LS oil pan advice needed

[weissmr]

I am looking for recomendation of an LS2 oil pan for my 57 two door hardtop. I am will be using the stock frame and steering linkage with S&P engine mounts.
I ordered an S&P oil pan and was very disappointed with the gasket surface machining and sent it back. I since looked at the Holley pan but cannot get a guarantee from Holley or CPP's customer service that they will work in the TriFive.
CPP has a Mast pan that they tell me they sold many for Trifive's without any issues. However, it appears that pan does not mate to the bellhousing with the two bolts like the factory pan, not sure if that is an issue or not.
Can anyone help me out?

[NickP]

Have you tried Street and Performance?

[markm]

I bought a GM Performance Parts pan from the dealer for a buddy of mine building a 55 with a 500 ps box with a 5.3. It fit well and was affordable

[chevynut]

The issue with many of these pans is that they are too deep and hang below the crossmember. It's not a problem unless your car is lowered. The GMPP pan is pretty cheap, but I understand it's also deep. A customer of mine went with a shallower Camaro pan on his C4 conversion but I don't think it works with the stock steering. I think that's why S&P notches them for that application.

[Rick_L]

Have you looked at the Holley pan? That seems to be the best choice for many. It will fit, at least with a stock crossmember and steering linkage.

[rockytopper R.I.P 5-13-2017]

Have you tried Street and Performance?
I thank that's what he means by S&P Nick

I thought S&P only mods factory pans, I was unaware they machined any gasket surfaces. My S&P pan is just a modded F-body.

I just installed a Holley pan on a ls2 in a 55 nomad. It will fit depending on how you place your engine. My engine is located with a 1-1/2 space between the firewall and heads. The steering link hits my pan with the factory steering stops about 1/2 inch from full turn lock. I'm planning to install stop pads to limit my turn radius to stop link from reaching the pan. I'm running 255 front tires so this also stops them from hitting the frame also. If you install the engine a little further back you wouldn't have this issue. We had to modify the windage tray to install Holley pickup no big deal. IMHO even the Holley pan could be a little shallower for my liking. In my case the bottom of the pan is about flush with bottom of crossmember maybe slightly above.
good luck
Rocky

[NickP]

I thank that's what he means by S&P Nick



Missed it I guess, Getting old sucks

[NickP]

I thank that's what he means by S&P Nick

I thought S&P only mods factory pans, I was unaware they machined any gasket surfaces. My S&P pan is just a modded F-body.

I just installed a Holley pan on a ls2 in a 55 nomad. It will fit depending on how you place your engine. My engine is located with a 1-1/2 space between the firewall and heads. The steering link hits my pan with the factory steering stops about 1/2 inch from full turn lock. I'm planning to install stop pads to limit my turn radius to stop link from reaching the pan. I'm running 255 front tires so this also stops them from hitting the frame also. If you install the engine a little further back you wouldn't have this issue. We had to modify the windage tray to install Holley pickup no big deal. IMHO even the Holley pan could be a little shallower for my liking. In my case the bottom of the pan is about flush with bottom of crossmember maybe slightly above.
good luck
Rocky

Missed it I guess, Getting old sucks

[chevynut]

Missed it I guess, Getting old sucks

Looks like Rick is getting old too... :) :)

"I since looked at the Holley pan but cannot get a guarantee from Holley or CPP's customer service that they will work in the TriFive. "

[markm]

The GMPP pan fit my buddies car, but I am sure there is more than one way to position engine mounts.

[Rick_L]

Looks like Rick is getting old too...

"I since looked at the Holley pan but cannot get a guarantee from Holley or CPP's customer service that they will work in the TriFive. "

I'm getting old, but I did get this right. There's lots of people using the Holley pan successfully, at least with certain circumstances - stock steering, which the OP said he has. And it doesn't hang low.

I suppose there are still circumstances where you could mount the engine in such a way that it doesn't work. The solution there would be to mount the engine in a way that it does work.

[chevynut]

IMO the Holley pan is ridiculously expensive at $375 compared to the GMPP pan. Take a look here:

http://www.stevesnovasite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=208618

[chevynut]

This is probably a better link but several years old:

http://ls1tech.com/forums/conversions-hybrids/817787-lsx-oil-pans.html

[markm]

IMO the Holley pan is ridiculously expensive at $375 compared to the GMPP pan. Take a look here:

http://www.stevesnovasite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=208618

My cost on GMPP pan was about $150 if I recall, additionally if I remember right its a Hummer pan.

[chevynut]

My cost on GMPP pan was about $150 if I recall, additionally if I remember right its a Hummer pan.

$145.95 free shipping

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Chevrolet-Performance-19212593-LS-Muscle-Car-Oil-Pan-Kit-For-LS-Engines-/391028678303?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item5b0b201e9f&vxp=mtr

[Rick_L]

GMPP pan will hit the ground on a lowered car. So buy it and mod it, or get the one that doesn't require a mod. S&P gets about the same as Holley for a modded F-body pan. The other custom pans cost about the same as the Holley pan. What's a guy to do?

[chevynut]

GMPP pan will hit the ground on a lowered car.

Are you sure about that?

The Holley pan is 5.89" deep. The GMPP pan is 6.75" deep according to Jegs. That's about a 7/8" difference. However, Summit says it's 8" deep...so who's right? Another source says Jegs is right.

http://www.jegs.com/i/Chevrolet-Performance/809/19212593/10002/-1
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/nal-19212593
http://www.crateenginedepot.com/LS-Series-Muscle-Car-Oil-Pan-Kit-19212593-P10829.aspx

The GMPP pan 19212593 looks like it's a 2010 Camaro pan according to the last link.

I don't see how Holley can have a shallower and shorter sump and still claim more capacity than some of the others.

It looks to me like the 2010 Camaro pan is closest to the Holley pan.

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k183/philntx/Misc/2010CamaroOilPan12622559.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k183/philntx/Misc/HLY-302-1.jpg

[chevynut]

Here's what looks like better dimensions for the Holley pan. The sump is actually 6" deep and 7.65" long if you believe this site. It looks to me like they got the Camaro pan wrong:

http://www.improvedracing.com/tech/holley-LS-retro-fit-oil-pan-dimensions.php



http://www.improvedracing.com/images/tech/302-1-dimensions.jpg

[rockytopper R.I.P 5-13-2017]

Here is a pic of my Holley pan installed. They fit I would not it any taller or any longer sump.

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk243/rockytoppers1/Mobile%20Uploads/image_19.jpg

[Rick_L]

Cnut I think your second set of info is the correct set. BO185 has posted some nice side view photos of both pans with dimensions at trifive.com if anyone cares to go there and search.

The "H3" GMPP pan definitely hangs too low for a lowered car.

[markm]

Question where did the fact that OP has a lowered car come from, I seriously doubt a GMPP pan hangs as low as my notched BBC Moroso pan. My stock height car has no issues with dragging parts.

[Rick_L]

It didn't. Thing is most guys that want an LS do lower their car. Have you ever seen a "gasser" with an LS engine? I haven't either. The other half of it is that he didn't say it was stock ride height.

The H3 pan will work at stock ride height, but it hangs way below the crossmember, so it's a hazard even if the risk is lower. And more of a hazard than a stock pan on a traditional engine on a car with stock ride height.

[weissmr]

Yeah, I meant Street and Performance for S&P.
I originally bought the pan S&P casts and machines in-house (at least that's what they told me). However the machinine was horrendous on the gasketed surfaces. They sent me another pan and all they did was take a DA sander to the gasket surfaces, I was not satisfied as the surfaces were no longer flat nor were all the deep machining marke gone.
I used S&P's mounts (which locate the engine pretty close to the firewall) and did a fitup with the S&P pan, it did fit really well but still wasn't about to take the risk for leaks.
So now I'm gun shy and no has been able to give me a good feeling on which pan will work best for my application. Sounds like the Holley pan might be the ticket if the engine is back far enough.
CPP did get back to me on the Mast LS (#401-111) pan they sell and told me there should be no issues for my combination and have sold many without a hitch.
My biggest concern is that the Mast pan does not include the two lower mounting holes for the bellhousing. They are telling me that is not a problem, but GM designed it that way for reason.

[Geoff]

I have had an S&P modified F-body pan and the Holley version. The S&P was a bit of a hack job.
It would have probably worked okay but was slightly warped from welding and ugly as
sin. The Holley has great workmanship and fit perfectly. I liked the Holley pan so much I ordered the optional road racing baffling system.
I can send you photos if you need them.

Idea: Order your Holley pan from Summit or Jegs and if it doesn't fit they will take it back, no problem.

[weissmr]

Hey Geoff, thanks for the info. I did place an order last week with CPP for the Holley pan, really glad to hear about the quality and fit up. Would love to see pic's if you got 'em.