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Just checked my face book account, and there was a post from Jay Leno's Garage, a video, about Archoil. Anybody know anything about their products?

Detergent oil was available from 1947, multigrade from 1951. For cars that were in service in the fifties, sixties, seventies and eighties 10W30 was the default choice at every garage and dealership. Chances are, your car has never used anything else.

Dropping the pan and cleaning it out is a good idea. I would use 10W30 or 20W40. Your engine does not need any zinc additive or other substance added. The only cars that have problems with today's oil, are pushrod type OHV engines especially high performance models with radical cams and stiff valve springs. A flathead is as easy on the cams and valve train as any OHC engine if not easier.

I agree with Rusty. I really am of the mind that this ZDDP thing is becoming simply another marketing ploy. I worry about the lack of zinc in my BMW and tend to look for oil with higher content of ZDDP because the valve spring pressure are pretty high but on an old flat head with low camshaft lobe profiles and low spring pressures it probably is not a concern. I remember when lead was removed from gasoline and the auto store shelves were filled with lead additives. Most cars unless used for trailer hailing rarely had problems adjusting to unleaded gas. But in the meantime money was being made scaring people into purchasing unnecessary products.

These days, I tend to worry more about what they're putting in fuels than what they're leaving out of oils. Ethanol seems to be my downfall when it comes to small engines, chain saws, outboard motors and really old cars. I do use either Rotella or Delo motor oils in the Packard, BMW and oldest (pre-Cat converters) Corvettes, but mostly Mobil 1 in everything else. At our house, we heve an oil change "festival" in both the Spring and Fall where as many as a dozen cars/trucks get serviced, and clothes get changed once (someone in clean clothes moves the cars around).

I don't remember the last time an engine oil failure was recorded, using this system. It's probably been 25 years. But, when it comes to fuel system issues, I don't have enough fingers to keep up with the count.. We have found one alledgedly "ethanol-free" station, but it's almost 80 miles distant so we don't use much of it. We have coaxed four GM trucks to at least a half million miles, mostly on a diet of Mobil 1 and whatever gas is available. That streak of luck will end if they degrade gasoline to 85 percent.

In my home area non-ethanol gasoline is not available but I've never had even a minor problem with 10% ethanol/gas in any of my vintage cars and both of them are used for fairly long mileage touring. But I agree with DaveB845 about it's use in small engines, my leaf blower/lawn mover/chain saw engines have regular problems attributable to the gasoline mixture.

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What about V-8s, particularly 56s with 10:1 compression (or is that irrelevant here?).

No fixed relationship between CR and cam lobe load.

My sons have used both Rotella and Delo for years in their Caterpillar heavy equipment, so it was a familiar sight for us. But I was surprised when both BMW and Corvette forums started recommending it for use in older cars, mainly because of the zinc content. Prior to that, we used "dino-based "instead of synthetic, simply because of the economics of changing it every year, usually with less than a thousand mile (or less) interval. So far with the Packard V-8 no complaints, and it's the same diet that the previous owner used for the past ten before I bought it. He's owned a half-dozen Packard V-8s over almost fifty years, but he's also a paid diesel mechanic. The previous comments by more knowledgeable Packard owners probably says what needs to be said about zinc content in motor oil. Unless you're hot rodding (and Ultramatic will solve that problem quickly), these are generally low-stressed engines that would do just as well on any brand of SAE rated oil. I sleep well just knowing that it's relatively clean and properly filtered and routinely changed.

But, since my car is "low-stressed" all of the time, how many are still using Regular gasoline (87 octane) in them? I would have imagined that an expensive car like the senior Packards mostly heard their owners say "Fill her up with Ethyl" until they eventually became cheap used cars. So far, I cannot tell the difference between any grade of quality gasoline. Not a ping or a pop. Warm weather may make me change my mind, should warm weather ever appear.

I would strongly recommend picking up some Stabil Marine Formula Ethanol fuel treatment. Bought it last winter when I purchased my new snow blower. Added to 5 gal gas can and used it as fuel conditioner and ethanol neutralizer. Topped off gas tank in spring and it fired first pull this winter.

Have also been using it in my Canyon every three thousand miles. Cleans all components on intake side of engine including valves from ethanol side effects. Always picks up some of the mileage I've lost since loosing my last place to get regular unleaded.