Here’s that really really cool cast aluminum oil pan for SBC with the fins and all. It’s made in foreign lands by foreign hands. Apparently they didn’t have a good one to copy. Anyway these things Would/could be fantastic except for one thing... So the very sneaky and smart oil has devised an elaborate escape route and out smarted the design team, the QC department, the venders, and the guys installing this thing. Something,,,, I can only guess it was the engine oil and apparently smarter than these guys,,, talked this entire chain of industry giants into this. It’s not pretty because there’s a lot of guys complaining about these pans and oil escaping. In that picture I’m hold the gasket in the best I can. There’s well over an inch of extra space or 1” extra gasket to shove into the space. The oils fools the people thinking that the gasket won’t pucker up. Here’s the same gasket on a newer steel pan from a crate engine. That’s about 3/8”.
Looks like the aluminum pan is made for the older thin front lip seal....1955-74 design. Put a straight edge across the front at the pan rails, and measure from straight edge to the bottom of the arch. If it measures 2-1/4", it takes the old style thin seal If it measures 2-3/8", it takes the newer style thick seal.
How does it fit the motor,does it look like it will seal with the proper gasket?if it fits,you might want too spin it over to see if anything hits,be good to know before you try and fire it up.If it doesnt fit its hard to believe they could screw it up that bad. Harvey
Like Ericnova said, two different pan seals. I’ve had that problem too but I didn’t know how to tell the inexperienced parts man how to look up the right one. Good info. Since the sixties when Cal Custom released their finned cast aluminum oil pans for Chevies I’ve thought they were so cool (and those Cobra pans!) but my Dad burst my bubble when he said they were too fragile to hang down under a car that you actually drive. How often do you see an oil pan that doesn’t have a dent or repositioned drain plug? One wrong speed bump and you’re dumping 5 quarts of your favorite oil all over someone’s parking lot. Thanks Dad.... Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
If you think putting one on a lowered car is a good idea,it's not. Even when we sold the real deal Cal Custom ones back in the 70's it didn't take much to crack one maybe take a page from the 4X4 guys and add a skid plate.
Thin front seal is 1955-74. Change made in 1979 is some SBC's switched the dipstick to the other side of the engine(passenger side). Front lip section stayed the same as 1975-85 thick. What it really comes down to with the front lip section is measure the pan, as the oil pan is what decides which gasket lip thickness to use....not the engine block, and not the timing chain cover. You could put an early thin lip pan on a '77 engine, or a later thick lip pan on a '59, just as long as you use the gasket that matches the pan. 1980-85 dipstick got moved to the other side of the block. 1986-up is 1-piece rear main seal, pan gasket is different in the rear arch..
I switched over to the one piece gasket for my sbc . I ordered the gasket going by the numbers on the block to get the date. Well some time in this engine's life someone put the new style pan on. When I went to put the pan back up it was a no-go. Luckily I had a nice early style pan as a wall hanger. Switched out the pan. But I have to say those one piece gaskets work great.
My oldest daughter , 3 bachelors , a masters and a doctorate. Should never be allowed around anything mechanical ! Good at telling others how to live , not so good at living herself !
Your Dad is absolutely right, when they repoped them I cannot believe thy move diden't the drain plug to the side.
I don't use pan gaskets.........so it's no big deal about the wonky fit....... RTV in lieu of the leaky gaskets. Clean with Brakleen first and squirt on the RTV baby! Garnt-teed no leaks 6sally6
i remember back in the 80's i bought a chrome steel kit with the valve covers, timing cover and oil pan. it was cheap so more than likely china made. nothing lined up with the holes on the block. i figured out they used stock ones to make there tooling. the problem was, they made the new ones to the outer mold line instead of the inner mold line, so they were whatever the thickness of the stock parts were so to big.
I think they changed the design of the pan in the mid 70s to make it easier to pull the timing cover, without having to drop the pan. To replace all those plastic timing sprockets that disintegrated, as well as all the cams that went flat.
I had one those pans in the mid 70's and never could get it to not leak. Sold it to a buddy who said he could make it not leak. That didn't happen.
That’s the oil pan bolt hole reflections of pan. see that little inverted V with flat spot? Yep an escape route. My buddy was over and we were discussing this. Back in teanage years his brother sold a really really nice Camaro because they couldn’t ever get the oil pan to seal. He says “WAIT!!! There’s 2 different oil pans for SBC? Fuck!” She’s all fixed up and dry. The timing cover and that little fucker too.
Some of those aluminum pans are also porous, and oil seeps through it over time; wipe the oil/dirt off, and it comes back. Always though maybe the inside of those pans should be coated with glyptol (sp?) paint, AKA armature paint. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
Yeah, that's a true story. I had a set of Cal Custom valve covers that would ooze oil through one of the covers. Not a lot, but I had to wipe it up regularly. Also had a set of ET wheels that leaked air though the castings... If I had them today I'd powdercoat them to seal. I don't know if that would work in the pan, you get oil slinging at high RPM it might peel off.
I had a brand new car with a tranny oil leak. Weeping straight thru the aluminum case from the day I got it. If that happens it's a bad casting, regardless of where it is made. Warranty gearbox replacement, no problem. I've also bought cast wheels overseas that were so perfectly true that the folks mounting and balancing my tires were completely astounded at how near perfect all 4 rims were.
All cast aluminum wheels leak over time. Only the forged ones don’t. Looks like that pan will leave more oil in the pan when draining than the steel ones with the spot welded threaded plate.
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