TnBlkC230WZ

Do the stock GM oil pans have baffles in them? I'm looking at the F-Body and CTS-V pans and needed to know if they have baffles like the Mast Pan.

Also is it helpful to have the bell housing bolted to the oil pan? I'm also looking at the aftermarket pans, the Holley has the bell housing bolts, but no baffles. The Mast has baffles, but no bell housing bolts.

ImprovedRacing

Yes, the stock pans have bolt-in steel baffles in them (except the LS2/LS3 C6 pan, which has baffling cast into the pan itself). However, with the exception of the C5 and C6 pans, they are mostly useless. The stock baffles are just flat pieces of steel that serve to reduce slosh in the pan but don't do anything to keep oil near the pickup.

Yes. The oil pan is a structural part of the engine. If you look at the GM shop manual, they actually refer to the oil pan as "engine reinforcement". This is why the sheet metal aftermarket pans tend to leak and allow the block to flex more than the stock pan.

The Holley pan is good. It's properly designed and is cast aluminum like the stock pan. They will have a trap-door baffle available for it soon, ask them about it (you can take a guess at how we know).