Is anyone still using this additive? I have not seen it available for many years now. I think I used one or two cans in a vehicle about 25 years ago. I recall from my college days that a co-student and co-worker used it straight in the crankcase in his aluminum 4 cylider Vega when the rings were gone. Looked like a mosquito sprayer going down the road.

Would it be useful in a gearbox, such as for a tractor or implement off the PTO shaft? Is there any corrision resistence (rust) protection in using STP? Other uses?

Thanks,

Jackal

good info over there

I use something similar to STP (Motor Honey) when I rebuild and engine. I wipe a thin film on the wear face of rod and main bearings to provide initial lube until oil pressure builds up. I rotate the engine a lot by hand during assembly to help wear in the rings, so the STP like film prevents damage to the bearings. I also put it on the cam wear surfaces during engine assembly.

I rebuild a race engine almost every year for over 20 years and it has worked well for me. However, I have heard that adding it to the oil in and engine does cause a lot of sticky sludge.

can anyone recall what STP stands for???

Special Treatment Products or something along those lines?



Edit to add....



Nope I'm wrong... if you read the STP site it says "Scientifically Treated Petroleum".

Scientifically Treated Petroleum.

Heck, I used it long ago for engine builds but quickly switched to GM's E.O.S. When I was a teen, many customers at our Standard Oil gas station used STP in old clunkers that were burning mucho oil. It did seem to minimize oil loss, likely due to it's extremely high viscosity. Way too many better products exist today for me to even consider it.

Would be cool though to have an old can sitting on my garage shelf!

I was editing as you posted. Thanks!

I had always been told that it stood for Studebaker Technical Products--back in the day Andy Granetelli advertised for Studes and that there were many products with STP logo but that the STP oil treatment that we know of today was the only product that survived over the years any one else heard this???

I think I still have some great pictures from the late 60's and early 70's I took at Indy 500 races. Among them are some of (large!) Andy on the track, but better still, the two blonds (also large...in places!)who wandered thru the pits, on the track (before and after the race), etc. They would always pose for pics. Wasn't one of them Linda Vaughn and the other her sister? I'll have to jog my memory...

That's what I have as my first thought.

Many people wrongly assume that Studebaker went under which was never the case. The corporate management just decided that building cars was not profitable enough. Studebaker Corporation had intensly diversified and owned tons of stuff like STP, Onan Generators, Gravely Tractors, Paxton Superchargers and so many more things you can't even begin to imagine. For Studebaker making cars did not make financial sense and so production ceased although the company remained in business and sold replacement parts for decades after ending production. The elite Studebakers were the Hawk series in the late 50's and early 60's and it is my association with Studbakers that got me my screen name. Hawkrod

Hawkrod

39 Ford Deluxe Coupe
59 Tbird 430
60 Lincoln Premier
(2)62 Tbirds
(3)68 Cougar XR7-G's
69 Cougar 428CJ 4 speed
77 1/2 Ford F250 4X4 w/460 swap
86 SVO mustang
76 F250 Crew Cab
1969 Mach I
look at my cars past and present at superford!

Studebaker survived as an independent closed investment firm until 1967 when it merged with Worthington to become Studebaker-Worthington

re:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studebaker

Studebaker Subsidiaries The production of the last Studebaker did not mark a definite end of the company or its products. The Studebaker Corporation (the Packard name was officially dropped from the corporate title in 1962) had acquired numerous subsidiaries, such as STP, Gravely, Clarke and Onan, so although it did not build cars after March 1966, the company carried on. In mid-1967 Studebaker purchased the Wagner Electric Corporation and in November 1967 it combined with the Worthington Corporation to form the Studebaker-Worthington Corporation. In the fall 1979, the Studebaker-Worthington Corporation was absorbed by the McGraw-Edison Company. In April 1985, the McGraw-Edison Company was acquired by Cooper Industries of Houston, Texas..

The reality is the company still survives today but has been bought and sold many times in various forms but they never went under as so many people assume. Hawkrod.

Hawkrod

39 Ford Deluxe Coupe
59 Tbird 430
60 Lincoln Premier
(2)62 Tbirds
(3)68 Cougar XR7-G's
69 Cougar 428CJ 4 speed
77 1/2 Ford F250 4X4 w/460 swap
86 SVO mustang
76 F250 Crew Cab
1969 Mach I
look at my cars past and present at superford!

we said it stood for "Stop Teasing Pollocks" I remember the commercial where they would dip a screwdriver blade in it and they couldn't hold on to it with two fingers. It worked pretty good on motors that had really worn bearings with low or no oil pressure at idle. The car lot (Dodge, Chrysler) I worked at in the 70's (late 70's) would put it in trade in cars that had oil pressure lights that came on at idle and then put them on their lot to sell. Those were the good ol' days.... Steve

I ran across one reference that when studebaker bought stp corporation? they briefly tied in "studebaker tested products" maybe that is where the stp/studebaker technical products came from???

Back in the late 50's it meant "Stop That Pounding", later it stood for "Studebaker's Tickled Pink".
I used it in my 50 Olds 88, so much blowby it wouldn't crank fast enough to start when it was hot. STP,"compression in a can" to the rescue. Another product called Superflow was just as good at half the price, it went out of buisness around 59 - 60.
Ah the good old days,
Kam

its getting hard to find anymore. I went to my local A/P store for the last engine I assembled and they said they didn't carry it anymore. Tryed the Lucas additive and it seemed to work well for me.

Dave Walters
427 Galaxie Registry
Website
http://home.ptd.net/~pwalters

That stuff used to keep my old 50'Ford flathead running plus a couple of quarts of Dixie Lube re-refined motor oil. LOL, we're talking 1962 now. DR

I remember as a kid in the late '60's/early 70's stopping in to the auto parts store and just asking for stp stickers. The guy would open a drawer and hand over a dozen or so. I had those things platered on everything. I had nothing to do with cars back then but stickers were sure cool.

John

I remember more than a few cars that had more STP sticker on the body than paint!

In some cases, I actually think those STP stickers were used to cover rust. Given the popularity of Drag racing in the 70's and 80's, it was almost a requirement that you plastered all kinds of sponser stickers all over your rear windows. Until guys could get Isky cams, Crane rocker, Holley or other "real" stickers,...they stuck on STP stickers to give it the "right" look.

On the weekends, there were more mom 'n pop 4 door grocery getter's with white shoe polish bracket 'times' on the windshield  than you could count.

Posers of the world unite !!!! Kinda like "stuffing" ... for cheer leaders, if the bra wasn't filled, just stuff in some kleenx until the guys started noticing !!!!

in a crowd in downtown Detroit, seeing a girl wearing a pair of STP stickers instead of anything else for a 'top'. She was certainly attracting attention. I wonder what removing them was like!
KS

........driveshaft in a street race in 62 (63 Boxtop 406; 3-4 shift), my uncle continued the race, won and there was no damage ("roped" it home). In 69 I put a hole in my 427's oil pan going too fast over a heavily crowned cross street (one drilled driver's side shock, no passenger side shock) and drove/limped it home a 1/2 mile away with no damage. I use it as insurance. I recently put in a can of newer formulated STP in my 94 Explorer since it has over 260K miles and the piston/rod slap is annoying, LOL, Rod. BTW, I also use 20w50 dino oil in my FEs.











Mickey Thompson's 63 1/2 #997 S/S Hi-Rise 427 Lgt/Wgt Galaxie,



1957 C-600 Cab-over carhauler w/390-4V, 2-speed rear-end



FGCofA member #4908



MCGC member #75







"There will ALWAYS be an FE in my LiFE"

has to rate as near #1 on the charts for what today is called 'branding'. Everyone knew of STP, had the decals and used them in all sorts of applications....covering rust holes as well. All kidding aside, this simple but extremely effective program (free and widespread distribution of decals) did garner STP all kinds of "free" advertising among what we marketing folks call secondary exposures.

Gotta' hand it to those folks. Although they spent millions over the years on those stickers, their total marketing $ expenditures were likely less than other major marketeers like P&G, IBM, Apple, etc. of the era.

I use to take two STP stickers and cut out the S from each and trim down the T to make S/S letters to use on my windows. Yep, remember when the back side windows had to have a bunch of stickers, STP, Hurst, Autolite, Holman-Moody. My favorite were my Total Performance Team, Ford stickers. I wish is had them back or reproduced.

LMC Truck used to sell two different sizes of the Ford Total Performance Team stickers. They still may sell them.

JC

the red and blue bottle stp is still available at several parts stores around her.

the Red is labeled as having ZDDP like the GM EOS and cam break in lubes do - but I'm not sure of the quantity of the ZDDP or if it would be sufficient as an additive for a flat tappet cam break in or regular oil change.

John
Milner351@comcast.net

Well, when I was a kid and thought bathroom humor was the bomb, we used to say it stood for Stinky Toilet Paper.

n/m