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Hit a rock last year and we managed to put in a self tapping screw into the crack, sealed it up and it has been bone dry until recently where the bodge has given up.
Have removed the pan and believe it is original. It was on studs which is a nice touch but I don't believe that is original? Clearly ground clearance is not this car's strongest point. The other marks are largely superficial.
Anyways, is this repairable? I can't find a replacement in the UK. It's a '69 427 L36
Cheers!
Anything can be repaired, it’s a matter of if it’s worth it or not…
Do you have access to a welder? That’s thin steel so a low voltage and just a couple of tacks would fill that nicely. Then file down the weld so it’s flush. Might as well repaint the pan with some engine enamel paint too while it’s off, may protect against future chips and rust.
Then it’s good as new.
As for oil pan gaskets i’d recommend a one piece silicon one from fel-pro. Look at other posts to see where to add rtv for a perfect seal.
I am not sure, but try contacting some construction companies that own earth moving equipment. In the US Cities there are radiator repair shops that I have used, it seems that 99 % of their repairs are on extremely large trucks and assorted construction equipment. I am guessing it’s not so easy to call the local parts store to get a radiator for a 15 year old dump truck or earth grader. Good Hunting.
Yes that looks like an original C3 BB pan. Bolt in the back, pan baffle with correct shape inside, and should have a windage tray door on a spring, and a matching windage tray on the main bolts. The 4 corner reinforcements are welded in on originals, loose on GM replacements. I still have an extra main cap windage tray floating around if anyone needs one.
GM still had that pan available until like 3-4 years ago. Discontinued now, and not reproduced in the aftermarket. Good used ones go for big money these days, $800 & up, when they rarely pop up.. Even yours is worth close to that. The aftermarket has been making welded up hot-rod pans for decades. So Yes, a good welder can weld it up, and yes it is worth your time & money to repair it.
The available aftermarket ones are not that close in either look or fitment or function.. Bolt on the left side, too low, interfere with PS, lousy baffle or none, etc. etc. The oil control by the GM pan is superior to any of the aftermarket almost-look-alikes. There are many BB pans that have better oil control, but they are deeper, have big kick-outs on the sides and most interfere with C3 PS, etc.
HJG
Yeah. Easy. I had one punctured by a by big bolt that fell of a truck. I JB Welded it to get home and ran around like for a year or 2.... slight weepage.
I finally removed it and took it to my local welder. He just flattened it and brazed it. ..... never leaked after that for maybe 20 years before I changed engines. Cheap too.
I now have an oxy-acetylene rig so I'd braze it myself .
Thanks to the pot holes of Staten Island NY, I repaired an oil pan for Boss 351 Mustang that was worse than that. I did a lot of brazing but it was worth it because those oil pans are hard to find and expensive. I would try to save that L36 pan since a replacement on any continent will be a small fortune.
From: At my Bar drinking and wrenching in Lafayette Colorado
Easy weld job - find someone with a TIG welder and the skill to use it. It should take 10 minutes. Weld it up, grind it flush, and it's good as new. No problem. I would avoid the recommendation above to find a construction company: Those guys are stick-welding hacks who weld thick steel on heavy equipment and structural I-beams - not what you want.
Lars
Easy weld job - find someone with a TIG welder and the skill to use it. It should take 10 minutes. Weld it up, grind it flush, and it's good as new. No problem. I would avoid the recommendation above to find a construction company: Those guys are stick-welding hacks who weld thick steel on heavy equipment and structural I-beams - not what you want.
Lars
I'm no pro welder but since its off the car its about a 10 minute repair job with either a mig or tig welder.
But if you don't mind modding the pan a bit weld 12 gauge (1/8") piece of cold rolled steel up around the pan bolt radius and across the bottom of the pan. Done right 99% of folks won't notice.
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
2019 C3 of Year Winner (performance mods)
2016 C3 of Year Finalist
If you have a custom motorcycle shop near buy, they build lots of custom tanks and fenders. Have them bang out the dent and TIG weld it....less chance of making it worse with a TIG versus MIG. Its very thin steel
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Is this oil pan repairable?
