Susan's 63 Mini

Started by MiniDave, October 30, 2016, 04:08:23 PM

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94touring

Hmm so I guess I'll stop buying vr1 then. 

MiniDave

#51
Well, I checked the price on VR1 at Autozone and it was $6.99/qt, that's more than I pay for Brad Penn, but let me look into this additive first......still Kent swears by it and his engines last, so there has to be something to what he says.

Here's a history on Prather Racing.....they also do Mazdas - both Miatas and rotaries......

http://www.pratherracing.com/history.shtml
Complete failure at retirement - but getting better!

1972 Mini Racing Green
1972 Mini ST hotrod
2017 Audi Allroad - Glacier White - His
2018 Audi Allroad - Floret Silver - Hers

94touring

Lucas zinc additive on ebay is 6 16oz bottles for 66 bucks shipped.  Only takes about 5 oz or so to get 1500ppm.

John Gervais

After speaking with KC recently, I learned from him that a recent engine exhibited a bit of unsatisfactory wear from running in, and after checking the big barrel of Millers oil at his local dyno, it had a thick layer of sediment at the bottom.  It was surmised that the zink additive that came out of solution.  He'll not be using Millers again too soon.

So, last week, I sent KC a bottle of Cam Shield ZDDP additive from my stock for him to use on his new engine.

http://www.cam-shield.com/

I add it to the big green can of Castrol Classic XL 20W50.
- Pave the Bay -

MiniDave

And a free sticker!   ;D
Complete failure at retirement - but getting better!

1972 Mini Racing Green
1972 Mini ST hotrod
2017 Audi Allroad - Glacier White - His
2018 Audi Allroad - Floret Silver - Hers

94touring

Perfect for my sticker wall.

John Gervais

#56
Stickers are cool...  but "Only takes about 5 oz or so to get 1500ppm." seems like an awful lot.

vs.

Cam Shield, from the How-to-Use page:

"Approximately 1600 ppm Zinc for normal operation of muscle cars (add ¼ ounce Cam-shield™ to each quart of engine oil)"



I didn't get a sticker though.
- Pave the Bay -

94touring

Suppose it depends how concentrated it is.  I'll add this to my monthly ebay purchases. 

BruceK

Quote from: MiniDave on February 20, 2017, 07:52:41 AM
Incidentally, one of Kent Prather's (engine builder) top tips had to do with oil.....he says the race oils like Valvoline VR1 and even Brad Penn that I use don't contain any detergents like modern oils do, and for this reason are not the best thing to use in vintage engines, although they do have the zinc needed to keep the cam lubricated. What he does is buy a special 100% zinc additive, and runs the cheapest OReilys 20W50 on the shelf, then simply adds the appropriate amount of the zinc/phosphorous additive. He also said you need about 1500ppm of zinc, and that VR1 only has 1250 - which is borderline. The Brad Penn has 1500ppm, fwiw.

And me with a fresh unopened case of Brad Penn sitting in the garage.  :(
1988 Austin Mini 
2002 MINI Cooper S
1992 Toyota LiteAce (JDM)
1997 Land Cruiser Prado RX (JDM)

MiniDave

We talked further.....there is nothing wrong with using the Brad Penn or VR1, his point was you can simply buy modern inexpensive oil and add the zinc/phosphorus and save a bunch of money, and get the benefit of the detergents too.

Sorry if I wasn't clear.

Remember, our drain intervals are pretty short compared to modern cars - 3000 miles or 1 year max....that means the detergents are less needed than if the car ran 7-10K between changes like modern cars.

The main problem with modern oils is the lack of zinc, not the oil itself.....adding that gives you what you need. Zinc is not friendly to cat converters, that's why it has gone away.....
Complete failure at retirement - but getting better!

1972 Mini Racing Green
1972 Mini ST hotrod
2017 Audi Allroad - Glacier White - His
2018 Audi Allroad - Floret Silver - Hers

94touring

I use royal purple in the rx7.  Here is data on one line they sell.

10W30 Royal Purple HPS (High Performance Street) – 66,211 PSI
Zinc: 1774 ppm Phos: 1347 ppm Moly: 189 ppm

MiniDave

Too bad Susan won't be able to join us on this run, she says her car is running well, she had the alignment done and has finally been able to put a few miles on it, but her health will keep her homebound this time.

She's been finishing the little details that her husband didn't get to before he passed, like door cards and other interior bits, she put the finish panel on the inside of the boot lid, which turned out terrific. Slowly but surely it's coming around...
Complete failure at retirement - but getting better!

1972 Mini Racing Green
1972 Mini ST hotrod
2017 Audi Allroad - Glacier White - His
2018 Audi Allroad - Floret Silver - Hers

jeff10049

#62
Not sure where the no detergent myth comes from vr1 has detergent in lower levels to prevent foaming at sustained high rpm also good for use in shared gearbox like a mini as that can cause foaming as well.  The zinc in a bottle additives may not stay in suspension or blend well enough to even work at all, stick with vr1 or Joe Gibbs etc. We're not oil chemist to know if additives will blend properly. Except for Richard1 maybe he'll chime in.

tmsmini

As Richard has said more than a few times in that other place, the data is in the MSDSs that are available for all the oils. They are not easy to find always and they do need some sort of oil chemist to explain the different components. Richard has done so in his articles, good reading for a cold wet day perhaps...
Terry

MiniDave

#64
Update - bad news, good news

Susan crashed her Mini Sunday on K-10 highway not too far from her home. I'm not sure exactly what happened but John and I are going over to see it tomorrow afternoon and assess the damage - it's not too bad. Near as we can figure from a couple of pics she took with her cell phone is a wheel broke - the center axle nut is still there, the lug nuts are still in place and the upper ball joint seems to be intact, however the brake caliper broke off and the lower ball joint is either broken or simply came undone - can't tell from the pic.....don't know if that happened somehow as the disc hit the ground or what.

Good news, she was shaken up by it but not hurt.

Here are the pics John sent me....
Complete failure at retirement - but getting better!

1972 Mini Racing Green
1972 Mini ST hotrod
2017 Audi Allroad - Glacier White - His
2018 Audi Allroad - Floret Silver - Hers

94touring

#65
Wheel busted, wow!

Edit:  perhaps the ball joint or tie rod broke/came undone and snapped the wheel when it went a different direction than the car?

MiniDave

Anything is possible, but she's running steel wheels so I'm surprised it broke at all. And, what broke the caliper off like that? Crazy stuff.....
Complete failure at retirement - but getting better!

1972 Mini Racing Green
1972 Mini ST hotrod
2017 Audi Allroad - Glacier White - His
2018 Audi Allroad - Floret Silver - Hers

94touring

Yeah breaking a wheel going straight and level is pretty odd.  I'd think if it were cracked or loose, you'd feel it shaking, and if loose the studs would break before the wheel would.  I broke a tie rod on a work truck once going through a job site when I hit a tree stump hidden in mud.  It was an abrupt no steering and wheels pointed different directions moment.   In mud I just slid, but on pavement going down the highway you'd be majority up the creek.

gr8kornholio

Looks like the caliper is made of a cast metal.  Any chance it cracked with the last tightening which eventually made it give way?  That'd be a massive chunk inside the wheel that could then rip the bottom ball joint off and in a fight for space blast the wheel out?

Just speculation based on the pic of the caliper bolt area.  Seen a lot of cast metals crack and separate at the bolt points.  Grant it was mostly cheap cast metal outdoor furniture, but figure same principals. 

Glad she is ok and hopefully the damage is fixable.
I am the GR8KORNHOLIO! Are you threatening me?

Saussie Aussie 1965 Australian MK1 Mini.
"Beavis" - 07 MY/MY MCS, B/MY Konig Daylites, JCW sideskirts, TSW springs, TSW lower rear control arms -- Exploring the country with new friends since 11/09.

94touring

Quote from: MiniDave on September 17, 2018, 11:33:32 AM
And, what broke the caliper off like that?

Blunt force trama maybe, or like Mark says, bad casting.  They don't exactly make these parts all that great!

gr8kornholio

#70
Maybe I should have splurged for the authentic calipers instead of the mini spares copies.  Anyone else make a 7.5" caliper?

Answered my own question.  KAD makes one that will fit the 7.5" disc.  Pricey, unless this happens.
I am the GR8KORNHOLIO! Are you threatening me?

Saussie Aussie 1965 Australian MK1 Mini.
"Beavis" - 07 MY/MY MCS, B/MY Konig Daylites, JCW sideskirts, TSW springs, TSW lower rear control arms -- Exploring the country with new friends since 11/09.

BruceK

Could also be a wheel failing.  As you know, it only takes about 45 lbs ft to tighten - half of what is used on other cars.  So that could have cracked from being over torqued by some gorilla over the past decades. 
1988 Austin Mini 
2002 MINI Cooper S
1992 Toyota LiteAce (JDM)
1997 Land Cruiser Prado RX (JDM)

gr8kornholio

True, and if the wheel broke at the hub while the car was moving in a straight line it would move toward the rear of the car, grabbing the caliper and probably rotating it down to remove the lower ball joint.
I am the GR8KORNHOLIO! Are you threatening me?

Saussie Aussie 1965 Australian MK1 Mini.
"Beavis" - 07 MY/MY MCS, B/MY Konig Daylites, JCW sideskirts, TSW springs, TSW lower rear control arms -- Exploring the country with new friends since 11/09.

94touring

Quote from: gr8kornholio on September 17, 2018, 12:06:56 PM
Maybe I should have splurged for the authentic calipers instead of the mini spares copies.  Anyone else make a 7.5" caliper?

Answered my own question.  KAD makes one that will fit the 7.5" disc.  Pricey, unless this happens.

Minisport 4 pot alloys.  I want to say mine are half the weight of stock 7.5s.

MPlayle

I'm seeing what looks like a spacer on the front hub for offsetting the wheel outwards?

Usually those are mounted with any recessed area to the inside, so that the flat surface is against the wheel.  If it is indeed a spacer and was mounted the current way, it could also have allowed flex and/or uneven pressure at the surface contact with the wheel that could have contributed.

I would need to check the position of the caliper, but the sudden drop of losing the wheel could have resulted in the caliper striking pavement and breaking.

Something also shot off going high and forward inside the wheel well and caused an outward dent/hole just to the rear from the mid-line of the headlight.