DIY windage tray bolts

[pishta]

Can you tack weld some tall 1/4-20 nuts onto your main bolts to create a mount for a windage tray? Paying $22 a bolt (new) sounds a little ridiculous. Yeah, its a cheap fix but some things are just robbery.

 

[Sedanman]

It sounds doable

 

[ValiantOne]

Do you have a pic of what you are trying to accomplish? May be something I could whip up cheap in the machine shop.

 

[clhyer]

Do you have a pic of what you are trying to accomplish? May be something I could whip up cheap in the machine shop.

There you go -
Personally I would not trust "my" welding to something going into the oil pan - too much risk for me...
C

 

[bentdart47]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I would assume main bolts are heat treated steel. You could very well disturb the temper soften/harden the steel in an unexpected way if you apply welding heat. I also wouldn't trust the welds over time. I had to modify my oil pick up tube for my pan by taking 1.5" out of it but I was sure to create a slip joint in the tube before I very carefully welded it.

 

[Sedanman]

I'll send you some bolts if you want to experiment

 

[pishta]

Heat treated bolts would get a minimum of heat to the thick head only, zipping it with a Mig would not introduce a lot of heat to the entire bolt. Id do a hammer test on them to make sure I got the right penetration to retain them. Unless someone has a spare set they would sell me. $25?
Option 2 would be to stud the bottom end and drill the tray to accept another nut past the main torque nut but that would get expensive.
If someone that had one could measure the height of the OEM windage tray head, that would help me to determine how much of a standoff to build in. I would use 1/4 rod unions and cut to height.

 

[Sedanman]

I can measure when I pop my pan back off. I think it was 1/4"

 

[pishta]

I think it gonna be like 3/4....