Anyone that was around the 60's - 80's street machine era?

[Francis]

Hi guy's

I'm after anyone that was around the street machine era during the late 60's to the mid 80's.

Long story made short, I'm trying to find out some more info about Valvoline XLD.

I know that to most the general consensus of Valvoline is that it's just a run of the mill joe average product. Not to be compered to the likes of Penrite or Nulon.

There has been a few events or comments I have come across that have just kept me interested in the product.

I'm yet to find out more on this, a very well regarded No BS style engine builder I know told me that for many years during the 70's era Valvoline XLD was the top choice for tuff street engines. GTHO, XU1, ect. He even told me that it was used in a supercharged speed boat motor that ran on methanol. It was often the speed shop oil. He mentioned that only once oils like Corse Plus and Penrite HPR came out and where directly marketed toward the performance street / race seen that XLD took a back seat and just became a standard type oil. The latter popularity of synthetic's pushed the perception of XLD further down, but he still had no issues using it in tuff V8 engines driven hard. This to me in the current day seems odd as the oil is now a entry level range product and most of Valvoline products would not seem a match for Castrol Edge, Penrite or Nulon.

I'm keen to hear more from anyone that was around that 60's to 80's street machine era that could tell me more about how XLD was used.

I'm also keen to hear if anyone has any recent stories of uses with XLD and it's latter developed oils like Engine Armour. I'm just trying to see past the marking (or lack of it) and perhaps there oils are a under rated gem?

[gtxb67]

valvoline used both johnson and bartlett in their advertising in the earl 80's
if they both actually used it, then it must have been a good oil, if it could keep an engine together around bathurst

however, i'd imagine the xld of the early 80's bears no real resemblance to the current oil. i have no idea how the new stuff compares to other oils

[Johnnyboy]

Valvoline was the good oil (no pun) but have been told it's not the same now.

I've never touched Nulon since the 80's when it had a bad name for blocking oil filters.

Most of the guys in the 80's I knew just used Castrol GTX.

[Francis]

Originally Posted by Johnnyboy

Valvoline was the good oil (no pun) but have been told it's not the same now.

I've never touched Nulon since the 80's when it had a bad name for blocking oil filters.

Most of the guys in the 80's I knew just used Castrol GTX.

Thanks mate, great info.

Funny how back then you would use GTX in something like a GTHO or tuff 351 but now even thought the oils S rating is far higher, you would never find anyone using GTX in the same style of engine.

Interestingly I have run across a few people that still swear by Valvoline and many that just say its cheap rubbish.

[homegrown]

I remember an article in one of the Australian Muscle Car magazines, I think it was at Allan Moffat and stating that if they got to use the quality of oils that we have today there would have been far less engine breakdowns. Might have had more info on oils and what they were using. Would have to remember what magazine that was now.

[Whoosha]

Always used XLD back in the the day funny how times change . Nulon street strip synthetic gets the nod theses days , this test is a bit dated now but still interesting
http://www.fordforums.com.au/vbporta...article&id=333

[billy302]

Valvoline XLD?
I used it for many years and still would if synthetic oils were not available.
It is still very good oil, but as with everything we have moved on including Valvoline.
If I were running a V8 up North I'd still look at it.
Valvoline make a full range of modern oils including XLD. Check the web

I forgot to add I've just changed the oil in the car just before Christmas (normal oil change) guess what I use? Valvoline SynPower 5W-40.

[GazzF6]

XLD "For those in the know" was the catch cry..

BP Corse Plus, Shell XMO, and Castrol GTX, were also popular way back when..

[DJR-351]

I used it (XLD) in my E 49 and the earlier XA GT's i had, after 1980 i used the Penrite stuff.....no particular reason that i remember other than "everyone else" was using it...

[burnz]

XLD is rather new..
i used valvoline chemAlloy circa 1961 that came in a 20litre drum, the ad slogan was world first worlds best..

[dave351cid]

i used xld for years. it was the recomended oil when i had my first tuff clevo built and did the job ok. that was from about `84 until the early `90s ( `92 maybe ?) when i started using penrite oils .

probably the main reason i changed was that penrite is australian owned and made. they also have a good range of different grades readily available.

i still use xld for my simple engines like lawn mowers and my old ferguson tractor because i`m a tight bum and the xld is cheap . there are probably other cheaper oils but i know that xld works. it alway seemed a lot cleaner then some other oils such as castrol which seems to sludge up pretty quick.

[2011G6E]

Let's face it...the way oil technology has advanced,even the bargain basement stuff now is probably better than "the good stuff" we used to buy back in the seventies and eighties to put in our highly tuned engines...I still don't use anything better than XLD or maybe Penrite HPR30 in my Celica, as it's only an old SOHC 8 valve two liter...hardly high tech, and those oils are going to be better than anything available when it was new.

You see it in old owners handbooks..."Use oil of at least SC/SD specification"...what are we up to now with even ordinary oils? SG? SH? Further along the alphabet?

Most of my mates in the early eighties with done up cars used to use either GTX2 or Valvoline XLD...maybe Duckhams if you really felt like splashing out some money.

[wrongwaynorris]

If you were serious back in the 60's to late 70's you would have used BP Corse Plus .

[Glen 5150]

Can't speak for the 70's but I always used Valvoline XLD in the 80's, XC and XD 5.8's. It was the one to have in my opinion, brilliant oil, but lost its way in marketing in the late 80's, and Castrol then seemed to be the one of choice and Penrite. In the late 90's and early 00's Mobil was the one? (sorry) Now its Castrol again, and Penrite. Oil technology has come along way, and is advancing all the time with modern engines, but so has hype and marketing? Call me cynical, but the "oil of choice", is usually the company with the most advertising $ to throw at the time?

To the OP, i've only used Valvoline for 25+ years and use/used Valvoline Engine Armour in both my Boss motors today. Absolutely brilliant, and its what Valvoline recommend, and Fords recommended viscosity. If I thought an $80 - $100 5 litre bottle from a competitor would do a better job for my driving conditions and style, i wouldn't hestitate to use it.

Something else I like about Valvoline is a lot their products are available in 6 litre bottles, so your not being shafted each time buying a 5+1 or 5+5 combination. Not sure if Castrol are doing it, but just noticed lately Penrite are starting to produce 6 litre bottles in some oils. Sign of the times perhaps?

[2011G6E]

Originally Posted by wrongwaynorris

If you were serious back in the 60's to late 70's you would have used BP Corse Plus .

Ah yes...I remember the magazine adverts in the late seventies to early eighties..."If your oil isn't black, it's time to change it". (Corse Plus was pretty dark, almost black)

[wrongwaynorris]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

Ah yes...I remember the magazine adverts in the late seventies to early eighties..."If your oil isn't black, it's time to change it". (Corse Plus was pretty dark, almost black)

And it was almost like treacle too , you just about had to coax it out of the bottle . I used it in both my road cars and racing cars .

Remember these Ads from the 70's ?

http://s42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...PlusAd1974.jpg

http://s42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...3DBPAd1973.jpg

[TMC]

In the late 80's it was considered a really good oil. Used it in Dad's 318 V8, and then when I got into the scene in the early 90's still used it. Used it in two high performance 351 Clevelands, and the rebuilt 318 which we took out to 325 with no issue. They didn't burn oil either. It wasn't until the late 90's that I switched to Mobil 1 synthetic and then Penrite, but by then I was into an EL. Different era, different engines, different oils.

[Trevor 57]

We still use Volvoline in our race car (Cleveland 351), but it is the racing one, it is one of only a couple of oils that will maintain pressure in race condtions for our car.

http://www.valvoline.com.au/files/productpdfs/11.pdf

[Francis]

It's surprising how many speedway guys swear by the racing 50. Its got a big loyal following and it can't be from marketing cause Valvoline dont do anything with it.

[OzJavelin]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

Let's face it...the way oil technology has advanced,even the bargain basement stuff now is probably better than "the good stuff" we used to buy back in the seventies and eighties to put in our highly tuned engines...I still don't use anything better than XLD or maybe Penrite HPR30 in my Celica, as it's only an old SOHC 8 valve two liter...hardly high tech, and those oils are going to be better than anything available when it was new.

You see it in old owners handbooks..."Use oil of at least SC/SD specification"...what are we up to now with even ordinary oils? SG? SH? Further along the alphabet?

Most of my mates in the early eighties with done up cars used to use either GTX2 or Valvoline XLD...maybe Duckhams if you really felt like splashing out some money.

One advantage of "old fashioned" oils like XLD, GTX, etc are they might have more ZDDP (zinc) than modern stuff which is more symathetic to flat tappet cams, traditional oil pumps, gear driven distributors, etc .. All that stuff which supposedly degrades modern oils with less ZDDP rather quickly ..

[Legit290]

Valvoline....you know what i mean

[2011G6E]

Originally Posted by clarkey117

Valvoline....you know what i mean

...and you can place a persons age if they automatically hear that in thier head in the deep, gravelly voice of John Laws...

[burnz]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

...and you can place a persons age if they automatically hear that in thier head in the deep, gravelly voice of John Laws...

or fast forward's send up...steve visard.

[CAMS290]

Originally Posted by wrongwaynorris

If you were serious back in the 60's to late 70's you would have used BP Corse Plus .

+ 1 BP Corse plus was the go

[Pedro]

Originally Posted by clarkey117

Valvoline....you know what i mean

Hey Sol ... oils ain't oils ....

[Francis]

It's surprising that no one has mentioned Castrol GP50 (now Edge 25w50)

I think it might of been more an 80's era oil but I thought that would of been big in the street machine scene.

[Trevor 57]

Originally Posted by Francis

It's surprising that no one has mentioned Castrol GP50 (now Edge 25w50)

I think it might of been more an 80's era oil but I thought that would of been big in the street machine scene.

We used to run it in the XE race car, but switched to Valvoline Racing, if wa can't get the Valvoline we will run the Castrol Edge

[Francis]

Have you tried Penrite hpr30 to
See how that goes agaist the racing 50?

[rjr]

fwiw during the 1990's Caltex had the contract to make some of the Valvoline oils. Made to their secret formula of course.

[Francis]

I wonder when Castrol Valvoline stopped making their own products?