Does anyone have any experience, yea or nay, with aluminum oil pans on Cobras? I'm having a time finding a pan for my build, mainly because of the four-bolt mains, and I'm considering one from Armando's in aluminum. I'm running 17" wheels so I'm a little leery of putting an aluminum pan that close to the road, but I'll await your collective wisdom before I buy. Thanks in advance.
Bill Stradtner
No experience with aluminum oil pans? How about opinions? This is a new, ground-up engine build and I don't want to make a $600 mistake. I'd like the weight savings but it's a street car so I'm not sure. Please chime in. Thanks.
Bill Stradtner
Not sure if this will help any as I run a non aluminum pan. Some of the racers around here run the aluminum ones in different varations, and after talking to them, they more or less recommended that I stay with the standard metal pan if I wasn't going to be racing a lot. It will stand up to any rocks or street speed bumps it may hit better than the aluminum one, or so they say. The metal pans will give and bend, where the aluminum ones will crack and break. Unless you need all the weight savings you can possibly get for racing, from what they have told me, you would probably be better off with the steel pan for street use. If you are going all out racing then the aluminum one would most likely be your best bet.
None of this is from personal experience, just talking to the all out racers and the ones like me that just go to the track once in a while for fun.
Have both steel and aluminium pan from Armando,forget aluminium,bit heavier than steel and lot of work with milling machine to fit properly on the block (aluminium welding distortion,misalignment bolt holes etc...),no problem with steel one fit perfectly!!
Bernie
Ron and Bernie;
Thanks a lot for your input. I haven't called Armando's yet but I'm going to take your advice and go with a steel pan. I called Canton and the pan and pick-up to fit the four-bolt-main block will run me around $600, whereas Armando can save me $100 on a pan that everyone says is just as good, if not better. Thanks again. Bill Stradtner
Bill,
I waited four months to get my pan from Armando and it would not clear the two end caps on the Dart block. We had to do some clearancing on the caps to make the pan fit. Perhaps now that the Dart block is more popular the oil pan manufacturs are building pans to clear the main caps.
I called Armando today and we agreed on a month, so we'll see. I know another guy with the Dart block who "adjusted" a regular pan to fit his mains, but that would seem to be a last resort to me. Bill Stradtner
I have one of Armando's pans. I picked it up personally. I'm very happy with the quality. Somethng to consider...I saw a polished Aviad and it looked incredible. I would have polished mine if I had the time and didn't install it already.
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I went with the Canton 8 Quart track pan and I have to say, it sits low.
I was thnking of setting my ride height up to help. It has about 4" of clearance. If it was aluminum, I am not sure it would survive a heavy round of street driving.
Just my $0.02
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