Quote: Oiling issues have always been a problem. Whenever the car goes faster the issues come back. Nothing unusual about that, oiling issues have always been a problem for wet sump road race cars.
Tim has tried a bunch of different oil pans over the years as well as different valve covers, dipsticks, breathers, etc. Whenever the performance increases then the g-loads increase and the oiling issues come back.
A dry sump system should solve all of the problems but it costs a bunch and then it all has to be packaged into the car. It isn't easy or cheap but it should solve the various issues that we're seeing.
It is really difficult to package a good oil pan into a stock chassis with headers and a low ride height. Nobody makes a good road race oil pan for these cars so each one needs to be custom built which takes time and money. The R&D process is a little painful when the engine has to be pulled out each time to change the pan.
**AndyF not trying to hijack your thread, but I think this is revelant since your current situation is the oil pan. And I think one of these pans is or was sent up to you**
I've been working with Milodon since May on a small block Mopar pro touring/high capacity-stock height/road race pans similar to the other road race pans they make like the big block Mopar one, pn 31580. Many people use that big block road race pan on their HiPo street cars to get a pan that does not go past their K-member and get smashed, but still has increased capacity and advanced oil control. This pan is actually a little shorter than even a stock pan for ultimate low ground clearance situations!!
It just took about 2 years of needling Milodon to do this, so I want to get the word out. They really stepped up the plate with this.
One of the requirements I felt for this new pan was fitting A-bodies as well as B and E bodies. And the toughest requirement was fitting the super-duper tight 73-76 A-body spool K-member. The spool motor mounts create a wall of K-member right down the bottom of the pan. So we tested the pan extensively with a 73-76 K-member with full steering linkage. Just fitting the pan to E and B bodies would have been easy, but the A’s would be left out.
I have also ran dry on oil in my Barracuda with a just a stock pan at the track. My car was not anywhere near as fast as Tim’s 68 Valiant. Stock small block pans have NO BAFFLING whatsoever. Most big block Mopar HP and a lot of non HP pans have some baffling front and rear. None for any small block, ever. My new 416 stroker SB WILL have this new Milodon SB pan.
Point is, any somewhat serious pro touring or suspension mod car you should think about protecting the motor with a baffled pan designed for high sustained G’s. Also this pan should be considered for someone that wants an increased capacity Small Block pan, but does not want to deal with a pan that sit anything below the K-member.
This pan is a serious handling, road race piece. Some of the features of this NEW pan:
-Side pods for 6 quarts of oil -FIVE trap door/gates -3 braking deacceleration gates to keep oil around the sump under hard braking -2 lateral G gates -fully baffled sump for complete oil control -false right angle wall at back of sump to keep oil from very rear of pan. Also allows more centerlink clearance for possible lowered motors. -decades of SCCA road race proven sump design features in this pan. -fully TIG welded construction -Made right here in USA
This pan should not need the band aid of an accusump reserve system. Unless of course there is a weak link somewhere else in the oiling system. I know $450 is a lot for an oil pan. But look at a $200 drag race pan with the bucket welded under them. Then look at all pictures I took of the gates, ledges, baffles, custom sump, weld quality, construction quality of this Road Race pan and I think you will understand some of the $$$ differences.
These new small block pans will be on display at Fall Fling October 30, 2010 and at SEMA.
These are some quick pictures when I went over there after work. The lights were all off in the manufacturing area...
