I am running into a tight fit using the Milodon 31581 oil pan with my stepped TTI headers. There is about .055 clearance between the fitting and primary tube as you can see in the pictures. I'll be swapping out the 90 degree fitting for a 120 due to the change to a QA1 tube K member.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/aer-fbl1545/overview/

With such little clearance, would you dent the header tube?

You could probably you could change the shape of the header tube some without hurting the performance of the engine. I've also seen some low profile fittings . Between the two I'm sure you could get enough clearance to get a good rap on the line and be safe. For drag race use

What would you wrap it with? Header insulation? I'll look into the low profile fittings. This is a street/strip deal so it's going to get heat soaked.

Absolutely header wrap would be your best friend and I think a feeding similar to this will gain you quite a bit

The low profiles are sold in 6 8 10 12 and 16..

Maybe it's the picture, but I don't like the condition of the weld around that fitting. Looks like it could break from vibration at any time. Might be a good time to weld in a new fitting an inch or so back in the pan.

To me it looks like you could just cut and reweld the pan fitting closer to the pan and pick up plenty of clearance.

I have three of these pans so it would be easy to modify one now. I'll drag them out of the back room and compare. I'll snap some pictures of the pan/pickup. That fitting is welded to the pickup at least that is why it looks funny.

The the low profile fittings are appealing to my lazy side.

Edit: Looking at another pan off the engine I can see that the pickup tube is welded to the fitting. Not much difference between the three. Low profile fitting here I come!

Added picture of pan interior, note arrows indicating trap doors. There are five of them in this thing.

that weld does look like it's undercut quite a bit of the fitting. if it were mine, i would definitely re-do that. and that would be the perfect time to relocate it to get your required clearance needed. just my opinion.

I think it is undercut to the tube. It looks like major surgery to move any of it due to the trap door placement.

Maybe I am back to squeezing the tube a little? Is there a way to do it without hurting the coating? It's not the end of the world if it does.

While it may be adequate, the low profile fitting is probably not doing to flow as much as the one you show.

Years ago I watched a friend of mine beat the crap out of a couple of tubes on his coated headers, the coating didn't budge. I would have expected it to chip of or something but he put some rags over it and wailed away.

Now would I try it on my own headers? Only if I absolutely had to lol.

Lay a piece of 1 1/2" black pipe wrapped in cloth against the header. Support the back side if the tube and hit the pipe with a hammer. It'll make a nice radius bend with little restriction.
Doug

If that tube bend is the first one I wouldnt
smash it at all.. move the fitting.. the first
bend is the most critical on headers
EDIT
being the outside of the bend is even worse

I'd bang it like the first hooker I seen the day I got out of Prison

I have three or four different kinds of heat wrap that I got from buying used NASCAR team braided stainless and fittings.
Some of it is in the shape of convoluted tube like the stuff that OEM's use to jacket wiring , but it is a fabric of some sort.
Asbestos ? I am not sure what , but it is white in color.
Some is silver and the best I can describe it as is 1/8th " thick duct tape.
But there are a bunch of different heat wraps that I had never seen in catalogs or magazines that might be the hot tip here. No pun intended.
I hope it works , because I used it in a couple different places on my car.
As far as where to get it , I might look at industrial sources instead of automotive.
McMaster - Carr is great for that kind of thing.
https://www.mcmaster.com/

I do love McMaster!

My thinking is that we get a 1/4" or so of clearance with the pipe/rag method and call it good for now. If the oil turns black in one outing we will have a good place to look for where it got cooked lol.

Ka-Pow! Nothing like modifying ten year/model specific parts to work with (or against) each other.

A few motor plate pictures:

If I was you I'd move the fitting. Hell if I was you I'd probably made my own oil pan.

For my skill level we are safer doing some caveman maneuvers to the the second bend in #3 primary and double wrapping it. If it's down on power I'll grab the button and release the nitrous monster. : )

For wrap i used a white cotton looking stuff
that was developed for NASA..was a 1/4" thick
and would drop over a 1000*... I used it on a
few places on my car(was proto type stuff)