Essential Guide to the Museum’s Most Legendary Oils - Страница 1

Статус
В этой теме нельзя размещать новые ответы.

Аргентум

Esquire
Смотритель музея
Сообщения
6,349
Реакции
2,807
Баллы
9,100

Explore a marvellous museum exhibit of legendary engine oils, trace their history, admire vintage cans, and see how these lubes have powered engines through the years -​


 

Аргентум

Esquire
Смотритель музея
Сообщения
6,349
Реакции
2,807
Баллы
9,100
Quick summary -
Right then, let's get down to brass tacks about this Royal Triton 5W-20. It stands as a proper landmark from the American fifties, a truly remarkable motor oil for its day, emerging just as multi-grade oils were finding their feet. Union 76, the outfit behind it, were ahead of the curve, consciously dosing it with ZDDP back in the forties, well before its anti-wear properties became common knowledge. Its distinctive purple hue wasn't just a gimmick; it became an unmistakable signature, turning heads and lodging itself in the public mind. What with this unique colour and some savvy marketing, reportedly even featuring stars like Marilyn Monroe, it truly captured the zeitgeist of mid-century America's love affair with the motor car. Under the bonnet, the lab analysis reveals a potent brew for its era: a hefty whack of Barium alongside that pioneering ZDDP, giving it serious protective clout. And it wasn't just brute strength; the technical figures show surprisingly decent cold-weather manners for a mineral oil of that vintage, quite advanced really. The adverts naturally shouted about its all-weather capability, promising smoother running, less engine knock for the new high-compression engines, and better protection all round. You saw genuine, almost fierce loyalty from motorists back then, folks going to considerable lengths, even ordering it specially across continents, just to keep pouring that purple stuff. All told, Royal Triton 5W-20 wasn't merely oil in a tin; it was a slice of post-war innovation and cultural history, a testament to technical progress meeting clever branding.

See full details (VOA analysis included) -
 

Аргентум

Esquire
Смотритель музея
Сообщения
6,349
Реакции
2,807
Баллы
9,100
Quick summary -
To put it simply, let's get this straight – it wasn't some back-alley brew, but proper science bubbling away during the war years that birthed this stuff. Prestone Motor Oil, hitting the shelves around 1945, stands as the world's first widely sold synthetic engine lubricant for everyday cars, a concoction based not on crude oil but on polyalkylene glycol (PAG), synthesized as early as 1943. Lab results from a vintage can show its unique nature: zero parts per million of modern helpers like Calcium or Zinc, a strikingly high acid number (TAN 4.7 mg KOH/g) paired with a negligible base number (TBN 0.2), but boasting a solid Viscosity Index of 148. Initially flogged as a versatile 10W-10, its impressive Pour Point of -51°C and good cold cranking viscosity (CCS 4350 mPa·s @ -25°C) supported the promise of easier starts on bitter mornings, though it would now be characterized as falling between SAE 5W and 10W grades. The makers lauded its ability to dissolve sludge, keep engines clean, and potentially double drain intervals, citing how its oxidation products were mostly volatile, unlike petroleum's gunk. Still, this pioneering oil wasn't without troubles: it cost a packet (75 cents a quart, two or three times standard oil), struggled for shelf space against the big oil companies' own products, and had a peculiar knack for increasing oil consumption in older, worn engines once it cleaned out the piston ring grooves.

See full details (VOA analysis included) -

+

 
  • Like
Реакции: nonconfo

Аргентум

Esquire
Смотритель музея
Сообщения
6,349
Реакции
2,807
Баллы
9,100
Quick summary -
Knocking about in the archives, you stumble upon this Shell X-100 Premium 10W-30, a real curio from around 1960 that properly shook things up. This wasn't just another tin of lubricant; it was billed as the first genuinely ash-free motor oil for the common car, a bold move when everyone else was loading their oils with metallic additives like calcium and barium soaps, and the ubiquitous ZDDP. Shell chucked those out, relying instead on a novel ashless polymeric dispersant (likely a methacrylate copolymer, dubbed Alkadine) and the controversial but effective tricresylphosphate (TCP) to do the heavy lifting. The whole idea was to combat the five engine-killers Shell had identified – additive ash build-up causing pre-ignition and rumble, crankcase sludge, viscosity changes with temperature swings, corrosive engine acids (tackled by a protective 'chemisorption' film), and sludge formation from coolant leaks. The proof was in the pudding, or rather the lab analysis: virtually no metallic ash-formers (Zinc 3 ppm, Calcium 8 ppm, Barium 0 ppm), a healthy dose of Phosphorus (630 ppm) likely from the TCP, a stable multigrade viscosity (10.75 cSt @ 100°C, VI 170), and decent cold-weather performance (Pour Point -40°C, MRV -30°C at 18443 mPa·s). It was such a fundamental shift in thinking that this base formulation, pioneered decades ago to keep car engines clean and powerful without leaving metallic residues, still finds its place in the demanding world of piston aircraft engines today.

See full details (VOA analysis included) -
 
  • Like
Реакции: nonconfo

Аргентум

Esquire
Смотритель музея
Сообщения
6,349
Реакции
2,807
Баллы
9,100
Quick summary -
Let’s break it down: back in the mid-sixties, Sinclair rolled out something genuinely different with their Dino Supreme motor oil, a real museum piece these days. Its main claim to fame, quite the talking point, was a unique, patented nickel-phosphorus additive working hand-in-glove with the more common ZDDP zinc compounds already doing the rounds. The big idea was that these tiny nickel bits would form a sort of protective coating, practically armour-plating the engine's guts against wear and tear. Sinclair swore it got to work straight away, especially tackling that nasty metal-on-metal grind you get during cold starts, a proper engine killer. It wasn't just about wear either; they claimed it stopped that sludgy gunk building up from all the stop-start driving most families did around town. Even when you were giving it some beans on the open road, this multi-grade oil was meant to keep its body, preventing varnish that could choke performance. This concoction was pitched as revolutionary, tailor-made for the more demanding, higher-compression engines becoming common back then. They backed it up with lab tests and even track trials, boasting it surpassed what the American car giants required for their warranties. Looking back, the lab reports confirm the story, showing hefty amounts of both nickel and phosphorus, a testament to their unique formula. All told, it represented a rather bold and specific chemical solution by Sinclair, aiming squarely at protecting engines from the specific stresses of driving conditions peculiar to that era.

See full details (VOA analysis included) -
 

Аргентум

Esquire
Смотритель музея
Сообщения
6,349
Реакции
2,807
Баллы
9,100
Quick summary -
Funny how some old tech just refuses to lie down; take Mobil SHC from 1973, a proper trailblazer in the world of engine lubrication. This wasn't just any oil, mind you, but the world's first commercially pushed PAO synthetic, cooked up from synthesized hydrocarbons and initially flogged mainly in Europe and Japan, deliberately skipping the US market. It was clever stuff, staying properly fluid when it was cold enough to freeze the anorak off you (boasting a pour point down at -51°C) yet maintaining a thick, protective film when engines ran blisteringly hot, reportedly stable right up to 232°C. Though labelled 10W-50 according to the standards of the day, recent multi-lab tests across Germany, the US, and Russia confirmed its hefty kinematic viscosity (around 25.8 mm²/s at 100°C) puts it squarely in the modern 10W-60 bracket, alongside a robust additive package featuring plenty of zinc (around 1349 ppm). Praised by performance outfits like Alpina back then for keeping high-strung motors happy under duress, this groundbreaking SHC essentially lit the fuse for the synthetic oil revolution and directly paved the way for the Mobil 1 dynasty that followed. Its very existence, proven capable in everything from rallies to road cars, forced the entire industry to sit up and take notice, marking a genuine dawn for widely available synthetic engine protection.

See full details (VOA analysis included) -
 
  • Like
Реакции: nonconfo

Аргентум

Esquire
Смотритель музея
Сообщения
6,349
Реакции
2,807
Баллы
9,100
Quick summary -
Right then, picture this: engine oil causing a proper stir back in the mid-seventies – sounds unlikely, but that’s precisely the splash Mobil 1 made upon its arrival around 1975. It represented a significant leap, being the first widely available synthetic oil, a blend of PAO and esters aimed squarely at the everyday driver, and notably thin for its time, comparable to a modern 0W-16 specification. Crafted molecule by molecule from synthesized hydrocarbons, its technical data revealed a kinematic viscosity hovering around 6.96 mm²/s at 100°C and truly impressive performance in the cold, evidenced by a pour point dipping below a frosty minus 60°C. Mobil aggressively promoted its ability to improve fuel mileage, drastically cut oil consumption by up to 25%, offer superior protection in both freezing starts and searing heat, and perhaps most remarkably, recommended its use in practically any car, even those originally calling for hefty SAE 50 oils. The allure was further magnified by the prospect of extending oil changes to an astonishing 25,000 miles or one year, a claim rooted in the inherent stability and cleaner operation of its synthetic foundation. Still, its groundbreaking low viscosity wasn't entirely without its quirks, eventually leading to regulatory notes advising that some vehicles, particularly older ones or those with higher mileage, might see increased oil usage, a practical footnote to its otherwise revolutionary debut.

See full details (VOA analysis included) -
 
  • Fire
Реакции: nonconfo

Аргентум

Esquire
Смотритель музея
Сообщения
6,349
Реакции
2,807
Баллы
9,100
Quick summary -
Fancy finding one of these tucked away in a dusty corner of the garage, eh? This old can of Valvoline SAE 20 mineral oil is practically a museum piece, holding a bit of motoring folklore centred squarely around its famed 'Chemaloy' additive. Marketed back in its day – likely the late sixties or early seventies given the chat about API specs and cap colours – as a proper miracle brew, it promised to scrub your engine clean as you drove, keeping wear and tear firmly at bay and boosting performance. What exactly went into that original, legendary Chemaloy remains something of an industry puzzle, a secret sauce no one quite managed to replicate, though this particular tested batch reveals a robust, business-like mix: plenty of zinc and phosphorus (around 1300 ppm each), a fair whack of magnesium (over 900 ppm), calcium (459 ppm), and a dash of boron (83 ppm), all suspended in a decent base oil with a viscosity index of 116 and a healthy TBN of 6.37. The analysis confirms it's clean stuff, low contaminants and water, with good stability, hinting at why it was considered so advanced. Despite later versions and the name persisting, the specific magic of that early Chemaloy seems lost to time, discussed but never fully deciphered by enthusiasts poring over old FTIR spectrographs. Still, whatever the precise formula, this oil undeniably cemented Valvoline's reputation for sheer, dependable quality, setting a high bar back then.

See full details (VOA analysis included) -
 

Аргентум

Esquire
Смотритель музея
Сообщения
6,349
Реакции
2,807
Баллы
9,100
Quick summary -
Well then, this Macmillan Ring-Free SAE 10, it's a proper curio from the late forties, a winter motor oil that really stood out from the crowd. What set it apart, see, was its unusual naphthenic base – chock-full of cycloparaffins, giving it quite distinct properties compared to the run-of-the-mill paraffinic oils. This specific chemistry gifted it a remarkably cool aniline point, the peak for simple hydrocarbon oils of its day, meaning it possessed an inherent solvency that could break down engine gunk quite effectively. Indeed, its main selling point wasn't just lubrication but its uncanny ability to cleanse engines, actively dissolving carbon binders and flushing away deposits, all achieved naturally through its base oil rather than modern detergent additives. Cleverly, those same naphthenes responsible for the solvency also endowed it with exceptional cold-weather performance, boasting a pour point that made it genuinely useful in freezing conditions. The company marketed this "Ring-Free" quality heavily, using testimonials from independent dealers who swore by it in their own cars and backing it with bold money-back guarantees if it didn't visibly clean the engine. Laboratory analysis confirms its vintage nature, showing virtually no additives and relying solely on the inherent qualities of that specially refined naphthenic crude. There's a touch of melancholy history too, with mentions of the Arkansas refinery's decline due to dwindling local crude and eventual environmental clean-up issues. Today, finding a can is like unearthing a museum exhibit, offering a tangible glimpse into a different era of petroleum technology. All told, it represents a fascinating branch of oil formulation, showcasing what could be achieved through careful base stock selection and refining before the widespread adoption of complex additive packages changed the game entirely.

See full details (VOA analysis included) -
 
  • Fire
Реакции: nonconfo

Аргентум

Esquire
Смотритель музея
Сообщения
6,349
Реакции
2,807
Баллы
9,100
Quick summary -
Right then, let's get down to brass tacks about this All Proof business, which seems rather the unsung hero in the motor oil saga. Turns out, this company, often forgotten, is the proper paterfamilias of ester-based motor oils for the common car, the very stuff that birthed big names like Amsoil and Red Line. Forget those tall tales about Amsoil being the absolute first whisper of synthetic oil for the public; that honour likely belongs elsewhere, perhaps Prestone. But crucially, when it comes to the full-on ester brews for your motor car (PCMO, they call it), All Proof, likely masterminded by Alvin Fagan back in the day, beat them to the punch, setting up shop before Amsoil even got going. Indeed, Amsoil itself, initially dubbed Amzoil, apparently sprang from know-how gleaned directly from Fagan's All Proof operation, set up by Albert Amatuzio who'd worked with him. Red Line, too, shares roots tangled up in that same pioneering era, a sort of sibling in this synthetic family tree. Think of it like some family drama: All Proof's the somewhat unacknowledged 'Anakin' figure to Amsoil and Red Line's 'Luke and Leia', though perhaps less gratitude flowed back in this real-world story than in the pictures. The star exhibit here is arguably the All Proof SAE 10W-50, touted as the original 100% ester PCMO from nigh on fifty years back, a genuine museum piece. Looking at the old sample's breakdown, it's packed with zinc and phosphorus like oils of yesteryear, built tough for performance, even if its base reserve looks spent now. So, the long and short of it is this All Proof lark represents a truly seminal moment, the real genesis point for high-performance ester lubricants we know today, even if its own story's been gathering dust on the shelf.

See full details (VOA analysis included) -
 
  • Fire
Реакции: nonconfo

Аргентум

Esquire
Смотритель музея
Сообщения
6,349
Реакции
2,807
Баллы
9,100
Quick summary -
To put it simply, let's have a look at this SOHIO Nitrex 5W-40 oil – quite something from its time, a proper museum piece in its own right. Turns out this was only the second 5W-40 oil ever brought to market, hot on the heels of SOHIO/Boron's own QVO, marking it as a genuine landmark product in lubricant history. It was known for being heavily fortified with viscosity improvers, boasting an exceptionally high viscosity index that frankly set a new benchmark others had to scramble towards. The laboratory analysis reveals a rather forward-thinking additive package for the 1970s, featuring Boron alongside notable amounts of Magnesium and Zinc, not just the usual suspects. SOHIO certainly wasn't bashful about promoting it, boldly calling it the 'greatest all-season oil ever developed', a claim backed by some genuinely impressive characteristics. Its 5W rating delivered remarkably good flow in the cold, promising easier starts and crucially, quicker lubrication for chilly engines – faster even than what General Motors required back then. Equally, its robust 40-weight nature ensured it stood up admirably to high temperatures, resisting the thinning and oxidation that plagued lesser oils of the period. One key boast was its grade stability; it started as an SAE 40 and, rather impressively for the era, stayed reliably close to that grade throughout its service life. They confidently pitched it as superior to their previous top oil, QVO, highlighting its advantages across the board, from cold starts to overall robustness. What's particularly telling is the high Magnesium content, suggesting SOHIO was already consciously tackling pre-ignition issues, displaying a technical foresight that feels somewhat ahead of its 1970s vintage.

See full details (VOA analysis included) -
 

Аргентум

Esquire
Смотритель музея
Сообщения
6,349
Реакции
2,807
Баллы
9,100
Quick summary -
In short, what we've got here is a proper dive into a cracking bit of motoring history: Quaker State's 10W-10 winter oil. This stuff was seemingly one of the top dogs back in its day, a genuinely well-regarded winter lubricant, likely dating from the late 1940s based on the tin and the chat. Someone's managed to get hold of a vintage sample, shipped over with a bit of bother, and given it a thorough going-over in the lab, laying bare its composition after all these years. What really catches the eye is the additive package revealed by the analysis – a surprising whack of Barium in there, alongside the zinc and phosphorus, which certainly gives pause for thought about formulations from that specific post-war era. You see, engines back then were being built with tighter clearances, demanding these 'lighter' oils, a point Quaker State hammered home relentlessly in their advertising copy. They made a big song and dance about needing specific winter oil for trouble-free frosty morning starts, warning motorists against chancing it with leftover summer grades. Much was made of its protective, yet remarkably thin oil film – famously claimed to be thinner than cigarette paper – yet robust enough to shield those closer-fitting engine parts. It was all built on that renowned Pennsylvania Grade Crude, refined to the nines at their own facilities, which they reckoned was the best base you could get. They even touted improvements born out of the war effort when the oil reappeared proudly in cans post-WWII, pushing its enhanced cleaning and protective qualities. All told, it's a fascinating window into the science, the clever marketing, and the sheer quality of a benchmark engine oil from that significant period in automotive development.

See full details (VOA analysis included) -
 
  • Like
Реакции: nonconfo

Аргентум

Esquire
Смотритель музея
Сообщения
6,349
Реакции
2,807
Баллы
9,100
Quick summary -
Right then, we're looking at Steen-C, quite the curio – touted as the very first boutique synthetic motor oil, a 20W-40 PAG brew kicking about back in the fifties or sixties. It's been properly scrutinised with a full lab analysis, laying bare its virgin chemical makeup and rather unique properties for its time. The central point of contention, the real nut to crack, is whether this Steen-C is simply Prestone oil in a different bottle, a mere rebadging exercise. There's a bit of a tale attached, involving a Standard Oil engineer, his son John, and a partnership with Union Carbide (UCON) to produce these batches, though some reckon it's just a story. Contrasting that, reliable whispers suggest it *is* UCON PAG oil, but specifically tweaked for Steen with a unique dye and an extra additive, making it distinct from standard Prestone. To settle the matter, the next step is clear: comparing its FTIR spectral fingerprint against Prestone's, which should reveal the truth of its identity. There was also some decent technical natter about PAG's specific strengths, particularly its high solvency – its ability to truly dissolve gunk – as opposed to just keeping particles suspended like traditional dispersants. They even chewed over the "Chemical Oil" name, speculating it dodged "Synthetic" due to awkward connotations back then, sounding either unnatural to the hippy crowd or vaguely sinful to the more straight-laced types. The lab results themselves show its peculiar nature: a high viscosity index, almost no base reserve (TBN), a fair whack of acidity (TAN), yet it pours nicely even when brass monkeys cold. So, while this vintage oil's intrinsic character is now well-documented, the final verdict on its originality versus being a simple Prestone lookalike hangs fire until that definitive FTIR comparison is done and dusted.

See full details (VOA analysis included) -
 

Аргентум

Esquire
Смотритель музея
Сообщения
6,349
Реакции
2,807
Баллы
9,100
Quick summary -
Well then, what we're chewing over here is the fascinating, if rather grim, story of the world's first industrially produced semi-synthetic engine oil, hammered out by N. Germany during the thick of the Second World War. It was essentially a wartime necessity, a WIFO-branded concoction blending mineral oils with some pioneering synthetic base stocks, like the much-discussed SS906 from Leuna. The general feeling is this wasn't some elegant pursuit of automotive excellence, but rather something cobbled together out of sheer desperation and resource scarcity to keep the war machine running. Various outfits like I.G. Farben, Rhenania-Ossag, and Deutsche Vacuum produced the different mineral and synthetic components, which were then blended to specific, coded recipes like SS970 or SS1060. Interestingly, even in those dark days, they were already dosing these oils with basic additives – a pinch of anti-oxidant and something to stop piston rings gumming up, developed by I.G. Farben. Despite being a landmark first – the earliest known large-scale application of synthetic base oils – the underlying technology gets a bit of a pasting in this discussion; the base stocks are considered rather crude, almost 'freaks' born of exigency, not refined chemistry. It's argued that while the Germans undeniably pioneered this field out of need, the real quantum leaps with synthetics like PAO came decades later, largely driven by American ingenuity, even if some technical roots might trace back. The German chemists certainly solved the immediate problem as best they could under duress, but the verdict seems to be they created a functional necessity, not something fundamentally sound or beautiful. You get a stark picture of the immense industrial effort too, rapidly scaling up production of these synthetics amidst wartime shortages, wrestling with materials for reactors and the like. It’s a telling glimpse into innovation under extreme pressure, a far cry from the polished synthetics we know today.

See full details (VOA analysis available for a fee) -
 

Аргентум

Esquire
Смотритель музея
Сообщения
6,349
Реакции
2,807
Баллы
9,100
Quick summary -
Right then, picture this: amidst the clatter and grime of the seventies workshop, something rather different was brewing, a genuine shift away from the usual engine gunk. Pacer's EON E-11 motor oil stepped onto the scene as part of that decade's synthetic vanguard, a proper 100% diester formulation (specifically Ditridecyl Adipate, crafted by Hatco) designed to knock mineral oil off its perch. Analysis of a 1974 sample confirms its 10W-40 grade credentials, showcasing a robust Viscosity Index of 188, an impressively low Pour Point down at -51°C, and ideal whack of Calcium (1576 ppm), Zinc (886 ppm), and Phosphorus (784 ppm) additives, alongside a relatively low TBN of 6.46 mg KOH/g. The big sell was its sheer endurance and cleaning power, promising an almost unthinkable 40,000 miles between changes by dissolving carbon and sludge, boosting fuel efficiency, and drastically cutting wear, all thanks to its thermally stable, non-hydrocarbon base. Naturally, this miracle brew wasn't cheap, costing a fair few quid more than standard oil, leading to scepticism and serious argy-bargy with car giants like GM and Chrysler who wouldn't honour warranties with such long drain intervals. Adding fuel to the fire were early sourcing problems causing engine failures (camshafts, notably), a trademark spat with Exxon over the name similarity, and dodgy dealings where the company head allegedly pocketed settlement funds meant for dealers struggling with the fallout. Despite the court cases, the internal strife that eventually spun off the NEO brand, and the hefty price tag, EON E-11 was undeniably a landmark product, a bold, if flawed, pioneer that forced everyone to reconsider the very nature of engine lubrication.

See full details (VOA analysis included) -
 

Аргентум

Esquire
Смотритель музея
Сообщения
6,349
Реакции
2,807
Баллы
9,100
Quick summary -
Blimey, rooting around in the past can turn up some right corkers, and this old tin of Pennzoil is certainly one of them, straight out of the early 1970s. We're looking at a genuine Pennzoil 20W-40 multi-viscosity motor oil featuring the famed Z-7 additive package, the kind blokes were pouring into their hefty V8s. The laboratory deep-dive shows it was packing some serious clout back then, absolutely loaded with additives like calcium (1232 ppm), heaps of zinc and phosphorus anti-wear agents (1277/1719 ppm respectively), and an addon of barium detergent (2166 ppm), giving it a decent Total Base Number of 6.29 mg KOH/g but a relatively high starting Total Acid Number of 1.73 mg KOH/g too. Performance-wise, it clocked a kinematic viscosity of 13.84 mm²/s hot at 100°C and a robust 112.75 mm²/s at 40°C, yielding a viscosity index of 122, along with respectable cold crank figures (CCS 4970 mPa·s at -15°C), though it'd clearly turn to treacle when things got properly frosty given its -18°C pour point. Much natter surrounds that 'Z-7' formula; Pennzoil officially called it a mix of detergents, dispersants, anti-wear bits and bobs, rust inhibitors, and foam suppressants, but the exact magic, much like Valvoline's contemporary 'chemAloy', remains one of those great, slightly mysterious recipes from a different era of engine lubrication. Flicking through old Pennzoil Q&A columns from the time reveals they were already championing multi-viscosity benefits, advising against dodgy non-detergent break-in oils or mixing different brands, painting a picture of how this legendary stuff was actually used and understood on the ground.

See full details (VOA analysis included) -
 

Аргентум

Esquire
Смотритель музея
Сообщения
6,349
Реакции
2,807
Баллы
9,100
Quick summary -
So then, we're looking at a proper museum piece here, this Phillips 66 Premium Heavy Duty oil, straight out of the nineteen-fifties. The lab chaps confirmed it's a thin 10W-10 brew, loaded with detergents like Barium, mind you, but quite starkly lacking the zinc anti-wear stuff (ZDDP) we'd expect nowadays. What really catches the eye from back then is their rather bold satisfaction guarantee – give it a go for a thousand miles, and if you weren't chuffed, they'd fill you up with something else, on their dime. They spun this yarn about 'Lubri-tection,' a rather nifty bit of ad-man talk for the time, promising the works. Essentially, they swore it prevented wear, kept bearings safe from acid bother, and gave the engine internals a good scrub thanks to its detergent clout. It was meant to fight off sludge and varnish too, meaning you wouldn't be topping it up every five minutes, or so the story went. Phillips 66 made no bones about it, reckoning this stuff surpassed whatever the car manufacturers were demanding back then. Marketed fair and square as 'Heavy Duty,' it was pitched just as much for the working lorry as the family motor. So, you had this detergent-heavy, ZDDP-free oil pushed with immense confidence and a promise of keeping engines clean and protected. It’s a fascinating glimpse into mid-century motoring lubrication, where cleaning power and a cracking guarantee were clearly thought the dog's bollocks.

See full details (VOA analysis included) -
 

Аргентум

Esquire
Смотритель музея
Сообщения
6,349
Реакции
2,807
Баллы
9,100
Quick summary -
Well now, seems someone dusted off a real museum piece from the back of the shed for a proper look-see. This old tin of Conklin Convoy 10W-50, a so-called 'parasynthetic' from way back in 1977, went through the lab wringer, showing exactly what oils were like in the disco era. Turns out it was absolutely swimming in zinc and phosphorus anti-wear additives, clocking in at over 1400 ppm and 1600 ppm respectively, along with a decent slug of molybdenum at 247 ppm but nicely loaded with sodium too at 721 ppm. The stuff itself was quite thick, measuring 20.33 centistokes at 100°C with a rather impressive viscosity index of 189, suggesting it kept its body well when hot, and its pour point down at -42°C wasn't half bad for the time. Conklin, a company rooted firmly in American farming and eventually owned outright by a chap named Charles Herbster, flogged this oil promising mighty long drain intervals – up to 25,000 miles, they reckoned – and better fuel economy for tractors and the like across the Midwest. They were quite bold about it too, even running challenges daring farmers to pit their current oil against Convoy, all part of their pitch to be the go-to lubricant for the agricultural heartland.

See full details (VOA analysis included) -
 

Аргентум

Esquire
Смотритель музея
Сообщения
6,349
Реакции
2,807
Баллы
9,100
Quick summary -
So be it, what we're looking at here is a rather splendid vintage summer lubricant, this Mobil SAE 30 mineral oil. Its formulation and viscosity seem quite bespoke for warmer conditions, truly hitting the mark for its intended seasonal use. You're getting a high-calibre base oil, mind, coupled with a substantial, albeit balanced, additive package. The aniline point, a key indicator of its nature, is frankly impeccable for an oil of this particular grade. Now, one shouldn't be taken in by the seemingly modest Total Base Number; that figure can be rather deceptive in isolation. Its true mettle lies not in headline figures but in genuine acid neutralisation, a feat achieved here through a hefty, almost museum-worthy dose of barium soap, eschewing more common additives. Indeed, the detailed laboratory analysis confirms its clean nature and solid physical characteristics right out of the tin. This oil carries a palpable whiff of history, heavily promoted back then through Mobil's considerable racing pedigree, a proper blast from the past. References to Indianapolis, Pikes Peak, and even record-setting hydroplanes underscore its reputation amongst champions of that era. In essence, it's a fascinating snapshot of mid-century lubrication technology, a well-regarded, uniquely barium-rich formulation representing a different approach from a bygone age.

See full details (VOA analysis included) -
 
  • Like
Реакции: Oilgerm
Статус
В этой теме нельзя размещать новые ответы.
Сверху