Today, you also have the increased advantage of using synthetic oils, which are chemically formulated to provide the specific properties the manufacturers desire, some of which can't always be obtained with crude-based oils. This can be seen in the availability of multigrade synthetic oils that feature wide-spreads of viscosity, such as 5W-50, a multigrade not available in standard crude-based motor oils.
Even when comparing crude-based oils with synthetic oils of the same viscosity rating, synthetics show more favorable and consistent characteristics when cold. This is illustrated when comparing "pour points" of oils. The pour point is a temperature 5 degrees F above the temperature at which an oil ceases to flow. Again, this is a simplified explanation, but the point is that synthetic oils consistently show significantly lower pour-point temps than corresponding-grade crude-based oils.
Beyond using the right oil, you may want to consider installing a block heater in the Olds. Although you can improve your lubricants, as you probably know, radical changes in temperature can bring changes in the dimensions of metal objects-in this case, your engine block, pistons, crankshaft, and so on. When the engine is extremely cold (ie., much colder than the temperature it was when it was machined and assembled), the critical tolerances between components can change, which can result in increased friction. Block heaters, which have been optional on most American cars for decades, use household electrical current to maintain higher-than-ambient coolant temps in the engine while you sleep. Most block heaters replace one of the freeze-plugs in the block and simply plug in to an electrical outlet. This way, your engine won't get too cold overnight, or while you're at work, and as an added bonus, your heater will start working a lot sooner after starting engine. Of course, this assumes that you have somewhere to plug in when you park.
Hand-Me-DownAfter my son talked me into helping with (OK, financing) a big-block '70 Cutlass restoration, I wound up with his old Camaro. This is an '80-something model with ground effects and a decent interior, but it has an anemic, wheezing, simpering little 2.8L V-6. This car needs help in the power department in the form of a V-8, so I am on a power-upgrade quest. The car has a five-speed (its only major good point) so I searched until the proper V-8-to-T5 bellhousing was found. In my quest to mate power and torque with a T5 transmission (reputed to be somewhat limited in its ability to handle either), I was told by several "experts" that I needed to use a smaller-diameter flywheel with a 10.5-inch clutch, a large-tooth flywheel from an Astro van with an 11-inch clutch, a special starter, a smaller pilot bushing, a pilot-shaft adapter, and so on. Now I have a 305 block and heads from a failed Trans Am project (enough motor to satisfy, but not large enough to grenade the T5), an Edelbrock dual-plane manifold, correct V-8-to-T5 bellhousing, and a T5-equipped Camaro, but I have no real idea how to mate them all together. Can you help an old man with some correct information on the 2.8 to 5.0 manual trans swap?Marsden WallisNashville, TN