Please help on this oil pan

[Zerrari GTO]

The ONLY reason I bought this 4 qt. oil pan was that it gave me about 3/4" more ground clearance than the stock pan. Since my car is lowered I want any added clearance I can get.

As you can see, the pan has a crank scraper, some baffles and a couple trap doors (all neat but unnecessary for my application). The oil pick-up specifies a high-volume oil pump but since my car will not see rpm's above 5500 and will be more of a weekend toy there is no reason for me to use one.

Please give me opinions on using this pan/with a STOCK volume oil pump on a street driven car. The oil pick-up that came with the pan has a screen made of perforated metal and the surface area is 1.5" x 2.5". This seems to be less area than the stock pick-up so I have concerns with this as well.

 

 

 

 

 

I've got a stock volume and a high volume Melling pump. The bodies/cases are the same; the only differenace seems to be the bye-pass spring on the inside (pink-high volume, green- stock volume). I want a very reliable street car so if there are going to be issues with this I have no problem with buying a stock pan/pick-up.

Please chime-in Chevy people, I am very interested in your feed back.

Thanks.

[naviathan]

Well if you want reliable go with the high volume pump. Reliability costs and I always go with a high volume oil pump if I have the option.

[grumpyvette]

for your application its makes no real differance which pump you go with as long as you carefully clearance the oil pump pickups lower surface at 3/8"-1/2" off the oil pan floor, the oil pickups fine its main job is to limit crap entering the pump and it will flow plenty of oil, Id use what ever pump the pan came with or the manufacturer suggested with the standard bye-pass spring.

after installing the engine in the car you might want to look closely at your options and clearances.

 

personally ID have NEVER selleced a 4 qt pan, theres lots of shallow road clearance pans with good capacity

 

http://www.midwestmotorsportsinc.com/order_part.php?item=CP100LT&line=MWM

 

theres also kits to build extended sumps

 

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=MOR%2D21950&N=700+115&autoview=sku

Moroso 21950

[jt1]

What size clutch and bellhousing are you going to use, and how far does it hang down?

 

jt

[Zerrari GTO]

What size clutch and bellhousing are you going to use, and how far does it hang down?

 

jt

 

It's a T5WC w/ CenterForce clutch so it has good clearance.

[Zerrari GTO]

personally ID have NEVER selleced a 4 qt pan, theres lots of shallow road clearance pans with good capacity

 

 

Yup, that's a concern too. I have seen some 80's Corvette pans with better clearance but need to find the proper pick-up.

[grumpyvette]

look thru these there ARE significant differances...

 

 

 

http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/oilfilterstudy.html

 

 

 

http://www.aloha34.com/information/oilfiltertable.pdf

 

 

 

http://www.guarding-our-earth.com/dealers/amsoil/crossreference.shtml

 

 

 

http://www.pureoil.com/ProductFinder.aspx?action=IG

 

 

 

personally I avoid FRAM , AND mostly use WIX,PURALATOR, MOBILE 1 filters

 

but if you change your oil every 3500-4000 miles its far less critical

[jt1]

It's a T5WC w/ CenterForce clutch so it has good clearance.

 

Point being, if you're using a stock size flywheel and bellhousing, about the least any of them are is 7 3/4 from the crank centerline, some are a lot more. There's no reason to spend a bunch of effort on a very shallow pan if it's 2 or 3 inches higher than the bellhousing.

 

A stock pump will be fine if the pickup is correctly matched to the pan like Grump mentioned.

 

jt

[Zerrari GTO]

Thanks for the help guys. I was a little concerned about the high volume pump in a 4 qt. pan but neither of you seem too concerned with this. Of course more oil is better but at least I can start with this setup and research options, just as grumpy mentioned.

[strotter]

Perhaps you should consider dual remote filters, such as the ones Summit and Jegs sells. That'd add a quart of capacity to the system, you'd be back up to 5 quarts (though not in the sump).

[grumpyvette]

having some skills ,a few hours with a decent welder, some poster board and tape for a pattern and some 14 ga sheet steel are about all thats keeping that pan you have from holding 7-9 qt capacity

 

one of my more creative friends buys two of these at the ,local mill surplus

 

http://www.armysurplusworld.com/product.asp?ProductID=921

 

and cuts and welds them into the sides of stock oil pans after careful measurement for clearance to headers,starter, frame etc, to form two extended horizontal side sump extensions that save him some welding time, he says you can,t buy the steel alone for that price let alone get the sump partly pre-welded

 

but theres good deals available if you don,t weld, and don,t have a stock oil pan to start with as a base

 

http://www.midwestmotorsportsinc.com/order_part.php?item=7101R&line=WYS

 

but TAKE the time to mock it up and measure clearances carefully with the engine,exhaust, starter ,, oil filter,etc in the car to prevent having to make extensive mods after you start

[Zerrari GTO]

I like the idea of remote filters and adding capacity to this pan. I've got a good Miller 185 and I'm a decent welder.

I would imagine the main thing determining the sump size would be the headers. I've decided on the Sanderson ones offered on the JTR website (I've got the ZZ4 D-port heads) so once I get the headers I can work on adding some capacity to the sump.

 

Thanks for the ideas!

[grumpyvette]

btw one little thing to remember is leave clearance for an extension and socket or wrench to access the bolts or better yet install nuts on the studs in the block that secure the oil pan rails to the block, if you can,t access the fasteners with the engine installed in the car its a P.I.T.A.

[Zerrari GTO]

btw one little thing to remember is leave clearance for an extension and socket or wrench to access the bolts or better yet install nuts on the studs in the block that secure the oil pan rails to the block, if you can,t access the fasteners with the engine installed in the car its a P.I.T.A.

 

THANK YOU; that is one of those things you realize after everything is welded up and the engine is sitting in the car.

[BRAAP]

With my first V-8 Z, the original BRAAP car, ’75 280-Z, Chev 350 with W/C T-5 in I went to great lengths for oil pan ground clearance. I hated dragging the pan coming off speed bumps etc. in the end I ended up with a Hamburger brand oil pan with kick outs which is already pretty shallow at a measured 7” inches, (pictured below) and I shortened further as well. I used the stock volume pump which was only ¼” off the bottom of the pan itself, the pick up kicked up for 3/8”-1/2” clearance. I then added another 1/16” sheet metal across the bottom to beef up the bottom even more for that “just in case” to keep the bottom of the pan of bumping the pump if it did drag. That was back in the late '90's, I forgot exactly how shallow the pan was, though 6 1/4” inches rings a bell. Essentially, it was the absolute shallowest you can get an oil pan using a wet sump, i.e. stock pump. This placed the bottom of the oil pan at the same elevation as the bottom of the front cross member. Keep in mind the the High Volume pump is deeper by the extra length of the gears.

 

I bought another one for my current V-8 Z project. These pics are of the un molested pan. This pan can be had in both left and right hand dipstick.