another oil pan question

[izzy_Britton]

OK, so i am a little confused. it would seem that everybody on this forum, and on the internet in general has their own opinions about what oil pan to use in any particular swap. it is getting harder and harder to wade thru the muck.

another member asked a similar question but was answered in a round about way that left me scratching my head, different application.

so this is the straight forward question that i hope can be answered nearly as straight forward.

I am a cheap skate and i have been working on this swap for going on 3 years now. gathering parts and info that i think would be useful to ME. and the dorman pan seems to be just about the best deal i can locate online.

the Dorman 264-331 oil pan appears to be an almost direct replacement for the GM 12628771 oil pan. it would appear according to the photos i have seen (because NO ONE does a direct comparison between the two) that the only difference seems to be that the GM pan has a little more baffling in it.

can anyone who has actual experience with the Dorman pan please chime in with your opinion. so far all i can find online has been about the GM pan.

Thanks in advance.

- IZZY

[Cobalt964ruf]

if you ask 10 different ppl about oil pans you will get 10 different answers. the real answer is set the motor in your vehicle, bolt it down on motor mounts and get out a tape measure. find out what your clearances will allow and where. then find a pan that fits those parimeters.

[50 Chevy LS3]

A quick Google search for the Dorman pan you referenced, resulted in prices all over the place. The lowest price I found was $162.
I just purchased the genuine GM F body pan from Super Chevy Performance, in Kansas, for $198. Included with the GM pan is the high quality pan gasket, about $30, purchased separately. Also included are the pan bolts. If your order is $200, you get free shipping. Add in the pickup tube, you will need, and your set.

I also just went ahead and ordered the windage tray.

[izzy_Britton]

I agree with what you say about all the different opinions. as i said i am a bit of a cheap skate. I am always on the look out for the right parts for the right price.

$203.00 is a bit high for a pan and then $100 for all the extras is a little above my cheap skate wallet.

so i bit the bullet and bought a a Dorman pan, gm windage tray and pick up tube. once the install gets underway i am crossing my fingers that it will all fit. I am very apprehensive about this. but time when tell.

- Izzy

[mattcrp1]

I am actually doing this pan swap in the truck right now. I waited for a long time till I found the correct pan. I am assuming that your swap is for the 86 c10 in your sig. Check my sig build thread for a pic but the stock truck pan hung down almost 2" below the cross member, and the cts-v pan seems to be the one to go with. I am using dirty dingo slider mounts in mine. I have the old tuck pan out when you put the two next to each other the difference is very obvious. I chose the cts-v over the f body pan due to the sump being further back than the f body, and the ease of installation while its in the truck. If you are in norcal there are a few f body pans for sale one in Gilroy and the other in concord/walnut creek area. Got pics?

[mattcrp1]

Here's a pic of the two.

[aggie91]

Best bet for a C-10 like your '86 is to use the GM 12631828 Oil Pan. This is the CTS-V oil pan. It fits the cross member better than the GM 1268771 (Dorman 264-331) F-Body oil pan. I have done this swap on an '84 and an '82 with this pan and will most likely never use a different pan for a C-10 swap.

Here is one on ebay with a pick up tube for less than $150 shipped.:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cadillac-GM-...NW1bcn&vxp=mtr

Another option to look at if you are doing this one the CHEAP, is to not swap the truck pan, but use different engine mounts that move the engine up and forward to get the truck pan's sump to be even with the bottom of the cross member. Take a look at this system by Tejas Steel Works:

https://www.facebook.com/TejasSteelWorks

Purchase the Tejas mounts here:
https://squareup.com/market/tejassteelworks

[mattcrp1]

That is a great deal aggie91, I thought I did good for $225 pan,tray, pick up and dip[stick. I will hopefully get mine done this weekend.

[68c10airstream]

I was driven by one goal. To get the engine as low as possible and rearward as much as possible. I made my own mount perches using the ls donor mounts. The front of my f body pan is the thinnest up front and less than 1/2" away front the steering center link when it's in the straight ahead highest position. I could have beat the pinch weld ridge back in the firewall bellhousing area to get the engine rearward another 1" at best but i opted to "V" notch the stock crossmember instead. Taking that 600lb?? drivetrain lower is huge for handling, just think nascar. The bottom of the f body pan is maybe 1/2" above the factory crossmember, perfect to me. At times i feel i'm the only one lowering the engine, but why not?? I've looked at a fair amount of photos of ls swaps using premade mounts and just felt i could get it substantially lower with the f body pan using some fab skills. My prior engine was a sbc on factory mounts and i can say this truck handles noticeably better with the ls lower and more rearward. Not here to stir the pot, just chime in with a different approach. Good luck.

[izzy_Britton]

My Dorman oil pan showed up today. by all accounts and by my best measurements with a tape measure, the Dorman pan has all the same dimensions as the GM f-body pan.

i was a little leery of this pan not being close enough to those GM dimensions that i contemplated not buying it. however the price was right so i bit the bullet. I think it will work out just fine.

-Izzy

[mattcrp1]

got a pic?

[izzy_Britton]

Originally Posted by mattcrp1

got a pic?

when i get home i will post a pic. tomorrow.