Third times a charm, right? We started with an LH8 oil pan (used on Hummer, etc) that fit great over the frame until I tried to fit the tie rods. The tie rods hit the pan pretty solidly, which would be a bad thing if you cranked the wheel and cracked open the oil pan. Think catastrophic engine failure. Thankfully, Mast Motorsports just came out with a case oil pan that addresses this problem. There were other cheaper options, but none have the oil filter mounted on the pan. My goal is to stay closer to stock, so I didn't like these options. Mast is pricey, but looked like it would work. The LH8 pan is in the back in the picture below, Mast at the bottom. They had to put reliefs in the oil pan to allow for the oil tube and the windage tray. It looks like every attempt was made to make the front of the pan as skinny as possible.
The LH8 pan is on the right below. The other point to notice is the rear of the pan isn't as deep on the Mast pan compared to the LH8. Why does this matter?
Well, compare the next two pictures. First is with the LH8 pan, second is with the Mast pan. See the LH8 pan sticking a couple inches below the crossmember? If you hit a speedbump or hole in the pavement, the first think you will hit is the oil pan. Cast aluminum doesn't bend when hit, so this could result in total loss of oil if it gets hit. The Mast pan solved this problem as well. I HATE buying parts twice, so learn from my mistake and buy the Mast pan first. I do have an LH8 pan for sale though...
Even with the Mast pan, we had to shim the motor mounts to get complete clearance with the tie rod ends and the oil pan. We used three skinny washers between the motor mount and the block to get clearance. We probably could have got away with one or two; with three there is a good 1/8" clearance between the oil pan and tie rod ends. I figure if anything settles or moves around the extra clearance is good insurance, so we left all three washers in place. Carquest built a high pressure power steering hose for me to connect the Camaro pump to the Jeep Grand Cherokee box. It's a simple part, but critical and looks like it was designed to fit. Maybe I'm easily amused, but there is a lot of satisfaction to get these custom parts to fit and look like they aren't custom. Next step for me is to mock the body on the frame, and finish the floor around the shifter. We're not done with the custom bits by a long shot, but if the steering shaft fits with the headers, we will be in very good shape with mounting the LS1.
Why the grand Cherokee box?
ReplyDeleteHi Ryan, the Jeep Grand Cherokee box is what was recommended on the Chevelles.com forum. I'll let you do the search, but here is a good quote from one of the posts:
Delete"Jeep Grand Cherokee Steering Boxes from 1993-1997 are a direct bolt in to GM A-Body cars- they have an almost identical turning radius as the stock box, feature 12.7:1 ratio- 3 Turns lock to lock, and have a .195 T-bar "
Other boxes that are a direct bolt in don't have the same turning radius as the Chevelle box, so the Grand Cherokee works well.
Hello, I have a 67 chevelle that I am working on, and have been reading your blog. Lots of good info thanks. I was curious where you got those temporary steel wheels you have the frame on? or did you custom make them? I'm in need of something like those until I get some wheels.
ReplyDelete