What oil pan do you use on 460 etc ?

[cobrashoch]

Frank- Stefs make a dog gone- good pan, and they are close to you to I see. Just be sure of what you order, because darned if they will give you what you ordered and sometimes thats not what you wanted after all. Been there, done that.
They don't have the flashey good looks the other camps have, nor the name recognizion, except with serious engine people. Maybe you can sell the Canton for enough to help reclaim some of the loss?
Your engine will also make more power with a scapper design pan too!
I would also order extra bungs (plugs) , one high and maybe one low for future use to. You may want a return line for that future supercharger or maybe some oil control device.
cobrashock

[Frank Coppola]

Well I just got my new custom pan from Stef's. I know I should have taken a picture of it, but I was too damn excited to bolt it on! They made a custom pan which was on 7 1/4 inches below the rail (the same depth as my tranny) with kick out along the entire passenger side. They made cut outs to fit both my starter and motor mount. I got a steel pan, which feels bullet proof. It holds 9 quarts, has four trap doors and a center pick up. They also reinforced the front lower edge upon my request. I was afraid I might hit something and wanted some extra protection. John at Stef's was absolutley a pleasure to deal with and a total professional. The pan wasn't cheap. It cost $981 for everthing, the pan, pickup, shipping, tax. I have to say it was worth it. THE CANTON PAN WAS A JOKE!

On a side note, it hasn't rained in NJ for 6 weeks the same amount of time my car has been off the road. I got the pan yesterday. Today's forcast: 3" OF RAIN. Figures!

[Mr.Fixit]

I have always been happy with milodon pans on small blocks. They have trap door baffles, and the metal is thicker. They dont crack along the welded corners like I have seen canton pans do. I even put one on my BBC. Not sure if they make a 429/460 pan I don't have the catalog in front of me. I cannot spend more on a oil pan than I would on con rods, just can't justify a $900 oil pan on a motor that cost less than $10k. If it holds oil and gives room for the windage tray, job done.

[cobrashoch]

Frank - your testimony supports everything I believe to be true about this subject. Yes, Stefs is quite good. Not many folks on this forum know that or haven't even heard about them. Guys that build serious engine know them though for sure.
Also, I didn't know they made STEEL pans. Small world. My pan is aluminum and fairly stout, but it sounds that your pan may be a bit more stronger than mine for the street. Bet it looks good too!
Send the rain our way. My grass is brown and dying!
cobrashock

[Back in Black]

Stock 514 SVO pan

Accusump 3 qt size, with electric valving
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This should supply oil when The oil pump is starved, and at startup also, and increases the oil capacity by over 3 qts...job done

[webebob]

BiB

Good luck. I ran VIR with a 460 and stock pan and a solenoid controlled 3qt accusump two years ago.
Don't know if you have been to VIR or not. Going through the turn before the "hook" I watch the sump kick in. It is obvious. The pressure stops bouncing around and drops in a slow steady rate. Coming out of the turn I punched it. Still on the sump. As the revs hit 6,000 at 90mph in third, (engine producing 500hp) I watched the oil pressure needle hit zero. I never let up and the pressure returned quickly.
No damage, but next year I showed up with an updated oil system.

Good luck with your formula.

Bob

[Back in Black]

Is to use premium synthetic oils...it seems that synthetic just protects better, for cold starts and temporary loss of pressure...

I will be using Royal Purple multi vis street oil with a quart of the racing stuff thrown in too.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have not been to VIR. Maybe someday !

[cobrashoch]

BiB - Webebob has got it right. Stock pans and crate pans on 460 cobras just plain don't work. The crate pan is set up for drag racing and as such will only hold pressure for about 15 seconds or so in hard use/pump. As for using red line oils, doesn't everybody use synthetics? So what? Your still going to have problems with that approach if you hammer your car anything at all. PERIOD! It's just not worth it, as I wrote, it seems o so long ago. Even for those 6000$ crate motors, at least in my mind. Don't forget,it's not the 6000K, it's the down time for pulling the motor, the cost of the fix, and the reinstall expenses we are talking about.
Mrfixit - Milodon pans for 460's are drag pans. The 2 pans they offer for road racing are not very good for cobras. On 460's your pan selection for cobras is sparce. As for that high cost think of it this way. My pan is now on the third engine that I have put in my cobra. Both pevious engines I retired because of performance/design reasons. I haven't tore a engine up since the 70's much less for oil problems. The rods went with the 2 previous motors when I sold them. I kept the pan.
cobrashock

[Venom S]

Moroso oil pan. 7 qt. baffled.

From their wesite:

Kicked-out sump moves oil level away from rotating assembly, increases capacity to 7 quarts, and provides adequate ground clearance

Relocated rear sump improves oil control during hard acceleration

Pan includes uni-directional windage tray screen, crankshaft scraper, and three trap-door baffles to provide excellent oil control for Bracket Racing

Clears high-volume oil pumps

Use stock starter with 14-1/4" dia., 184-tooth flywheel

P/N 20614

Venom_S

[DaveR]

After you guys install your low profile oil pans on your 460, do you have bell housing ground clearance problems? How do you solve this problem? I've thought about raising the motor mounts, but I think I would have hood clearance problems

[Clois Harlan]

You will! The most you could gain is about 3/4" and then you would have problems with your airfilter. Selection goes way down. I tried to put in a spacer under my carb of about 1/2" and with the air cleaner on I couldn't close the hood. That was when I had a 302. It is even worse now.

Clois

[dakota]

I used the Moroso pan that Venom S has shown, and have been happy with it.
Wade

[cobrashoch]

VenumS - Moroso has a custom pan division too I think. That pan is a step or two in the right direction though. I would like to see a bit more capacity though and maybe a 4th trap door for hard braking, though a accusump would kick in there if you have it set up right.

Maybe Frank Coppola can post some pictures of his pan before he installes it, as mine is installed on my engine. The staggered 4 way trap door system that Stefs use is unique to them I believe.

DaveR - my pan sits about 1/2 to 3/4 inch higher than a stock pan. My auto trannys pan is the low spot on the underside now. On the upside of my car I have rased the hood scoop a bit but since I switched over to a supercharger its pressure box sits almost even with the top of the carb, so topside clearance is not a problem because I don't use a air cleaner there.
cobrashock

[427sharpe]

I use the same Moroso oil pan Venom attached a little earlier. It is baffled and has a built in windage tray. It clears my stud girdle w/ no problem. Never have any oiling problem. I run twin remote oil filters and an oil cooler, total capacity 11.5 quarts. I use RedLine Synthetic Racing Oil, 10W50.

[cobrashoch]

427sharp - Are you using the steel main girdle from Blue Thunder on that pan? If so I will file that in my memory bank, as I couldn't find a production pan that would fit under the Blue Thunder girdle on my engine. That's why I special ordered in the first place.
Also, a few years back I remember a guy that tried a Boss in a Cobra. His car made a few magizines and reportidly ran well in the articles. Don't know what ever happened to it though.
I used to play around with drag racing Chrysler hemis so I bought a mega block to use as a backup if my current project doesn't run like I hope it will. You see, I'm kinda new to Fords though I did own/race a couple of Panteras in the 70's.
Good luck with your new engine as it should run similar to the Chrysler efforts. And believe me, that's plenty good.
cobrashock

[427sharpe]

Ron, I bought my girdle from flatlander racing, but it is basically the same. 1/2 inch thick steel. The Moroso pan fit right over it as I recall. I also use the Mellings HV pump, which also fit.
As for the Boss, I am keeping my fingers crossed! The 535 has been great. Very lo maintenance and tons of power and torque. I came across the Boss thru a friend who was clearing out his shop and retiring. He had been on FoMoCo's payroll back in the day, and had this practically new Boss sitting, still in the OE crate! Walter and I have been friends a long time, and he made me an offer I could not refuse...less than he paid for the motor in the 70's! Once I had it, I sent it off to stroker school, and have sublet all the machine work, but will do the ass'y myself. It will take some creativity to get the monster in my EM, but i'll damn sure be unique! I just hope I can get it to perform as well as my 429SCJ based 535 has done! I hope to have the motor in by year end, and get whatever problems come up fixed by the time my driving season starts..March or so.

[cobrashoch]

427sharpe - Thanks for the info. My blue thunder girdle wouldn't fit under any pan I tried and I also had to notch the girdle a bit to put in a Mellings HV pump. I will look to Flatlander for a girdle on my next 385 build. (if ever)
Am I seeing this right? A OE stock block Boss 429 complete with o-rings and all? If so I believe you will have to go through that stock peice quite a bit to get it to the 10's in a cobra. What ever you do for crying out loud, DON'T touch the ports on either side of the heads! Big mistake, except for polishing, imho. Good luck !
cobrashock

[427sharpe]

Ron, that pic is actually a 'before' shot. It was totally disassembled, and sent off to Holman's to be stroked and bored and have some magic done on the heads. They will send back the pieces for me to assemble. As for the 10's, it sure better do that, because i'm getting there with my current 535 CID 429SCJ!

[rdorman]

The pan from armondo came complete and sounds identical to stefs pan. Armondo made Aviad pans for over ten years. Plus his pan for my cleveland was $389. Far cry from $900.

[cycleguy55]

Anybody using or have experience with Armando's #409 pan (Ford 460: front sump 10" L x 7.5" D x 12.5" W) or #415 (460 Ford Cobra Factory V)? Road race oil pan