A lot of people don't know that LBCs were designed to never have to change
the oil. One merely adds oil to the top of the motor and it slowly leaks out
the various "gaskets".
There are two purposes to this. The first is to maintain a fresh supply of
new,
clean lubricant. You do have to let out the contaminents from time to time
at
the drain plug and filter though, but the amount let out is never equal to
that
put in.
The second reason is to maintain a rust-free underside in the damp British
environment. The oil does a nice job of coating everything behind it in a
sort
of V shaped area. Obviously some motors do a better job than others and
the owner must determine for himself whether or not to spray additional oil
on
the more forward parts of the suspension/chassis/body such as the anti-sway
bar or bonnet hinges.
Also if you have not noticed, most UK driveways were stone when these cars
were designed, not paved with concrete or Macadam thus allowing the used
oil to "return to earth, from whence it came". Of course, here in the US we
have nice waterproof driveways not meant to absorb such treatment. And
the EPA too.
Larry Bickel
ljbtvr@aol.com
Lancaster, PA
'68 GT6, my racer
'71 TVR 2500, my street car and sometimes racer
'85 Dodge Van
'83 Chevy S10
'80 Yamaha 650
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