throw my 455 Olds into this truck to be sure it is also clean. Once clean I may run my regular 10w-30 in it.

Good luck, hope you get it all figured out!!!
 

ahoppj

Member
Joined
Jun 18, 2020
Posts
33
Reaction score
35
Location
Raleigh, NC
First Name
Aaron
Truck Year
1984
Truck Model
Chevrolet k10 silverado
Engine Size
350
If it gets dark quick, just start changing it when it is dark. It will eventually clean up. Follow the instructions on the can of seafoam to use with the oil. You can also run a can of seafoam with a tank of gas (not needed every month, or every fill up). I usually do a can of seafoam in my gas about once every 6 months or so. For oil changes, if its super dark I would personally maybe do it every other oil change, but that's my opinion.

Take for example, my dads 50 Ford Truck F1 (Flathead V8) and that thing was seriously neglected in the oil change department. He has been doing this same thing with shell rotella 15-40 because of it's detergents and cleaning power it has, it was dirty at 100 miles!!! With frequent changes, and probably once every 3 oil changes a splash of seafoam the oil is finally looking good and clean, the engine runs much better too, but he was also a 35 year GM mechanic and good with all that old points and carb stuff too so he has it running like a top.

I will be doing the same exact I told you when I throw my 455 Olds into this truck to be sure it is also clean. Once clean I may run my regular 10w-30 in it.

Good luck, hope you get it all figured out!!!
Thanks a lot!! Just trying to get this project truck going one step at a time
 

jake wells

Can i be me?
Joined
Jul 31, 2010
Posts
2,133
Reaction score
2,487
Location
Brownsville Kentucky
First Name
jake
Truck Year
1975
Truck Model
custom deluxe 10
Engine Size
350
I don't have an LS. I'm just reminded how much I want one everytime I look at the newest oil leak from my brand new crate engine.

My co-worker recently bought a Tesla. It's the fastest car I've ever rode in. As I looked it over I kept thinking to myself... No oil to leak, no coolant to leak, no gear oil to leak, no exhaust to leak, no plugs to foul, no radiator, no fans, the list goes on and on.

So when the cybertruck comes out I guess I'll be saying, shitcan it, electric motor swap it.

Which brings up another non related rant I have:

I was always taught that electricity drives motors and gasoline drives engines. Then why is Motortrend TV not called "Enginetrend TV?
the meaning of motor can go both way in high school small engine mechanics class a outboard is called a motor.
 

BRetty

Full Access Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2020
Posts
984
Reaction score
2,762
Location
Los Angeles
First Name
Franklin
Truck Year
1973
Truck Model
c10
Engine Size
350
To add to the ambiguity, rocket powerplants are also called both "rocket engines" and "rocket motors" and the terms seem to be somewhat interchangable.

Having no books handy at the moment, I will say, based on my subjective impressions of lots of personal stuff (and also Larry Clark's book "IGNITION!"), the breakdown is:

Politicians, program managers, Pentagon brass, defense CEO's, and some pretentious ******* celebrity scientists like J. Robert Oppenheimer: ENGINE people

Real scientists, engineers, metallurgists, machinists, hazmat teams, NCO's, and anybody near a test stand when one blew up: MOTOR people

There are of course exceptions to this keenly observed rule that I just made up.

Overall in English the word "engine" can mean something much bigger than the word "motor":

- Ships and spacecraft have engines.

- It can mean economic cause and effect ("But well Bob, the numbers clearly show that totally wack-ass accounting one-offs were the actual engine of Uber's so-called "profit" this quarter.)

- You might hear the underground thrumming of "vast, mysterious, ceaseless engines..."

- (You might also be crazy, too. But you would still likely use "engine", because you read it in a book or somewhere and it sounds bigger and more scary.)

- Etc.

But if you just bought a police car at auction most people would say, "It's got a cop motor, cop tires...."

In conclusion, engines are big, motors are more personal and can even be inside of you, also (allegedly) Beer's great, God's good, people are crazy, and even weak imitations of Jimmy Buffet are better than recent Bro-Country.

BR
 

Old60Driver

1983 K20 Silverado
Joined
May 17, 2020
Posts
245
Reaction score
306
Location
Houston
First Name
Michael
Truck Year
1983
Truck Model
K20 Silverado
Engine Size
350
But if you just bought a police car at auction most people would say, "It's got a cop motor, cop tires...."

LOL!! Nice reference!

xc_hide_links_from_guests_guests_error_hide_media

Welp, I know what I'm watching this weekend...
 

BRetty

Full Access Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2020
Posts
984
Reaction score
2,762
Location
Los Angeles
First Name
Franklin
Truck Year
1973
Truck Model
c10
Engine Size
350
LOL!! Nice reference!

xc_hide_links_from_guests_guests_error_hide_media

Welp, I know what I'm watching this weekend...
When people (like my boss who is letting me use some garage space for free) ask me what the hell I've been doing working/puttering on my truck for two months, I reply somewhat truthfully,

"Gotta fix the cigarette lighter..."

BR
 

elcamman50

Junior Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2016
Posts
19
Reaction score
23
Location
lakeside, california
First Name
charles
Truck Year
1979
Truck Model
c10
Engine Size
350
I don't have an LS. I'm just reminded how much I want one everytime I look at the newest oil leak from my brand new crate engine.

My co-worker recently bought a Tesla. It's the fastest car I've ever rode in. As I looked it over I kept thinking to myself... No oil to leak, no coolant to leak, no gear oil to leak, no exhaust to leak, no plugs to foul, no radiator, no fans, the list goes on and on.

So when the cybertruck comes out I guess I'll be saying, shitcan it, electric motor swap it.

Which brings up another non related rant I have:

I was always taught that electricity drives motors and gasoline drives engines. Then why is Motortrend TV not called "Enginetrend TV?
 

elcamman50

Junior Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2016
Posts
19
Reaction score
23
Location
lakeside, california
First Name
charles
Truck Year
1979
Truck Model
c10
Engine Size
350
I really am getting tired of all the LS swaps going on. Use to watch Velocity TV, but pretty much have curtailed that. One of the shows (forget which one), they had a young family man come in with a 1968 Firebird 400, four speed, convertible. Telling the hosts that it was "not running right". They checked out the engine and told him it had two marginal cylinders for compression. So, their answer, lets pull this Pontiac 400 and put in a new crate LS2, with a Tremec 6 speed. It will be more drivable on the street. Really? That was cheaper than rebuilding the Pontiac 400? Are these shows be paid by GM, or Chevy? I think that is why they cancelled some of the good shows, like Fantom Works. I think Dan did not go along with that way of thinking. Since Wheeler Dealers moved to the states and lost Big Ed, it is a shadow of its former self. Sorry for the rant. I am 70 years old and it just bothers me when someone takes a numbers matching classic car and pretty much makes it into something it is not. Thank you!
 

Catbox

Full Access Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2018
Posts
4,473
Reaction score
16,797
Location
Just Outside of Portland Oregon
First Name
Peter
Truck Year
1979
Truck Model
C20 Silverado Camper Special
Engine Size
461
I really am getting tired of all the LS swaps going on. Use to watch Velocity TV, but pretty much have curtailed that. One of the shows (forget which one), they had a young family man come in with a 1968 Firebird 400, four speed, convertible. Telling the hosts that it was "not running right". They checked out the engine and told him it had two marginal cylinders for compression. So, their answer, lets pull this Pontiac 400 and put in a new crate LS2, with a Tremec 6 speed. It will be more drivable on the street. Really? That was cheaper than rebuilding the Pontiac 400? Are these shows be paid by GM, or Chevy? I think that is why they cancelled some of the good shows, like Fantom Works. I think Dan did not go along with that way of thinking. Since Wheeler Dealers moved to the states and lost Big Ed, it is a shadow of its former self. Sorry for the rant. I am 70 years old and it just bothers me when someone takes a numbers matching classic car and pretty much makes it into something it is not. Thank you!

You are not alone.
I am not a fan of the LS Swap the world thinking.
Sure they can do the milage thing, but sometimes it just doesn't look right or good under the hood of an old car or truck.
Just smashing the engine in there and making it run can be so ugly.
 

AuroraGirl

Full Access Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2019
Posts
9,693
Reaction score
6,875
Location
Northern Wisconsin
First Name
Taylor
Truck Year
1978, 1980
Truck Model
K10, K25
Engine Size
400(?), 350
Its 106 miles to Chicago, we've got a full tank of gas, Half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark out, and we are wearing sunglasses.
 

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
44,412
Posts
956,926
Members
36,733
Latest member
rjshope2007
Top