hey guys i know i need to change the oil pan to get the dip stick and block off the original dipstick whole on the drivers side, but what kind of oil pan should i get to go on the 350 and has a dip stick in it and fits in my 83 trans am?

 

what year is the 350? if the 350 is an 86 or before, youll be ok using the parts from your 305.

 

If you have a block with the driver's side dipstick, then NO 3rd gen pan will fit it.

Pans for 2nd gen Camaro, Chevelle, and Monte Carlo fit fine however. Ones for full-size cars, and trucks, may not; although at some point, they quit using different pans, and everything came with the "one size fits all" pan. The other vehicles' pan is taller in the front part, and that portion of the pan will sit on the K-member before the motor mounts line up. My little bro bought a car like that once.... a 69 Chevelle, that somebody had stuck a small block with a full-size car pan on it into, and the mounts missed by almost an inch; they welded them together.

The pan I have used in the past is the GM 360450 "Z28" pan, which requires (that means, "not optional") a widage tray. I use the Moroso Teflon-coated flat one with the louvers, and the GM main bolts with the tray stud made onto them (IIRC it takes 5 of those). Note that this pan holds 5 quarts of oil; with filter, that makes the system capacity 6 quarts. It fit my stock L69 (large) Y-pipe, and the Edelbrock TES Y-pipe as well, no problems.

 

well if its an 83 w/ an 83 305, how would that 305 differ from say, an 83 350? they put the dipsticks or different sides? that wouldnt make sense for them to redesign blocks to fit different vehicles. but then, im not one to know EVERYTHING...

 

An 83 350 would be the same as an 83 305, both with the dipstick on the passenger side. He has a pre-1980 block with the dipstick on the drivers side.

 

i thought 86 and before were all drivers side dipstick engines? so 80 to 86 are pass. side dipsticks w/ 2 pc. rear main seals?

 

Yes

 

damn i lucked out i went to pep boys and they had 1 oil pan for small block chevy 350 left with driver side dipe stick.... saved my *** cuz i want my bird up by saturday afternoon.

 

lol now i know a small peice of sbc history that i didnt know about.. im not particulary into the pre 87 blocks. the 1 peice rear main is the best thing they ever did. sorry for kinda hijackin the thread

 

lol plenty of web space for everyone haha. yea im learning so much i never worked on these cars befor but this forums pretty much tought me everything

 

'80-'85. '86 was one-piece rear main seal. Dipstick remained on the passenger side.

'55-'79 SBC, the dipstick was on the driver's side. All BBC were passenger side dipstick from the beginning.

Why anyone thinks the passenger side is better is beyond me.