1979 Pontiac Grand Am oil

car calls for se grade oil which is obsolete,what to use?

Any oil beyond SE grade will work OK SF, SG, ect… you get the idea, I hope. I would suggest you use oil designed for diesel engines as they contain zinc additives (ZDDP) no longer in modern gasoline oils to lubricate your camshaft and rocker arms.

I’d suggest this;

Rotella T4 diesel engine oil. See the article here;

https://www.motorists.org/blog/warning-if-you-have-an-older-vehicle-choose-your-oil-carefully/

I’ve also used Rotella T6 synthetic as it also contains ZDDP