ive got a 91 camaro with a pre 1980 sbc in it and i need to know a good oil pan to buy for drag racing and street driving...really clearance isnt a problem because of long tubes so i just want the best im sick of seeing oil pressure drop when i get on it any help would be appreciated thanks alot. and anyone selling either a good oil pan or a set of hooker 2210s or dougs headers let me know im a serious buyer my trip to the strip is waiting on these things

 

im thinking just a stock oil pan, you could get a higher volume pump, but the problem with that is alot of people tend to over do it and get something made for a full out drag car, and what happens is the oil pump out pumps whats in the pan.

 

A stock pan is fine. Check your oil pump pickup.

 

stock pan unless your planning on turning it much over 7k. run a standard volume pump with the higher pressure spring.

 

well ive got the melling hv55 pump i dont quite understand why people buy them if you dont need them. i think thats my problem im sucking out more oil then i have so do i just get an oil pan with a bigger oil capacity? id like to do it right if i change it just buy what i need the first time one with a crank scraper and stuff any ideas? and should i keep the high volume pump or no? and the standard pump with high pressure spring i dont know what your talking about can you explain it a little bit. ive never really messed with the oil pumps before. I shift at 6600 RPM

 

How do you know that's your problem?

 

well i never said i knew that was my problem i said i think that might be my problem because i can sit there and rev my car at 5 grand for a few seconds and the oil pressure will climb to 70lbs and then start falling then i can let it back down to idle and do it again and it will climb to 70 lbs again and fall a few seconds later

 

How far above the bottom of the pan is the pickup set?

 

it was about 1/4 in i bought a moroso pan and the pickup and oil pump came with it

 

have you tried a different gauge?

 

ya i did ive got my gauge hooked up in the front on top of the timing cover. i had my pickkup brazed on im wondering if the people they brazed it took the spring out i saw someone else talking about that on another thread...it just makes me nervous seeing this stuff happen it just makes you wanna replace everything and start over yknow...all this money into a motor and im having oil pressure issues wtf

 

If your pump can put out 70 psi then there's nothing wrong with the pressure spring in the pump. Falling oil pressure can be a number of things. Pressure is a fluids resistance to flow. Providing there's enough oil in the bottom of the pan for the pump, there's a couple of places you can lose pressure.

Crank bearing gap excessive, rod bearing gap excessive (will cause a knocking), loose cam bearings. I was fixing a SBC that had good oil pressure when cold but as soon as the engine heated up, idle pressure as less than 5 psi and reving up the engine barely made 30 psi. All the cam bearings had spun and it was causing a huge pressure loss with hot oil. I found it by dropping the pan then put shop air into the oil galleries at the filters. Way too much air was escaping around the cam bearings. When I pulled the cam, the bearings fell out. Just a suggestions.

What are you doing for internal oil control? You want to get the oil back into the pan as fast as possible.

Do you have lifter valley screens? This will slow oil return. Get rid of them.
Paint the lifter valley to allow the oil to return faster.

To keep the oil in the sump, an oil pump baffle keeps the oil from going back up the back of the engine during hard acceleration. A pan baffle keeps the oil that's in the sump from going to the front of the engine under hard deceleration. A windage tray keeps the crank from whipping around in the oil.

As mentioned above, you don't need the high volume oil pump. At high rpm, it can suck the pan dry. A regular stock pump with a high pressure spring is more than enough.

Your last option to maintain oil pressure is to install an accumulator. Even a small one will help. If you don't have the room, you don't need to install a 3 quart accumulator.

I have a deep sump pan. With the pan off, I filled it until the oil just reached the baffle then marked this level on the dipstick as full. No oil above the baffle means a windage tray is not required. The baffle is at the top of the sump. I use a 3 quart accumulator. If the accumulator is turned off, When I'm hard on the brakes as I cross the finish line, the oil warning light will come on. My warning light uses a 25 psi pressure switch. I want an early warning is the pressure gets too low. The accumulator is charged with 30 psi. If oil pressure drops below 30 psi, the pressure on the back of the piston in the accumulator will push the oil from the accumulator back into the oil galleries until the pump can suck up enough oil to start building pressure again. When oil pressure is above 30 psi, the accumulator gets refilled until the next time it's needed.

Ever since I wired the accumulator in so that the shut off solenoid opens as soon as the ignition is on, there's no chance of me forgetting to turn it on. My oil pressure light has never come on since I've done the rewire. I can also do a prelube prior to firing the engine up. Turn on the ignition and watch the oil pressure start to build on the gauge before cranking the engine over. It takes about 10-15 seconds to empty the accumulator but by then the oil pump is providing enough pressure.

 

To actually answer your question here is a good pan. I run it on my 85 and have the hookers so I know it fits well.
http://www.jegs.com/i/Moroso/710/21017/10002/-1