Windage Tray and Stock Oil Pan
 

I have a built '76 455 with a 3/4 windage tray.
It used to have a Milodon oil pan, but it was damaged and I switched to a stock pan I had. I ran it with this pan and the windage tray for a while with no perceived issue.

But, I just read in Ames catalog that after '73 pans had a built in windage tray.
Is this stock pan one of those? All I see is just the regular baffle.

They’re calling the baffle a windage tray apparently.

No actual windage tray was built into the oil pan, but the baffle is sorta like one I suppose.

By 1975 the windage tray was eliminated and just the baffled pan was used. However ‘73 and ‘74 used both the baffled pan and 3/4 windage tray.

That's what I was thinking...since I have never seen a stock type pan with a built-in windage tray.

When I had my motor built, I opted to save money in the pan area. I used one of the repro pans with some baffling. Probably modeled after the later pans like described. No windage tray.

I regret it. I never noticed until I got my gauges up in my line of site instead of under the dash, but if I have to brake hard my oil pressure will dip down into the low single digits before recovering. Yours might not be as bad since you have a windage tray.

Then I saw that Engine Masters episode where they made like 35 HP with oil control.

That’s on my to do list for the winter. Upgrade oil pans to something with a trap door and add either a scraper or a windage tray.

The baffled pan helped on hard left turns where the oil ran from the pickup screen. Should be better for the hard braking too? (compared to no baffle)

The windage tray is good for rotating crank windage.
I put a baffle on the rear of pan for launches where the oil would try to climb up into crank.

:)

I only caught the end of that Engine Masters episode.
I saw they gained significant HP in the upper RPM range, but I didn't see if it was due to switching to a Milodon oil pan or adding a windage tray and a Milodon pan.
It would be preferable to get another Milodon oil pan, but it will have to wait... exchange rate, customs duty, brokerage fee, taxes and shipping costs being what they are lately in Canada.

I was advised on this forum to use the wndage tray along with the baffled pan. I also used a crank scraper on my build.

The best way. (take care of 2 problems)


:)

Based on what I read here, I have a stock baffled pan with a full length windage tray. No scraper though. Hopefully that's not a mistake.

Yeah probably better, but I think my case shows it’s still not good. For braking I think you probably really need a trap door.

And then yeah the oil control measures as far as kickouts, scrapers, and windage trays are where you really can save on parasitic loss.

Either way I just wanted to provide a real world example on a Pontiac of what that stock type pan gets you. I have seen my OP dip down to like “2” for a few seconds on more than one occasion.

Trap door on the front?

Want to keep the oil in the sump when its trying to go forward out of it.
(the front is welded except for some small places)

:confused:

Johntal is correct, the metal piece in the sump of the oil pan is to keep the pickup covered in hard turns. My 72 TA oil pressure would go to 0 in hard turns, even long exit ramps sometimes, I always let off then.
In '73 Pontiac added the baffle and the problem was fixed. I used a later pan on my GTO which has handling improvements and I haven't seen the oil pressure go away.

When I built my SD in 78. I used stock 74 oil pan with tab brazed at rear of pan near bottom to help at launch.So oil wouldn't climb. I used stock full length tray. EnLarged holes in bottom. Then many smaller holes on one side to let oil flipping off crank get to pan. I thought cut out section then braze screen but thought that would weaken tray. Whst did I know? Just using 'logic'.

Pictures of a baffled pan with the H-O Racing trap door modification.

No oil starvation on hard righ turns like with a stock baffled pan.

The factory baffle is good for hard braking, cornering not so much.

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q...9.jpg~original

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q...0.jpg~original

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q...1.jpg~original

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q...2.jpg~original

I have an HO pan. Autocrossing and a HARD stop with road race slicks in a stop box at the end of some courses it would get the lifters to tick for a few seconds. I copied it on the one in the 81 TA

I could swear I had a BBC pan on another engine with a trap door that was near the front but maybe Im mis remembering. So I could have given some bad info there.

Morale of the story is I am dissatisfied with my current oil control system and need to upgrade. I was just trying to say that as somebody with a Pontiac build that has a factory type baffled pan and no other oil control, it doesnt seem good enough. Initially I thought maybe I was a quart low but have since tested that theory.

Also, like i said I never saw it when I had that same little gauge pod that everyone else does under the dash. When I installed the Terminator X I had the display put in line of site and have a yellow color indicator when the OP dips into the single digits. So if its happening to me its probably happening to others too and they just arent seeing it.

I also didnt install my pan, the builder did. So maybe I dont have what I think I do as far as baffling. Always a possibility.

I find it interesting that my 67 400 had a 6 quart spec. for oil with one in the filter. My 79 400 stated 5 quarts and one with the filter.. The pans are identical except for the rear gasket.

I could swear I had a BBC pan on another engine with a trap door that was near the front but maybe Im mis remembering. So I could have given some bad info there.

The Corvette pan does SBC at least. I used the SBC to copy the HO one.

Ken Crocie pointed it out to me that not only is the stock windage tray a windage tray, but also a semi-effective crank scraper. Take a look at the trailing edge of the tray and note the slanted tin that effectively cuts the trailing ropes off the counterweights and directs the oil back along the edge of the pan. Don't think I've seen an aftermarket windage tray that has the feature.

My son-in-law made the mistake of only going with a crank scraper and an aftermarket curved portion of the dipstick tube ended up aligned with the windage off one of the counterweights. Up towards the top of the RPM band the splashed oil was enough to dislodge the dipstick and toss oil on the headers. No blowby and the two valve cover baffles are totally dry. Engine is going to come back out to install a windage tray to go along with the scraper. I've used the crank scraper alone without problems, but it was always with an aftermarket pan with the dipstick tube built into the pan. Son-in-law just ended up with a very poor position of the bottom of the tube.

I run a stock pan, with baffling and trap door that I made and welded years ago. Tomahawk windage tray, slight grinding to releave sharp edges and clear ARP studs and a Crank scraper on my 470 in my 78TA