Vintage Cars: 1971 ots e-type oil, moss motors, 20w50

Question
Hi,
just put my 1971 ots back together and want to ensure I use the right oil. What should I use? And, do I really have to take off the oil pan to change the oil?

Answer
Can answer one, not the second...

A quick check says that 20W50 is standard for all 6-cylinder E-types, e.g. Castrol GTX. Some owners use 10W40 (probably fine for cooler climates), and some 5W50 synthetic (but that might blow through old seals faster and cause leaks). You'll need about 8 qts (US). Whichever you use, I would add a bottle of ZDDP (aka "zinc", available as ZDDPlus from Moss Motors and others) to replace the zinc that has been phased out from most oils. It might be unnecessary (no-one really knows), but it won't do any harm.

I don't know the E-type personally, but I can't imagine that you need to drop the oil pan. JCNA forums is the place to find out definitely: www.jcna.com/forums.

Jo