Kevko oil pan install help

[71swing]

I'm working on getting my Kevko pan installed on my 408. I’m concerned with the height on the pickup off the pan. Besides that I have had to drill a few holes in the front sump to let it fit over my main studs for a windage tray that I not going to use, and had to beat on the side of the pan to push it out some. It was contacting my pickup tube, looked like it was warped in slightly from all the welding they did on the pan. I also had to cut off the mounting tab for the pickup because it was nowhere near where it needed to be to use it on the main stud.
Below are some pictures I’m a good 1/2" off the bottom of the pan. Should I not be concerned since it is a higher capacity oil pan or should it still be 1/8" off the pan? Comparing my old pickup to the new one, the new one is about 3" deeper than the old one for the factory style pan. Im stressing it because I had to build this 408 because the original 340 spun a bearing and I believe it was from running the factory style pan and hard acceleration and for a moment starving the pickup of oil. I to dont want to do this to the new motor.

In the first picture you can see the 2 holes I had to drill to clear the 2 front main studs. and that the pan is 8" deep.

here you can see the pickup is 7-1/2" high.

 

[72bluNblu]

The oil pickup still needs to be in the correct location, although I believe that 1/4" to 3/8" is what the clearance should be. 1/2" off the bottom is too much, even on a deep pan. Also, a tape measure isn't the ideal way to measure your pan clearance. I actually use kid's silly putty, I bought some generic stuff at the grocery store and used a couple pieces to make a square that I set on the pickup, then installed the pan with the gasket. Remove the pan and measure the thickness of the silly putty, bingo! Oil pan clearance measurement! :thumbup:

When I installed the Kevko pan on my 318 I had to do some massaging on the pickup also, I moved and re-welded the tab because of the windage tray, but I also heated and bent the pickup tube a little to get it to sit parallel to the floor of the pan at the right height. I think mine ended up around 5/16" off the bottom. Make sure you thoroughly clean out the pickup tube with a brush after you heat or weld on it.

I also cut down the main studs I used where they interfered with the pan, they studs are longer than they need to be so they usually have to be shorted a little bit and cleaned up on MOST oil pans, not just the Kevko. In fact, if I remember correctly I only had to shorten two studs for the Kevko, a stock oil pan would have needed pretty much all the windage tray studs shortened.

 

[Bad Sport]

Also, a tape measure isn't the ideal way to measure your pan clearance. I actually use kid's silly putty, I bought some generic stuff at the grocery store and used a couple pieces to make a square that I set on the pickup, then installed the pan with the gasket. Remove the pan and measure the thickness of the silly putty, bingo! Oil pan clearance measurement! :thumbup:

This^^^

 

[DJVCUDA]

also - PLEASE clean out that pan before placing it on the block again - I had several weld boogers that were on there from splatter and you dont want them roaming around in the engine !!

 

[340sFastback]

I also cut my ARP studs down. I had to bend the pick up tube tab and egg it out a little to get it to fit. I can't see how yours is mounted but the pick up tube tab does not mount between nut and main cap, it goes on top of main stud nut and then run another nut on the stud to secure it. I ended up with 1/4" of clearance. I checked mine by mocking it up before crank/piston/rods were installed. That way you can just stick your hand down the bore and feel the distance between pick up and oil pan.

 

[71swing]

The pan will defiantly get cleaned over before going on. I also need to clean up the holes I drilled in or the studs. I felt more at ease drilling holes to clearance the studs rather than cutting off the studs.

The tab for the pickup I cut off was about an inch off too far back from even reaching the stud. It should be fine without it. The pickup is not that heavy, and the stock pickup doesn't use a mounting tab. I'll check it out after its all mounted and set if I need to weld the tab back on in the right spot to reach the stud.

 

[71swing]

Well I had to bend the pickup a little bit to get to just under 1/4" clearance to the pan without a gasket in placed. With it in place its slightly above 3/8". Also ended up welding the mounting tab back on. In the picture you can see how much I had to move it to get it to the stud.

 

[340sFastback]

I think I had to bend my tab up and egg out the hole a little to get it to work. Anyway nice job on that tab.

 

[fishy68]

I think I had to bend my tab up and egg out the hole a little to get it to work. Anyway nice job on that tab.

I had to do the same on mine.