Northern Auto Parts Blog

There’s another “must have” item when rebuilding your flat-tappet style engine.   We all know that changes have been happening in the oil industry.  Guess what, there’s another that you may not know about.  The oil manufacturers have eliminated Zinc and Phosphorus from their motor oils.   The reason they done this is because of air quality issues.

Where this affects you as an engine builder, is that the zinc/phosphorus combination is what assisted in cam/lifter break in.  Without this material in the oil, old style flat-tappet engines have real issues with lifter break-in. That is why you must use an engine break in oil with additives now to prevent premature cam/lifter failure.

Luckily, some companies in the auto parts industry have come up with a zinc/phosphorus additive that works great.  Comp cams part number 159 which they call an  Engine Break-in Oil Additive is one of the most popular additives.  This additive is typically used only for the break-in period of 100-500 miles.  Some people feel even more comfortable using a bottle with each oil change if they have a “special” car or truck.

Lucas Oil has a product [Part Number 10063] that is similar and it seems to work really well.

According to an Edelbrock press release, five Edelbrock intake manifolds have been approved for 2009 IMCA Stock Car and SportMod Competition.  The five intakes are:

Edelbrock 2701 - Performer EPS small-block Chevy

Edelbrock 2716 - Performer EPS Vortec small-block Chevy for GM

Edelbrock 7181 - Performer RPM 351W

Edelbrock 7183 - Performer RPM E-Boss 351 for Ford

Edelbrock 2915 - Victor 340 for small-block Chrysler.

Last week, we completed issue #90 of our latest catalog / flyer.  It is hitting the presses right now.  For those that want a sneak preview of what they will be receiving, you can click here to download the latest version of our catalog.

Let us know what you think.

This week, we will be doing a new special.  We have a whole inventory of foldable topside creepers (1-00020).  For this week only, anybody who orders a foldable topside creeper will get a free mechanic’s tool tray (1-38001).

Below is a picture of the foldable topside creeper and mechanics tool tray

Below is an image of the Mechanic’s Tool Tray