Stroker BB A-body- oil pans and delivery

After having my 71 Scamp sitting heartless for a number of years, I am looking to get it back running again and fulfill my desire to always have a large cubic inch big block for it. I already know that the combo I am looking to put together for it will be somewhat of a ticking time bomb (low 10/high 9 at 3400lbs using a stock 440 block stroker and TF270 heads with a healthy roller) but seeing that it is a street/strip car, I think I can have some fun with it and it stay together for me.

Car currently has a small block k member that has already been notched at the front for lots of oil pan clearance. I am planning to run motor mounts as opposed to an engine plate. The car sits quite low, and the roads where I drive are GARBAGE. My old small block was safe (kevko pan) but I worry about a heavy big block on the /6 t bars, so my concerns are all related to the oiling system...(and I have been doing a lot of searching before posting, so bear with me as I was not able to find any solid answers one way or other to these questions)

1. Looking to go with either a 4.375' or 4.5" stroke crank. Would a 1/2" internal pickup of any sort work with these strokes using a 7.100" Chevy Rod? Or is external the only option? (440 source has a 1/2" internal "stroker" pickup on their site that is apparently designed for strokers, but I can't find much experience with them looking around)
2. If going external oiling, and using engine mounts, what system is simplest and works best? I was thinking a single line setup, stock cover, but after that I don't know whats best....swinging or fixed pickup? -12 line? high volume/pressure pump or standard? New to the big block stuff, but this will be a pump gas motor and with the engine size planned I can't see rpms going past 7k (not afraid of it, just don't think it would need it or live best there either)
3. With the larger stroke, the planned power levels, and keeping in mind the horrible roads I drive on, I am torn for oil pan choice. I know the milodon 30930 is a popular choice in the a-body, but it hangs low for my intended usage from pics I have seen. Would a 6 or 6.5qrt version of the stock style BB pan for a-bodies work and accept the external pickup mods if that is the route I have to go? Are there any other good choices out there or pans that can work with slight "love" from a hammer? I really would like to avoid the costs of a custom oil pan if possible.

Any insight or experience is welcome!

Simplify your life by using a 4.250 stroke crank with an internal pickup and a 6 qt Hemi type pan.

I had thought about that...but, I know what i am trying to do has been done before. I have no issue running an external line and pickup, just trying to figure out what I can get away with and if it can be packaged tightly.

Id like to be making 700-750hp at the crank, and I do feel the more cubes the easier that will be. Plus, I have ALWAYS wanted a huge ci big block, even though I know a 505 or 512 could get it done, albeit a bit harder.

External oiling is an extra hassle on a big block A body, especially a street driven one. If you insist on external oiling then you should probably scrap the stock front suspension and start fresh with a rack and coil overs.

Exactly.

I ran the stock 1970/71 6 quart hemi and 440 6 pack oil pan in my Duster with the stock 3/8 440 6 pack oil pickup, shifted from 7000 up to 7800 once seeing where it would quit pulling, it didn't so I shifted it at 7800
One other thing, don't build a stock 440 block, find a decent 400 block and use a 4.300 or 4.250 crank in it with 6.700 long BB Chevy type h beam rods and add aluminum main caps and ARP main studs. Those blocks live a lot longer taking abuse than the same build 440 block will fail at, they(440 blocks) crack the main webbing between the main caps and the bottom of the cylinders Been there, done that
I used elephant ears with the stock tranny mount and moved the engine and tranny back about one inch in my old Duster, it ran 9.993 with the air cleaner on and full 3.0 inch exhaust to the rear bumper weighing 3450 Lbs. with me in it on 91 octane Oregon pump swill
No one here would race me on the street

Oh come on, thats a little extreme. There are plenty of people who are running external oiling setups in street cars with factory suspension.

In no way am I saying it is easier or more trouble free then an internal system, but I am also of the belief that when it comes to oiling, a bit of extra help on the system doesn't hurt.

How safe is it to wind a 700-750hp big block to 7000rpms, maybe even 7500, with a 6 quart pan and internal 3/8" pickup? Im not questioning knowledge, I am seriously asking as I am new to the RB platform. This will be an engine that is raced 1 -2 times a month, and regularly beaten up on the street.

Good to know on the stock pickup and 6 pack pan. I am definitely not against a simpler, more trouble free setup...but I also don't want to skimp on something like oil travel and control if I am building something from scratch instead of working with something a running car came with.

More then likely I will be using an RB....I know the 400 is stronger, but parts availability and also block availability is alot better with the RB stuff. Either one will be a ticking time bomb lol

If you decide to go external oiling, here's what I use. I don't see why it would be a problem using it in an A body. Maybe just route the line differently.
It's a Milodon pump w/ a stock cast iron cover. I like these b/c the pickup is in the pump, higher up, and not on the cover. The pan is from 440 source.
The way the line is, it goes b/t the engine and K frame...no need to disconnect it to remove the engine from the car.

I run the road race pan from milidon with a pickup like Chip.

I'd race you cab

I'm in the same boat as the OP, I planned on external but would like to keep it simple.
The project is a mild 470 bracket motor (650 hp max) Do all of the pans mentioned clear a 70's A body steering linkage?
I always thought you had to have a modified/deepened #187 pan or a Milodon super stock pan with the hole thru it.
Thanks for the help on this.

I like a hv/hp oil pump

A single line setup like that is exactly what I was thinking if I was to go external. Is that a kit from Milodon? or just the pump? Also, swinging or fixed pickup?

I have done research on here of others saying they lose prime if the car sits, but saw you never had that issue....that still the case?

You're in an a-body, right? How is that pan for clearance to the k frame and when steering? Any mods necessary?

From what I know so far, the road race pan from Milodon, the 3090 or 30901 (I think those are the milodon numbers) are the only ones that fit. I see 440 source carries a 187 style pan with a bit of extra capacity, but not sure what the inside of the pan is like.

I don't want overcomplicated, but I also want this thing to get adequate oiling and have enough in the pan for its intended purpose.

Not a kit, just the pump itself from Milodon. The cover is a factory style cover off of a Melling pump. Just some normal -12 AN fittings and hose.
The pickup is a static/fixed style from Milodon. The pan from 440 source doesn't have the hole in it for the pickup...just got a holesaw from the hardware store. Think it's 1-1/8" diameter.
Zero problems w/ it losing prime. I have 2 cars with single line external systems. The other car has a Melling pump w/ a Milodon cover. Both cars have the lines immediately turning down and back to the pan. No need for the loop upwards. Dual line systems may be different in that respect.

My car is a 68 Valiant. I also didn't loop it up. I had to cut a hole in the pan. I use the big square pickup. It's not a moving pickup. I had to cut up the inside of the pan a little to rout the line inside from pickup to bulkhead.

No fitment issues with the Kframe but mine has had some grinding on it before.

Great info Chip, thank you!

Thanks for the reply! How many quarts of oil are you running with that pan? My K frame has already been modified for oil pan clearance in the past, hoping its already enough for something like this pan if I go this route.

I have both the Milodon 31581 road race pan (external oil) in my Charger and it is a very, very nice oil pan. Depending on the headers you might have to remove the header bolts to get the starter out due to the pan kick out.

My '68 GTS has a reproduction 187 6 quart pan and the steering linkage still hits the damned thing so it needed some love with a BFH and a drift. I didn't have that issue with the stock pan that is still on the original 383. The baffling inside is just like a hemi pan - one front and one rear located at the transition where the sump begins. If ever go any farther my first step will be the addition of a QA1 k member so free up some space for headers and a Milodon 31581. Tha said the 6qt 187 pan only hangs down about an inch below the K and so far no issues with clearance. We live way out in the country and the front tires are F70-14 polyglass so that probably help. Some of these PNW cities have some hellacious parking lot approaches. One option would be a Hemi K member skid plate mif you are concerned with ground clearance.

Your review of the road race pan falls right inline with what I have been reading in trying to research this stuff.

Funny that the repop 187 pan still needed clearancing. What kind of engine was it ran on? I am all for running a 6qt hemi pan IF it will truly be enough oil for a 750-800hp stroker engine...

if 6qts were on the edge, could a guy fill with 7qts and be ok ?
or would that cause too much windage or have the crank throws wind the extra quart out of the pan ?

My old pump gas Duster made over 700 HP on two different engine dynos, it ran 9.993 at 134.+ MPH in the 1/4 mile weighing 3450 lbs. with me in it corked up with the air cleaner on
run those numbers on one of the on line HP calculators and see what you get.
I loved that stock 1970/1971 6 quart Hemi and six pack oil pan with the stock 6 pack 3/8 pick up
I did find out that it would loose some oil pressure after a 134 MPH 1/4 mile run when I let off after the finish line if the I let the oil level get near the add mark, no problems with it near the full mark on the dips stick I shifted it at 7000 RPM + or minus 300 RPM and it would cross the finish line at 7000 RPM
That motor ended up with 4.300 stroker crankshaft with 2.200 rod journals and BB Chevy type 6.800 long H beam rods, never had a problem with the oil foaming from to much oil in it, even with 7 quarts in it
I made and used home made crank scraper for it from day one and modified it to fit the longer stroke after replacing the 4.250 stroke crank with the 4.300 stroke crank

I saw someone try that on a c-body forum, and they said it worked...but I doubt that was much of a performance or racing application in a land barge like a c-body

That oil pressure loss does scare me a bit lol