Well, Bob....
oils have come a long way since Frogs and Spridgets were mfg. but I still can't
find a non-detergent single viscosity motor oil that will meet "severe service"
specs. as otherwise I would most certainly have used same for break-in in my
"new" motor. And I looked hi and low, believe me.
All I could find was service "SB" and that's not suitable considering it's for
light
duty.
Multi-grade, detergent oils did not
abound back in '58. They came later and
were as recommended accordingly in
Spridgets (and for earlier BE's) as
indicated in the later factory maintenance manuals (Recommended Lubricants)
wherein the earlier single-grade oils were no longer even mentioned.
The sychromesh and the Spridget (and
Datsun 5 speeds) boxi were not built with
synthetic in mind. Nor were the engine or
it's clearances designed/spec'd with synthetics in mind either. I use synthetic
gear oil in my Datsun box for the winter because shifting is so much easier
from cold but you can easily beat the synchros with this stuff once the box
warms up, which is not the case when I convert over to "dinosaur" gear oil in
the spring
for use in the warmer months when cold-
shifting is not a priority and I am more
inclined to "drive it like I stole it" from time
to time.
These days I'm running dinosaur 5/30 in
the motor during winter and 20/50 in the
warmer months, on a 75/25 % basis with
same grade Oil Xtreme synthetic. Trying to
get the best of both worlds here!! :):)
Nothing wrong with the other stuff you
mention though. As long as the oil used is
spec'd for "severe service", it's suitable to one extent or another as far as I
know.
Cap'n Bob
Basic Frog
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