oil retention device..............

Got my oversize pan fabbed up today, needs a lot of trimming and such but should have it all done by the weekend. I'll get some pics as I go.

Ended up with a .125 wall aluminum, its a bit thick but I figure thicker is better in case a rod decides to vacate. This is is the same material MDRC uses so i dont feel so bad about the weight lol.

Deal will have 4 bolts with J clips so removal/install will take a matter of minutes.

I did make it long enough as the cover the bellhousing, this way if a tranny seal pops it will catch any leaks there as well.

extending it to catch the bellhousing is a good idea
Frank

No pics until later..........that's as disappointing as a bad porn link

Frank Merkl wrote:extending it to catch the bellhousing is a good idea
Frank

that is the way mine is done , and attaches with 6 bolts , takes about 2 mins to remove . I want to rebuild another one with the sides a little higher

richter69 wrote:Got my oversize pan fabbed up today, needs a lot of trimming and such but should have it all done by the weekend. I'll get some pics as I go.

Ended up with a .125 wall aluminum, its a bit thick but I figure thicker is better in case a rod decides to vacate. This is is the same material MDRC uses so i dont feel so bad about the weight lol.

Deal will have 4 bolts with J clips so removal/install will take a matter of minutes.

I did make it long enough as the cover the bellhousing, this way if a tranny seal pops it will catch any leaks there as well.

you plannen on having a "spill". just hang your cape under it.

Hope I never use it, sure will feel better with it on though.

I picked up some kotex pads for it today, I'll get after it tomorrow.

oversized pan and pig mat.............




pan trimmed to fit chassis..................




pan installed







Takes right at 2 minutes to take of and put on, I gotta ta31 the pig mat in it tomorrow and clean it up a bit. Weighs right at 18#s, I had to had the weight...........I rekon it will offset what I took out of the block when we bored it lol.

Looks great Jon

I need to do this (belly pan)---could you take some pictures of the mounting points? I would want one to go past the bell housing as well.

Where did you get the pan from?

my little buddy here at the local welding supply co., I do him favors on his truck so I get all these little freebie's lol.

I got 10 bucks in the whole thing, and that was just for the mat, TA31 was also free...........

finished pan with the pig mat glued down........






bottom of car without pan.......................




pan installed...................

Looks good. If you ever happen to develop a leak of some sort... how much will it contain before it starts to overflow? Obviously, sitting still is going to be way different than at speed.

Great pics, very clean installation Jon.

its got a 2" lip at the lowest point, the pan is sealed so there will be no leaks. It also has a slope to it, and the sides are 8" and rear is 5" at the lowest point where it goes around the bellhousing. I'm positive it will hold the contents of the oilpan and some lol. Most I have seen have real short lips......I cant imagine oil would stay in there with the wind blowing going down the track.............the sides on mine go up to where the pan meets to block, covers all the oil lines on the drivers side, even goes forward enough to cover the oil and fuel pump, motorplate etc. Much more effective than a diaper IMO.

I also doubt oil would stay in at speeds, but it looks like it would help keep a LOT off the track if you had a failure. Have you considered some sort of drain plug at the rear, in case it needs to be removed due to a leak... or is that not recommended?

its got the mat in it so any small leak it wont go anywhere. If its to the point I need to drain it we are going home anyway lol.

I had 2 stock rod deals let go back in the day at half track each time, both times I had minimal oil under the car, I did have a huge mess after I made the turnout on the first one and the water mixed in with the oil and overflowed the pan. I was telling the EMT's to tell the tower as they were still running cars.............they got my point when oil and water was oozing out from under the car while I was standing there.

Smallblock car let go once and same deal...........very minimal oil under the car on the track.

Honestly Ive had more issues with tranny fluid than oil, I'm considering making a smaller pan to go behind this one to catch the rest of the trans.

I was thinking more of keeping the trailer floor from getting soaked, or your face as you remove the pan.

I did think of adding a plug just in case, next time its off I may drill and tap for one. would make for easier remove if the worst happened.

Jon,

Not to redirect the thread....but....

I noticed the finned transmission cooler in a couple of pics. I was thinking of doing the same thing in about the same location. How long is the cooler on your car? I have noticed they come in many lengths. Just wondering if a 12" cooler would be enough or if I needed a 15, 18, etc.

its a 12" deal, will see how it works. I had the other cooler with a fan in the rear under the trunk area. I never used the fan............getting the collectors outside the framerails opened up a bunch of room............lighter cooler, less weight etc.

nice work man.

I read the rules in the racing association that I race in---I need and engine diaper or a belly pan the extends from "frame rail to frame rail". It also says that if I use a diaper it needs to be 1 inch above the head to block mating surface---which would definitely be a problem because of my headers.

Here is the actual language---what direction should I take? "The lower engine containment device must cover the sides of the block and pan up to one inch of the head mating surface and extend within 1 1/2 inches of the front and rear of the cylinder case area. A belly pan may be used in the lieu of a device attached to the engine. The belly pan must extend from framerail to framerail and extend forward of the harmonic balancer and to the rear of the engine block and must incorporate a minimum 2-inch-high lip on all sides. A nonflammable, oil-absorbent liner mandatory inside of retention device."

[quote="psfracer"]I read the rules in the racing association that I race in---I need and engine diaper or a belly pan the extends from "frame rail to frame rail". It also says that if I use a diaper it needs to be 1 inch above the head to block mating surface---which would definitely be a problem because of my headers.

I don't think I've seen a diaper go quite that high. The mounting tabs are usually held by header bolts, so the diaper couldn't extend above the block/head mating surface.

Ok, I re-read it---it looks like it has to be up to 1 inch away from the head mating surface, or 1 inch below the head mating surface.