Ironfreak

I am working on putting a lm7 into my e30 bmw. We played with some locations of the motor last week and I have decided due to ground clearance, stock location of the sway bar and oil capacity of making the stock pan usable I was going to build my own.

I work for a steel fabrication company so the means aren't an issue. But I have a question about the oil feed and return line that goes to the filter. I looked at many aftermarket pans but it's really unclear what they do if they don't have a oil adapter built in.

Sikky racing makes one that looks like they use AN fittings and tap the pan flange. I like this idea and having a remote location for the filter. It will also allow me to route in a cooler and feed the turbo.

Can you guys give me any suggestions or recommendations on what fittings I should use and size? I want to make it apart of the pan and not hassle with tapping the block.

Any suggestions, sites or info would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

gofastwclass

iTrader: (2)

All the pans I've seen or used had an adapter that allowed for a choice of a spin on type filter or AN fittings for a remote filter. I've never seen one for sale that required tapping the block itself. Maybe I was confused by your comment.

As you can see on the Moroso pan I stole the image of, the fittings are on the pan. The non-factory pans I've worked with were all similar in concept only using spin on oil filters with a bolt-on adapter.

usdmholden

The aftermarket fabricated pans all seem to use AN fittings or JIC fittings. The only real difference between AN and JIC s that AN is *supposed* to be aluminum and JIC are typically steel. Both are 37 degrees sealing angles.

If I were building one for myself, I would weld the fittings to the pan, or use the o-ring fittings, not NPT. I would size the fittings to match whatever comes on the remote filter mounts. Probably -8 or -10, but I am guessing there.

cruisin'73

iTrader: (8)

^^^ X2 for USDMHolden advice.

Here is a quick fitting history lesson:

The AN (Army/Navy) fitting system was originally intended for aviation applications and were subject to very strigent manufacturing control tolerances (read: EXPENSIVE). AN fittings are typically aluminum to keep weight down (and cost up). JIC was developed as a lower cost, lower tolerance alternative to AN and is typically steel (low cost). It was intended for more stationary and industrial applications where the extreme toleranceing was not necessary and weight was not a concern.

Now that is not to say JIC is inferior to AN by any means! JIC fittings are perfectly suited for automotive applications where cost is a higher design factor than weight. I used mail order JIC fittings and steel hardlines for my fuel, transmission cooler, and cooling systems. And literally saved hundreds over AN fittings for the penelty of a few pounds! AND I have the ability to MIG or braze fittings together to create custom solutions*

*A buddy and I did just this to create a custom carb inlet fitting for the quadrajet on his dirt track stock car. $1.50 in fittings, a mittle MIG wire and 2 beers VS. a $30 mail order aluminum part!

Also cool: AN and JIC can be used in combination. So that fancy Moroso remote oil filter adapter with AN fittings can connect to a JIC fitting. DISCLAIMER: I would not be so fast to suggest combining AN/JIC on high pressure hydraulic systems (1000PSI+) without further research!

I hope this is helpful, I am in for results, lets see what you can come up with!

Ironfreak

Thank you so much for your feedback guys!!

Cruisin73 - where did you get your mail-order JIC fittings?

cruisin'73

iTrader: (8)

http://www.discounthydraulichose.com Was my main source. They have a very complete catalog of steel and stainless JIC at good prices. Just be sure to get all your parts at once cause they kinda stick it to you on shipping!

Another word of caution: You will probably have to buy some AN fittings to complete the oiling system, but be careful. A lot of online sources have started producing cheap knock off fittings. Cheap Anodizing, poor quality material, no tolernace controls. Just be smart and do your research and you'll be fine!

Pop N Wood

iTrader: (1)

The two are threaded differently

http://www.mechanicsupport.com/articleStronger.html

usdmholden

Interesting, I never looked into the threads, only the sealing cones. Granted, I don't think my Mustang will fall from the sky due to the thread differences between my AN fuel adapter fittings and my JIC stainless hose.