not to be mean, but i will say that i've seen a LOT of failed designs when it comes to oil pans. there's a LOT more to it than people seem to think, and almost all of the custom pans (ones not designed by good/big pan designers like Moroso etc.) end up with oil starvation issues under some maneuvers (or all high-G maneuvers perhaps), low max flow due to fitment of the pickup in the bottom and against any baffles, windage issues, or other such things. it looks to me like overall it takes care of most of the major oiling issues that would kill the engine during normal operation, although it looks like there isn't anywhere near enough baffling for the pickup. i'm not 100% sure that i'm qualified to make the call, but i would be concerned if you intend to race your car. once you've mounted the engine with this pan, you'll be stuck using it, or a VERY expensive one-off that fits similarly, which might suffer the same pitfalls anyways since it would have the same confining [frame] elements.
in any case, hopefully people who buy this stuff report back with stories of great fitment and zero oil control issues. i just have met a very large number of people who tried to make custom pans for extra capacity and/or fitment and ended up burning up engines. that's kind of expensive when you're talking about the Gen III Chevy.
Joe wrote:custom panel with autometer gauges. kinda see it here
oh, and Joe, WOW. nice race car. i can't believe you still have fully functioning accessories, but that's BALLIN right there all the same. looks like you spent almost as much time prepping your dash as i spent prepping my whole car. i just wish i had the time and money to devote to such a nice setup.
mirochuki13 wrote:okis14, do you have any measurements of how far the Sikky oil pan extends below the crossmember or how much ground clearance there is with your current ride height? I was seriously considering getting the Sikky kit for an S13 LS1 swap but am hesitant now seeing how low the oil pan is.
Also, does anyone know if the Hinson long-tube headers or Daft headers will clear everything when using the Sikky kit?
as long as the sikky is relatively low, it will be fine. it looks in the pic like it's probably the same height in the chassis as Hinson, and i know my Hinson headers fit with some clearance. the only question would be how far foward it sits. the farther forward you put the motor, the worse the clearance for the steering shaft through the driver's side header. being pretty much a race car w/ GTO pan, mine sits super far back, so the clearance there is nice. it would be an expensive test fit, though, when they're like $850. i'd wait until they come out with their own headers, then just get ~200' of wrap and a couple cans of the sealant, which works well. that will probably all but eliminate rusting except for exposed parts, as long as you wrap well and spray properly.
as far as how low the oil pan is, it doesn't look bad. i've had 3 different engines in my 240 and i've remounted my LS1 once already, planning on doing it again by fabricating my own tubular front subframe. unless you really dump it, you should be okay. just remember, it's an aluminum pan, so it will come apart easily if you hit something with it. and if you have any friends who can fab stuff, i'd remount the sway bar brackets lower so it sits at or below the pan, so it protects the pan. i think i moved mine 1.75" down or so, but i don't recall exactly. it was quite a ways.
