I have been asked by Fifthrider himself to start posing topics and advice related to the 1959-60 Cadillac ORIGINAL engine and transmission. This topic will not relate to rebuilt or replaced engines since most likely they have been modified for more modern use or are a completely different engine altogether.
I have worked on and taken apart part of the the engine in our 1959 Superior Cadillac. Even though there has been maintenance done on the engine, it is original as well as the transmission. We bought a reprinted shop manual after we bought the 1960 MM hearse. The shop manual has come in very handy and I recommend any 1959-60 Cadillac owner to get one. It shows specifics, schematics, and general drawings of every part of the vehicle. (save for the back half which is done at the coach builders).
I am going to post more specific topics under this topic. Please feel free to post questions under this topic or more specific ones and I will try to answer them if possible. If someone else answers first, cool. Thanks.
I’m still working on the 1960 supplemental manual. I can also turn it into a PDF if desired. I have this loaded onto my PSP so that I can read it when I work on my ecto.
I want to post about engine oil because it has recently come up as an issue with our car. Apparently, modern oils sold at most auto shops are not good for original '59-'60 engines. In fact they may not be good for most engines sold up until the '70s.
Let me explain: Most engines built before the '70’s used flat tappets, a piece of cylindrical metal that interfaced between the camshaft and the valve rods. (Modern cars use roller tappets now). Older oils had a zinc/phosphate additive in them which helped protect the tappets from wear and tear. Unfortunately, during the '70’s catalytic converters became commonplace on cars for emissions control. Zinc/phosphate additives slowly damaged these catalytic converters and the amount of additive was reduced, but still protected older engines. Recently (in the last 5 years) the zinc/phosphate additive has been removed to further reduce harmful emissions and damage to the catalytic converter. Nearly all modern vehicles (in the last twenty years or more) now have roller tappets which don’t have the same wear and tear issue flat tappets have, and so no longer needed the additive anyway. That means that currently sold motor oils are not good for original Cadillac engines.
Now, there are some oil additives and some specialty oils out there that have zinc/phosphates in them for older engines. The shop owner that we store our car with has the exact same issue with older porches and uses Brad Penn High Performance Oil for his cars. Coincidentally enough, he is also replacing the rear main seal in our engine (the transmission is getting fixed so he might as well replace it while its out) and going to use this oil. If you find an additive or specialty oil meant for use in older engines please post those here. I hope this helps with your rebuild or maintenance of your Cadillac.
I’ve been using Penrite High Performance mineral oils in all my older cars. Definitely wouldn’t use synthetic oils in old engines. I’ll keep an eye out for this Brad Penn oil you mentioned though.
Since my 60 doesn’t have an original engine I plan on fitting a Gen 3 LS1. They’re faily cheap and plentiful and popular with hot rodders.
My personal recommendation is to use Valvoline Racing oil. Don’t let the name confuse you though. It does have the correct amount of ZDDP (the zinc additive) to maintain your tappets. For those rebuilding engines, I would recommend getting a roller set up. Yes it is more expensive but it extends the life of the engine and improves efficiency in terms of less heat generation. I’m running a roller cam set up in one of my cars that was originally a hydraulic set up, definitely helps out!