VCCA Home Forums GENERAL DISCUSSION What did you do with your vehicle today? Post shake down cruise work

My newly-acquired 1951 Styleline Special did well enough in her first short run,
I have found a local old-school radiator repair shop to address a few leaks there. Radiator comes out tomorrow.
While that is out I need to find where to check fluid level on the 3 speed manual trans.
Also going through fluid level checks on the rear and looking at the steering box.
After the engine block is flushed and the radiator is back in with a new thermostat there will be an oil change (no filter).
Once we are confident with the overall mechanical condition I will move on to more cosmetic issues.

Taking it easy, going through things one at a time.

i WOULD RECOMEND ON GETTING A SHOP AND OWNERS MANUAL'
The transmission is filled to the big pipe plug opening on the right side of the transmission. The differential filled to the opening on the rear cover.
Engine oil, 5 Qts of 10w-30 oil.
Steerig gear=chassis grease too tick and gear ol too thin....mix he two.
A manual wll tell you where all the grease fitting are well as other items that require lubrication. -manty every 1000 miles.

Thanks.
The first things I ordered were the owner's manual and the shop manual; both came in the mail yesterday.
The leaky radiator is out for a trip to an old school radiator shop Monday morning.

I'll pick up some GL-4 gear oil if needed for the rear and trans.
After researching awhile I am going with 5w-20 in the engine, initially.
I realize discussing oil viscosity is akin to religion or politics but I'll ask anyway; why the 10W-30, other than it works well?

I do have a significant oil leak making its way to the ground via the weep hole in what I would call the clutch cover.
I'll have to look into that, hoping it is just the rear of the oil pan and not the rear main seal. Looks like it has been leaking for a while.

Should be a wonderful adventure.

Hi John

10W-30 has been a sort of standard catch-all recommendation for a lot of applications for a lot of years.
And it's a pretty good one.
And the stuff is ubiquitous. You can find it anywhere.

That said, if your car still has a 216 engine in it, 5W-20 is a great choice.
Dipper lubricated "pressure stream" engines lubricate best with lighter oils.
A 0W-20 synthetic would also be a great choice, and I'd stick with it.

I wouldn't waste my time looking for a GL-4, GL-5's are better oils and have been buffered and fully compatible with non-ferrous bushings for many decades.

Don't worry just yet about the clutch cover being wet with oil.
They can seem pretty oily and not really be losing very much oil.
I'd say wait and see just how much oil you have to add once you start driving some distance.

Have fun! 🙂

Thank You, sir. I used to go to Saskatchewan when I had the RCMP as a customer...
Yes, she has a 216.5 cu. in. with a manual trans. Base model Styleline Special. No oil filter, no turn signals, no sideview mirrors and vinyl floor coverings. Hopefully it isn't leaking too badly once it gets on the road a bit more and I get underneath it to check things.
It might just be the oil pan leaking and running back to the clutch cover.
Going through everything mechanical, one by one.

After some more looking I have found oil coming down the back of the engine from the rear of the valve cover.
I plan on taking that off, adjusting the valves and then replacing the rocker arm cover gasket and valve cover gasket.
Hopefully that will stem the main tide of oil; we'll see.
I have had the speedometer driven gear out and the gear oil is low. Is that portion of the transmission filled to the bottom of the hole (like the trans) or what?
I'm having a horrible time trying to get the plug out of the differential cover. Previous owner(s) have vise-gripped it to death. I will likely get a replacement differential cover with a good plug.

Thanks for any wisdom...