Rookie needs advice replacing oilpan
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 147
Likes: 0
From: MA
Rookie needs advice replacing oilpan
Gentlemen, I have a modified 1977 350 blower motor in my 1980 Corvette donor car rescue project and wish to replace the smashed stock oil pan with an aftermarket -larger capacity one. This does not need to be a numbers matching part as the car was raced /gutted and crashed so I'm building it as a street rod on a poor man's budget . Heck, no one would touch this trashed car but a sucker for the pathetic like me ! I told the wife "I'm going to save it ." and damned if I'm not .....
Given that it has a street/strip cam, blower , AFR heads and headers, a street strip pan from Jeg's or Summit would work well I believe.
Anyone have a Corvette specific "How to" site that can be trusted to show me the long and short of this job ?
I'm no mechanic but am handy if I know specifically what all of the job entails.
Thank you again, your guiding input these past three years have allowed me to participate in the car 's restoration to a safe driver. Target date for driving it is this June.
Best.
Robert
Given that it has a street/strip cam, blower , AFR heads and headers, a street strip pan from Jeg's or Summit would work well I believe.
Anyone have a Corvette specific "How to" site that can be trusted to show me the long and short of this job ?
I'm no mechanic but am handy if I know specifically what all of the job entails.
Thank you again, your guiding input these past three years have allowed me to participate in the car 's restoration to a safe driver. Target date for driving it is this June.
Best.
Robert
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 7,123
Likes: 433
From: Gladstone MO
C3 of Year Finalist (appearance mods) 2019
The only thing you have to do is drop the idler arm off the frame to get the steering linkage low enough to get the pan off. Take a measurement from the front of the pan to the steering linkage and get another pan that will clear. The width and depth of the sump is limited only by header and ground clearance. IF you get a chrome pan, (sometimes they are less money) rough up the pan rails so the gasket has something to bite.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 2,002
Likes: 17
From: Inlet Beach, FL
If you want to make the job that much simpler I'd use the FelPro one piece oil pan gasket and oil pan studs instead of oil pan bolts.
Just to give you an idea of what I used here are the Summit part numbers:
Oil Pan Set: FEL-1881 (Dart SHP block set up for a passenger side dipstick)
Oil Pan Stud Kit: ARP-234-1901
I also used a thin smeared coating of Permatex "The Right Stuff" on both sides of the gasket. You probably don't need to do that, since it's overkill, but I wanted to make sure I didn't have any seeping type leaks.
So far, So good.
I also went with a Moroso oil pan (Summit # MOR-20200) and didn't have any fit issues.
Good luck!
Just to give you an idea of what I used here are the Summit part numbers:
Oil Pan Set: FEL-1881 (Dart SHP block set up for a passenger side dipstick)
Oil Pan Stud Kit: ARP-234-1901
I also used a thin smeared coating of Permatex "The Right Stuff" on both sides of the gasket. You probably don't need to do that, since it's overkill, but I wanted to make sure I didn't have any seeping type leaks.
So far, So good.
I also went with a Moroso oil pan (Summit # MOR-20200) and didn't have any fit issues.
Good luck!
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 6,938
Likes: 848
From: melbourne florida
2023 C3 of the Year Finalist - Modified
you need the correct pick up with any pan you use and the pickup should be welded to the pump so it can't fall off. i used a Milodon 7 quart that isn't much deeper than stock. i agree on the one piece felpro gasket and ARP studs. a while your in there suggestion , replace the pump, and a rear main seal may be a good idea depending on how fresh the engine is. up grading your oiling system on a modified engine has to be a good idea. get the car as high in the air as you can and have at it, its not a tough job but time consuming. let us know how it works out. don't forget to change that pickup, thats vital.
2026 Loser of the Year
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 36,600
Likes: 7,046
From: New Or-leens Loo-z-anna
Be sure to put a dab of heat-resistant silicon sealer in the four sharp corners where the one-piece gasket fits and same thing on the pan.....
I learned the hard way about seeping oil in those spots.
I learned the hard way about seeping oil in those spots.
Racer
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 280
Likes: 0
From: Glendon Alberta
If you want to make the job that much simpler I'd use the FelPro one piece oil pan gasket and oil pan studs instead of oil pan bolts.
Just to give you an idea of what I used here are the Summit part numbers:
Oil Pan Set: FEL-1881 (Dart SHP block set up for a passenger side dipstick)
Oil Pan Stud Kit: ARP-234-1901
I also used a thin smeared coating of Permatex "The Right Stuff" on both sides of the gasket. You probably don't need to do that, since it's overkill, but I wanted to make sure I didn't have any seeping type leaks.
So far, So good.
I also went with a Moroso oil pan (Summit # MOR-20200) and didn't have any fit issues.
Good luck!
Just to give you an idea of what I used here are the Summit part numbers:
Oil Pan Set: FEL-1881 (Dart SHP block set up for a passenger side dipstick)
Oil Pan Stud Kit: ARP-234-1901
I also used a thin smeared coating of Permatex "The Right Stuff" on both sides of the gasket. You probably don't need to do that, since it's overkill, but I wanted to make sure I didn't have any seeping type leaks.
So far, So good.
I also went with a Moroso oil pan (Summit # MOR-20200) and didn't have any fit issues.
Good luck!
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 2,520
Likes: 11
From: Hinckley OH
FYI. There are pans that require a "thick" gasket at the journal caps and there are pans that require a "thin" gasket there. I was helping my brother-in-law replace his gasket and the pan would not bolt up because the gasket at the journal caps was too thick. He had bought a one piece gasket at Summit Racing and since he was in Pittsburgh when we were working on it, he had to go get a four piece gasket set that was thin enough to bolt up.
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2026 Loser of the Year
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From: New Or-leens Loo-z-anna
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,118
From: Crossville TN
He's installing a new oil pan; damaged pan rail is not very likely.
The one-piece Fel-Pro seal has little [hard] plastic spacers imbedded at every bolt hole location. These prevent anyone from over-squeezing the gasket...even if they overtorque the bolts. But, it is best to tighten to required torque.
I agree that if the new pan is chrome, the pan face the seal will mate with should be scuffed with a piece of 100 grit sandpaper in a random manner. A polished seal surface mating with a silicone rubber seal does NOT form the ideal oil barrier. Scuff it up.
The one-piece Fel-Pro seal has little [hard] plastic spacers imbedded at every bolt hole location. These prevent anyone from over-squeezing the gasket...even if they overtorque the bolts. But, it is best to tighten to required torque.
I agree that if the new pan is chrome, the pan face the seal will mate with should be scuffed with a piece of 100 grit sandpaper in a random manner. A polished seal surface mating with a silicone rubber seal does NOT form the ideal oil barrier. Scuff it up.
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 3,720
Likes: 557
From: Seattle Washington
I would use the search feature on this sight and find a name brand Oil Pan that works well on our Cars. I would skip the Chrome Pans a sure sign parts made in distant lands.
The one piece Gaskets make it easy for installation. If You get 4 1/4" Studs from Your local hardware store You can screw them in the corners. This will make it easy to line everything up and get a couple of bolts started.
The one piece Gaskets make it easy for installation. If You get 4 1/4" Studs from Your local hardware store You can screw them in the corners. This will make it easy to line everything up and get a couple of bolts started.
Pro
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 699
Likes: 46
From: Charlotte NC
Make sure to scrape all traces of the old gasket off the block and endrails. Every trace of cork or old sealant. Then clean all surfaces w/ thinner wgr or reducer. Then clean again. Don't want it to leak because you got lazy on cleanup.