Many companies these days offer oil pans of various shapes and sizes for different racing applications. So you would think it would be easy to find just the right oil pan for your needs, right? Well, that was my thought when I started looking for aftermarket oil pans for my 347 stoker build. What I learned from my research was three things:
• most high capacity pans require a non-stock sump
• sumps aren't cheap
• aftermarket oil pans are expensive
I feel the last point should count twice because I am a cheapskate! Seriously though, after looking around I saw nothing that I liked and decided to build my own, in the spirit of the old racers. The oil pan I used was a stock rear sump pan out of a 1993 F-150.
How I did it
One of the improvements I wanted to make to the engine was adding two quarts to the capacity of the oil pan. This provides a margin of safety in case of leakage and can help keep the engine properly lubricated under heavy loads or hard driving.
I started by leveling the existing oil pan and filling it with a measured amount of water. I needed just enough to fill it above where I would be cutting, and 6 quarts did that much. I marked the water line in several places on the pan for reference later. You will see why later.
Oil Pan Water Level Marks
The next step was to mask off the area to be cut. Using tape to mark for a cut is better for several reasons: you can move the cut line easily; the line can't rub off by handling the part; and the line is easier to see and follow while cutting. Once the cut was marked, I used a cut-off wheel on my die grinder to make the cut. The steel pan is made out of 18 gauge, so it was pretty easy to cut.
I left the drain plug in place and made a dam out of tape on the open sides of the piece. I did this so that I could fill the pan cutout with water to see what its volume was. I then subtracted the measured volume of the piece from the 6 quarts I filled the pan with, and found out how much I had cut away. The piece ended up holding exactly 3 quarts (that was pure luck) and I wanted to add 2 quarts to that. I could now do the math to figure out how big I needed to make the replacement piece so that it would hold a total of 5 quarts.
Cut Out Piece Dammed Up
Here you can see that I have installed the oil pump and sump screen. This is necessary for modifying the oil pan because you have to check clearance from the sump to the bottom of the oil pan. Here you can see that there is plenty of clearance, and this without any gasket in place. You want about 1/2" of clearance between the sump screen and the oil pan.
I also wanted to see if it was feasible to build a windage tray into the oil pan itself, but as you can see in the pictures, there was really no good way to do that, so I decided to scrap that idea and just concentrate on adding to the volume of the pan.
Here you can see that I am fitting up the first side of the oil pan. I am just tacking the sides in place for fit-up, and will completely weld the pieces later when everything is fitted together. I am using 16 gauge mild steel for the fabrication. How do I cut the pieces to fit around those curves and such? I'll show you in a minute...
Here goes the bottom of the oil pan. Fit-up must be very clean and tight, with little or no gaps.
Bottom of Oil Pan
Looks like the size I chose will fit. You can see that the bottom of the pan slopes towards the sump screen. This is important to keep oil at the screen. I could have made this angle slightly more aggressive, but this should be good enough to compensate for the angle of the engine once installed in the truck.
Sump Clearance
These side pieces ought to be interesting to fit up, not to mention the steel on the pan is thinnest here from the stamping operation. Lots of fun to weld...
Sides of Oil Pan
You can see how I have a piece cut to the correct height for the side of the pan, and while I hold it in place for fitment, I just give the joint a shot of Krylon ultra-flat spray paint. This transfers the profile of the pan on to the piece I need to cut out. Why Krylon ultra-flat? It drys fastest.
The sides are tacked in place.
Sides Tacked
Now for the small pieces on the top side of the oil pan. These are the second hardest part to weld.
I added an oil temperature sender bung to one side of the oil pan. The oil temp sender will screw in here going to an Autometer gauge.
Finish Welded Oil Temp Bung
Make sure you weld this bung, as well as the oil drain plug bung, to the correct side of the plate that will make up the side of the oil pan.
I just reused the drain plug bung out of the original oil pan, it is only spot welded in place and is easily cut off.
Original Drain Plug Bung,
Drain Plug Bung Cut Out
This piece only needs to be tacked in place because the nylon washer on the drain plug is what seals this hole. For that reason you must make sure that the other side of the plate this is welded to has a very smooth surface, free of grinding or sanding gouges.
Well, here is the pan all welded and ready for it's first leak test.
Since the crankcase runs under very little pressure (properly vented) all you have to do is fill it with water and wait. Make sure the drain plug and the oil temp sender are screwed in first. Again, I make sure that the pan is level, and I fill the pan with 8 quarts (6 + 2) to see where the water level is. The water came right to the original marks I made before I added the 2 additional quarts to the pan. Very good!
Water in Oil Pan
To check for leaks, I make sure the outside of the pan is bone dry, and then I place paper towel under the new part of the pan. After waiting for 15 minutes, if there are no wet spots on the paper towels I can consider it leak free. It passed!
Paper Towel Test
Now for the paint. Most of the old factory epoxy has been removed, and every square inch of the pan has been sanded and meticulously cleaned with soap and water, dried, and had a final wipe down with acetone.
The paint I used was the Rustoleum Appliance Epoxy that you can pick up at Lowe's. After the final coat of paint, I let the pan sit for a day and then bake it in an oven at 200° F for two hours. That cures the paint and gives it a nice hard surface. The epoxy paint is so strong, doing this gives the part the appearance of being powder coated. Here the pan has just had the final coat of paint and is ready for the oven.
Here is the finished oil pan installed on the engine.
Conclusion
Sure you could add baffles to the pan, but I think the basic can will work for my purposes. The modified stock pan gave me an extra 2 quarts of oil, and I was still able to use the stock sump screen. And total cost for the whole job? Zero dollars! Since I already had the steel and the tools to build it. The pan easily cleared the crossmember in my truck and still has plenty of room between it and the transmission bell housing. I can now add this to the growing list of things I can say I have done for myself. After all, experience is something that money can't buy.
Good Luck,
Jim
Today
Re: Enlarge Your Oil Pan, Old School Style
