Oil pan Which one? 408!

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wyoduster

wyoduster

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I'm ordering my 408 Stroker kit Monday.You guys talked me into it!! I'm getting cam and all.
Which oil pan? I can get a mildon or whatever with the baffles for a $129. from the same place or a shiny chrome one on ebay for $59. or factory replacement. for $69. Why pay more ??? Is there a difference in quality ??
I'll need HEADS too. But I'm taking the advice of much wiser than me and putting the rotating assembly together first. If anybody has a REAL BUY on a set let me know.
So the pan?? why??
 
Most people go larger than a stock pan because they run high-volume oil pumps, with a 4 quart pan and a high volume pump you can sometimes run into problems at the pickup with oil starvation. A deeper sump and more oil volume help to offset this. Also, most of the aftermarket pans have some type of baffling, which keeps the oil pickup covered during hard acceleration/cornering. You just have to watch the sump depth, as the 8 qt pans get pretty deep and can cause ground clearance issues. The deeper pans also can move the oil level further away from the crank, which helps oil movement away from the crank for more hp.

I bought a Kevko 6 qt pan for my 340 build, it has a crank scraper, baffles and a trap door. My Challenger is being built up for handling, so I wanted better oil control than a stock pan. I'm also going to run a high volume oil pump, so I also wanted more volume without getting too crazy with the ground clearance since my car will be lowered in the front.
 
Probably a good bet to run at least a 6 to 7 quart pan w/high volume oil pump. 72bluNblu has you pointed in the right direction.
 
Just put together a 408 in a 69 cuda used a Milodon 8 qt no clearence problems. You do need the extra volume if you plan on turning some RPM's
 
I went with the Kevco 6 quart pan and pick up based on all the rave reviews I read on here. And I was not disappointed. You don't need to run a windage tray either because it has a crank scraper and baffles. And the Kevko pan does not hang down and fits the a-body k-frame without issues. The extra quart of oil helps bring the oil temps down a little too. They are made right here in the USA and you can call them and speak to the guys who actually make them:

http://www.kevko.net/

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I bought the Kevco also due to it not hanging so low. It's a very nice pan and as stated extra capacity and baffles keeping oil where it should be is a big plus.
 
The Kevko is actually 2 qts larger than stock, most of the stock pans are only 4 qts, the +1 in the filter gives you 5. The Kevko holds six, so 7 for an oil change including the filter.

Also, crank scrapers and windage trays function differently. I'm no expert, but the scraper is intended to reduce oil sticking to the crank and get it back to the pan. A windage tray keeps oil from getting sucked up onto the crank from the pan because of the motion of the crank (especially at higher rpm) but actually can slow the oils' return to the bottom of the pan. Either way for a crank scraper to be really effective, it has to be fit to the specific crank. The Kevko scraper is just a generic one, you'd have to fit it for it to be more effective.

Here's some pics of the Kevko pan, just came in the other day! :-D

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Detail on the doors in the baffle...
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72bluNblu said:
The Kevko is actually 2 qts larger than stock, most of the stock pans are only 4 qts, the +1 in the filter gives you 5. The Kevko holds six, so 7 for an oil change including the filter.
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Hmm, I have been running a total of 6 quarts in mine and the dip stick says its 1 quart low even after I changed oil and filter. Didn't know you were suppose to run 7 quarts total I thought the reproduction dip stick was just off.

How much oil do the rest of you guys run with your Kevko 6 quart pans?
 
I called Kevko and they said its 6 quarts in the pan plus 1 quart for the oil filter for a total of 7 quarts.
 
340sFastback said:
I called Kevko and they said its 6 quarts in the pan plus 1 quart for the oil filter for a total of 7 quarts.
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Yup. I doubt you can use the dipstick readings, that's what the oil level plug is on the side of the pan for. Fill it up the first time and check the level with the plug, then mark it on the dipstick.
 
72bluNblu said:
Yup. I doubt you can use the dipstick readings, that's what the oil level plug is on the side of the pan for. Fill it up the first time and check the level with the plug, then mark it on the dipstick.
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That is what that second plug is for? Thanks for the tip.

One thing I don't like is the drain plug is on the front of the pan. Easy to get to yes but you have to jack the back of the car up to get all the oil out. Minor but when not put drain in the back of the pan??
 
Suggest you also take your headers into consideration as well. Headers that fit tight to the block may not like a wider pan like the Milodon.
I've also see a couple of issues with interference to an A-body K-member with a Milodon pan. The K-member had to be notched for the pan to fit.
I'm going with a Kevko pan when the time comes to put the new engine in my '69 Dart.
 
ocdart said:
Suggest you also take your headers into consideration as well. Headers that fit tight to the block may not like a wider pan like the Milodon.
I've also see a couple of issues with interference to an A-body K-member with a Milodon pan. The K-member had to be notched for the pan to fit.
I'm going with a Kevko pan when the time comes to put the new engine in my '69 Dart.
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Thats the beauty of the Milodon pan i've yet to see a set of headers that did'nt clear it,as far as the k-frame no big deal you just cut a small notch out of it..and the Milodon holds 7 quarts the Kevko i believe holds only 6...
 
stroked 340 said:
Thats the beauty of the Milodon pan i've yet to see a set of headers that did'nt clear it,as far as the k-frame no big deal you just cut a small notch out of it..and the Milodon holds 7 quarts the Kevko i believe holds only 6...
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The two milodon's I've seen for the small block are the 8 qt and the 7 qt lo profile. The 7 qt lo-profile has a raised floor, so no windage trays, they won't fit. It also lists for $325 on Milodon's site, which is almost twice what the Kevko runs at $170. And then you have to cut it up? No thanks. The 8 qt pan has a really deep sump, just about guaranteed to be the lowest point on the car, not the best plan for a lowered car. It still lists for $290. They're both notched for header clearance. Nice pans no doubt, but for they money they had better be really nice.

And I found that the Kevko pan would meet all my needs and then some. Still allows me to run my windage tray, provides for better oil control and capacity, and retains some measure of ground clearance for my aggressive street handling set up.

That is what that second plug is for? Thanks for the tip.
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Yup, that's what its for! :-D Glad I could help!

The drain plug being in the front on the side is a little problematic, but its not a big deal. I'll have to look at it, I may just move it before I install the pan, but they may have put it there for a reason too.:-k
 
72bluNblu said:
The two milodon's I've seen for the small block are the 8 qt and the 7 qt lo profile. The 7 qt lo-profile has a raised floor, so no windage trays, they won't fit. It also lists for $325 on Milodon's site, which is almost twice what the Kevko runs at $170. And then you have to cut it up?
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The 7 qt. Milodon pan sells for $236.00..and WILL work with a windage tray i know this because..thats what i'm running on my 416,with NO issues whatsoever....
 
The drain plug is behind the baffle so any "stuff" in the other area of the pan will never come out. Also the drive train is tilted back slightly so you have to jack up the back of the car to get all the oil out which is a pain.
 
I'm old fashioned. I run the factory pan and a windage tray or the Milodon stocl replacement.
 
The Kevko pan fit with my Super Comp headers.

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I thought the whole point of the extra capacity sump was to run the stock amount of oil and have a bigger air gap between the oil level and the crank to cut down on windage.

I had presumed also that the second drain plug was so that you could run the minimum amount of oil when you really wanted the most ET. The trapdoors then being for keeping the pickup covered when you get on the brakes at the top end of the track.

Maybe its just me.....
 
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