IML: Two questions about the 413 engine of a 1960 Imperial

["Rob van der Es" <r.vdes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi all,

I would like to hear your expertise about two questions I have with regard
to my 413 engine (1960 Imperial).

Here is the story, I bought last summer in California a great 1960
Imperial and after bringing it to Europe where I live (the Netherlands) I
started to make the car ready for use on the road.

I don't know the history of the car, I only know that it is a repo car.
I bought it from a bank that had it for sale at an auction.
As far as I can see and judge the engine must be a rebuild one, cause it
is running powerful and smooth (can't imagine that I wouldn't have been
overhauled in 46 years).

I only have driven the car so far for a 500 miles or so and now it is
ready and legally approved to use at a regular base (passed all the
essential tests at the local DMV this monday!)

Now we come to my first question: since I own this car almost a year now I
think it is time to do an oil change allthough I only have driven 500
miles with the new oil that was poured in last summer in the US.

What I would like to know is what kind of oil I should buy: a modern 10W40
or a straight classic SAE 30 oil. From all the stories at the repair side
of the club webpages I learned that a modern multigrade won't do any good
because of the very light base oil that is used (SAE10..). Thank you Dick
for explaining that issue clearly as always!!
But is it safe to use SAE 30 singlegrade in a much colder environment then
California??

I would not drive the car at winters when it is freezing, but mainly on
shiny days with temperatures between let's say 50 and 80 degrees outside
temperatures.
Would I be safe then or is 50 degrees to low to safely use SAE30?
At the moment the engine is using a little oil, allthough I don't see any
leaks or smoke at the tailpipes.
I am almost sure the workshop that checked the car before delivery to me
simply put a modern 10W40 in it so that might explain a lot..

My next question is about how much pre-ignition is allowed on our beloved
413 engine?
When I checked the timing last weekend prior to bring the car for its
final check to the local DMV, I noticed that is has a massive 16 degrees
BTDC timing!!
The FSM says that the timing should be 10 degrees BTDC but when I readjust
the timing to that amount I experienced a severe powerloss :(
For the book "How to repair big block Mopar engines" by Don Taylor I
learned that it is safe to start with 12 degrees BTDC and then check if
the engines "pings".. Well, I have heard no pinging with even 16 degrees
BTDC and the engine is running very smooth then (a lot smoother at idle
then with 10 degrees BTDC timing) and has lots and lots of power. Trotlle
response is very impressive with that kind of pre-ignition set.

But will I be safe with 16 degrees BTDC ?? If memory serves me well the
same Don Taylor also mentioned that you should never go beyond the limit
of +/- 4 degrees then the factory given 10 degrees of pre-ignition. That
means that 14 degrees BTDC should be the limit for my engine?

What is your advice on both subjects??

Many thanks for your thoughts!


Robert



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