Just got the bottom end assembled on my 383.
When I tried rotate the eng with the oil pan installed, I ran into some clearance issues.
The pan is a stock pan from a 87 GTA. There's a baffle welded inside. I think the rods are hitting it. Can I remove the baffle without causing any problems?
It's got a crack in it, so it's going to need some attention anyway.
I'm also concerned there may be some debris under the baffle from the old pistons (that came out in pieces).

 

it's hitting the side near the rail not the baffel. put some dykem on the inside of the pan and rotate the crank to find the area where it rubs.

 

Thx Ede.
Good to know the baffle can stay.
What is the baffle for anyway?
Is it supposed to serve as a windage tray?

It doesn't look like oil can drain very well between the baffle and the sides of the oil pan. Actually, it looks like a majority of the oil would have to run along the baffle till it dropped off the back end and into the sump. This would keep the oil close to the crank instead of getting it away.

Maybe it's there to keep the oil from sloshing fwd under heavy braking???

What can one use to substitute for dykem?
Not sure where I can find that stuff around here.
All the machine shop supply stores are abt 40 miles away.

How abt smearing some red grease in the suspected area, then looking for grease x-fer to the counterweights?
Just trying to think of what I have handy that would work.

 

dykem is pretty common, any industrial supplier would have it. mc master-carr and granger would both sell it. the baffel is just to keep oil from sloshing around and getting into the crank.

 

You could try just turning the crank until it hits, and take it off and look....

I'd bet it's the rods hitting the pan right by the rail, probably the 3rd or 4th rod journal.

Yes the baffle is supposed to be a windage tray more or less (mostly less). You definitely want to leave it if possible.