I am starting the assembly of my 5.7L vortec engine (4 bolt main) but ran across a question on the correct windage tray. I ordered and received an Engine Quest tray with standoff bolts. It has 5 standoff bolts so is intended to bolt at mains 2, 3 and 4 (2 at main 2, 2 at main 3 and 1 at main 4). However, when I have reviewed pictures of stock vortec engines on the internet for rebuilding the engine, it appears that all the pictures show a shorter windage tray with 3 standoff bolts (2 at main 3 and one at main 4). The one I received says it is for 5.0 and 5.7L 1996 so I assume it is correct.

Can anyone verify that the longer tray will fit ok using the 5 bolts? Also, will a stock oil pan (without baffle) work ok with this windage tray? I wonder if it will hit the bottom of the pan at the front.

Thanks.

 

As you have discovered there are 2 options. The longer tray is for the 5qt pan. The shorter tray is for the 4qt pan. They are not interchangable and need to be used with the corresponding oil pan. The 5qt pan does not have the baffling attached to the front section of the pan like the 4qt pan does. The longer tray makes up the difference.

 

They'll all fit the motor, as long as you put the right bolts/studs in the right places.

Question will be, will they will fit whatever oil pan you're using.

Depends on, stock, for WHAT. There's A SHIPLOAD of variation in "stock" oil pans.

At worst, you can mock up the tray onto the block, try to put the pan on, and make any necessary adjustments.

That said, there are several questions that need to be answered; after of course, telling us what oil pan you're using, and of course making sure it will fit in the chassis along with the exhaust and everything else that goes down around there. First is, why are you concerned about a windage try AT ALL? Second is, assuming there's an actual functional reason for you wanting one, what is it? that is, what are you trying to achieve with it? Third, what if it doesn't fit, or you can't use it for whatever reason?

 

Thanks for all the info. I am building up a used short block that had the standoff bolts (studs) but no windage tray so going with a stock build and understood they used a windage tray. I don't have an oil pan for it so I can get whatever is needed.

 

Then at this point it's impossible to tell you what windage tray you will need.

Come back when you have an oil pan that FOR SURE fits whatever chassis you're putting this motor into.

I can tell you for sure however, the stock windage trays are only minimally effective, and only at relatively low RPMs, since they're designed to deal with things that trucks might encounter, such as, a sudden one-side drop-off into a rut. NOT "racing" or "high performance" or anything of the kind. Which leads to the other 3 questions I posted up there. Once you have an oil pan, and the answer those 3 questions, your path forward will become much clearer.