How often to run the engine in a Centurion?

[Perry Kitson]

I picked up this method from some old timers in the antique car hobby. I would do an oil change in the fall before putting the machine away for the winter. Then, with the engine"cold", lightly pour 10W oil into the carb as it idled, until it produced a nice smoke cloud for a 5-10 seconds, then shutting down the engine while still adding oil. This gets the oil onto both intake and exhaust valve stems, as well as the top end of the cylinder. Doing this with a cold engine, at an idle, does not give complete combustion, so does not end up with an appreciable carbon build up, as well as having more clearance before things heat up. Of coarse, pulling the plugs and adding some oil to the cylinders is good as well, it does not get oil onto the valves, but this is not a big concern for overhead valve engines.