Hot Rods Oil pan SBC / dip stick location

Will an oil pan out of a 1980 up SBC fit a 1979 SBC block ? My 1979 SBC engine has the dip stick on the drive's side, it interferes with the exhaust manifold I want to use. The 1979 back oil dip stick goes into the block on the drivers side. The 1980 up dip stick goes into the pan on the passenger side.
Using the 1980 pan with the dip stick in the pan on the passenger side will solve some problems.

I am concerned about bolt patter, rear main seal ( two piece or one ), clearance with cross member and sump pick up.

Any thoughts ?

 

Bolt pattern and rear pan seal dimension is the same. I have a '80-'85 pan on my '79-earlier block. No dipstick, i put a sight tube on the side of the sump instead. Spot welded a small 18ga filler into the pan's jog and use a 1pc pan gasket. A little Ultra Black seals the jog right up.

 

Thanks for your reply. If I could do away with the dip stick and plug the hole in the block I would solve my problem without changing the oil pan. But I would have no way of checking the oil. Pluging the dipstick hole is no problem. there is even a part for that. But I do not understand what you mean " sight tube on the side of the pump". Sounds interesting, tell me more.

 

This but alot smaller, seen one on an open motor roadster's oil pan. Mark for full and tells you if low on oil-no dipstick. Might be hard to see on hooded and fendered car. It wasn't real easy to see on the roadster.

 

Thanks for your reply and photo. This might work, appears to be two self threading filler neck with a rubber (see through) hose running vertical between the two. As long as it did not leak and it is not close to something too hot it might work. This is the type car you take to a " no bling type show " so solutions like this are a possibility. Car does not burn too much oil and would not have to be inspected that often. I will rig one up and do some test fits before I start drilling holes, thanks again.

 

1980 Malibu oil pan has dipstick on passenger side and will fit.

 

Someone else said that might be a possibility glad to hear some conformation. thanks

 

The photo was just to show what a sight tube is. I would not use this one on an oil tank. The one I saw had two fittings welded to the tank with a glass tube between them. Sorry I do not have a picture of the set up.

 

My sight tube is made from 1/4" dia white nylon tubing, a larger version of the tubing they use for oil pressure gauges. 90 degree fittings with compression sleeves for the tubing. Fresh oil is hard to see, but it quickly colors. Need to plan the fitting orientation so that it's possible to install/replace the tubing. Mine are vertically offset with the bottom fitting set vertical, upper one offset about an inch installed at a 45 degree angle to make it easier to flex the tubing into place.

I run about 15"Hg of crankcase vacuum, eliminating the dipstick means one less place for an air leak.

 

Using a passenger side (1980 - newer) oil pan wont work. The bolt patterns are the same, but the dip stick actually sticks into the block casting...You don't have a hole on the passenger side on a 1979 and older block, so how will your dipstick go into your pan?