Truck Pan Modification
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 13
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From: Sellersville, PA
Truck Pan Modification I have a LM7 5.3L with a planned home of a 1969 Firebird. The car will be dropped a minimum of 1", Pennsylvania roads, and lowest point on the car being the oil pan, adds up to bad.
However I have not found any information about modifying the truck pan here. Seems to me, just cutting and sectioning a few inches out of the bottom would be easily done and do exactly what I need. The guy I bought it from said Street and Performance offered to do something that sounded just like this for him. I cannot find any information about that service, and I am sure I could get it done locally cheaper.
I tried searching through a few different combinations and page after page with nothing refering to this that I found. Sorry if its something I am obviouslly missing. Hate for my first post to be a simple search away.
However I have not found any information about modifying the truck pan here. Seems to me, just cutting and sectioning a few inches out of the bottom would be easily done and do exactly what I need. The guy I bought it from said Street and Performance offered to do something that sounded just like this for him. I cannot find any information about that service, and I am sure I could get it done locally cheaper.
I tried searching through a few different combinations and page after page with nothing refering to this that I found. Sorry if its something I am obviouslly missing. Hate for my first post to be a simple search away.
Use a F-Body or a CTS-V pan. The F-Body will give you the best ground clearance.. the CTS-V is little over 1" deeper in the slump but shorter front to rear in the slump. I am using the CTS-V, check it out on my Cardomain site, by sign has the URL. You would have cut 2" to 3" off of the Truck pan.
Or use an aftermarket pan... ATS, Moroso, and Autokraft all make nice pans for LSX into 1st gen swaps. And unlike a cut F-body pan, they have decent capacity and baffling. A lot of people are running cut F-body pans without a problem, but I've also seen a thread or two where people have sucked 'em dry.
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
From: Sellersville, PA
The $500 something for an aftermarket pan has me shaking my head at that idea. Still getting used to the whole idea of the LSx pricing, so used to Gen I stuff being so damn cheap.
TECH Resident
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 841
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From: Baltimore, MD.
Originally Posted by Sled
The $500 something for an aftermarket pan has me shaking my head at that idea. Still getting used to the whole idea of the LSx pricing, so used to Gen I stuff being so damn cheap.
Modifying the stock pan is possible....
However, there are a few challenges.
1.) Alum, meaning you need special talent and equipment. Probably will be paying for this service.
2.) Its an aluminum casting. Alum castings have some porosity. Oil gets into the metal and makes it quite fun to weld (weld inclusions and such). Trick is getting it clean, which is tough.
3.) Keeping it flat. Welding something like this makes it want to move all over. You really need to bolt it to something (like a junk block) to keep it from warping. Any you may still have to fly cut it afterwards to get it to be flat.
Basically, its easier to swap pans (to something that fits) than it is to modify the existing pan. Now, if nothing fits, then you're either looking at aftermarket stuff, modifying oem stuff, or making your own (which is what I did for my Bravada, but not for the faint of heart or fabrication skills).
If you swap pans, remember that the pan, oil pump pickup, dipstick tube, and dipstick are all matched pieces. You need to change them all.
'JustDreamin'
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About $200 for the moroso and another $85 for the pick-up plus you have to run a remote filter. Nice pan. Its about the same depth as the F-body pan, you might be able to run the F-body pick-up and possibly the truck wind. tray. Still looking into it myself.
Street/Strip Oil Pan
1968-72 Nova; 1965-72 Chevelle; 1967-69 Camaro LS1/LS6
Wet Sump
7 Quart Capacity
6" Deep
Steel
20140
Street/Strip Oil Pan
1968-72 Nova; 1965-72 Chevelle; 1967-69 Camaro LS1/LS6
Wet Sump
7 Quart Capacity
6" Deep
Steel
20140
Last edited by 5150mechanic; Apr 7, 2007 at 10:04 AM.
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