Oil pan studs or bolts?

[cobrakiwi]

Here are a few pictures of what we came up with to try and help with the leaking oil pans.

601 HP HiTech Mod's

[DanEC]

Originally Posted by cobrakiwi

Here are a few pictures of what we came up with to try and help with the leaking oil pans.

601 HP HiTech Mod's

Post 40 in the referenced thread for the time limited. I bet that does cinch the pan gasket up tight - very impressive.

[cycleguy55]

Originally Posted by DanEC

Post 40 in the referenced thread for the time limited. I bet that does cinch the pan gasket up tight - very impressive.

Yes, VERY impressive. I have a pan from Armando's and I like it, but the pan rails could use something like that as they'd bend or distort far too easily without similar reinforcement.

[wkooiman]

I started using set screws for valve cover studs, after seeing them on a friend's race car. You don't really need high strength ARP studs with coarse/fine threads, and the coarse threads allow you to tighten them with more friction on the nut w/out collapsing the gasket.

I used to use ARP studs on the pan, but they kept backing out. I don't recall what I have on the pan right now. I know I tried using studs with silicone on the threads, but that was a long time ago, and I haven't been under that car in a while, so I just don't remember. The Cobra has bolts from a previous owner.

Sorry to ramble, just thought I'd provide a data point on studs vs. bolts.

[Detroit Bill]

Originally Posted by cycleguy55

Yes, VERY impressive. I have a pan from Armando's and I like it, but the pan rails could use something like that as they'd bend or distort far too easily without similar reinforcement.

Is that part available?

[cobrakiwi]

Originally Posted by Detroit Bill

Is that part available?

Sure is.

[cycleguy55]

Originally Posted by Detroit Bill

Is that part available?

Detroit Bill: Are you asking about the pan or the reinforcing rails? If it's the rails I'd like to find the p/n as well!

cobrakiwi: You said it is - can you provide p/n for rails? Puhleez? BTW, my engine is 460 CID (385 series).

[Detroit Bill]

Yes, I am talking about the stainless reinforcing rail.

[cobrakiwi]

Originally Posted by cycleguy55

Detroit Bill: Are you asking about the pan or the reinforcing rails? If it's the rails I'd like to find the p/n as well!

cobrakiwi: You said it is - can you provide p/n for rails? Puhleez? BTW, my engine is 460 CID (385 series).

We custom make these to order
Thanks

[lippy]

Here is the pan rail I made. It's not as slick as Wiki's, but I liked making it myself. I used 308 SS bar, 3/4" x 1/8", cut it, and TIG welded it. In order to get it flat and reasonably clean, I tacked it on one side, then the other on each joint, and then welded. I found that if I paid attention to the cuts and made them clean and tight, I could fusion weld (no filler rod) and the welds turned out much better. At any rate, it took a few hours (probably 5) but I'm happy with the results.

Now on the studs vs bolts... Between the two gaskets, the reinforcement, the pan, and the windage tray, the aggregate thickness is about 0.48", maybe a bit less. The bolt holes in the Pond block are about 0.5" deep, but they vary. If I use bolts, the 1" ones may bottom out, and the shorter ones (0.812") would only go into the block about 0.3", which isn't enough. I'm told you want to go 1.5x the bolt diameter for steel and 2x for aluminum, so for 5/16" bolts I would need the full 0.5" in my block, as it's aluminum.

Which leads me to studs. I have the Canton ones already (which loosened) but I'm thinking it may be worth it to spring for the ARPs. They are slightly better because (1) they use a higher strength material and finish, and I can torque them to 20-22 ft-lb, which will better take advantage of the reinforcement I made, and (2) they use coarse threads into the block, and fine threads on top, which i'm told provide better clamping force, and are less likely to back out.