What size oil pan should I upgrade to and what manufacturers should I look at. My application is on a 516" BBC turning 5400 - 5600rpm. Thanks

If I put another after market pan on it will probably be a Dooley. I tried a Gil and was not impressed with the fit or the baffling for the money. I am now using the 8qt or 7 qt stock chevy pan depending on who you talk to with stock windage tray. Hard to beat for the money. It is in a 525cu 1071 blower motor and no trouble to date. Ran the same set up on a 540 in a flat bottom and twisted it 6500rpm although not for as long as the 525 runs a 5000rpm. If your clearances are correct I don't think you really need that extra big pan but that is just me. I run a good oil cooler.

Most "True" builders will agree that adding more oil to the pan doesn't do much for the engine. You want to run oil hot enough to burn off condensation which may not happen with a larger pan. The stock pan capacity is well suited for stock and most modified engines. There are numerous posts about this subject, search the board and you'll get a nice education on the subject. There are really informed people out there giving good info.

I agree completely, use the stock marine oil pan, windage tray and oil pump.
Dennis Moore
FAMILY AND PERFORMANCE BOATING MAGAZINE

Hardin makes some really nice pans. Strong, good windage, and come with bolt on oil pump pick ups so you won't have them falling off.

It seems that people that add a bigger pan add more oil which to a point is good but the idea (at least from what I was told by several engine builders) is to keep the oil as far away from the crankshaft as possible. To keep down on windage. My pan probably holds 15 qts but I still only run 10-11 in it. My engine development friend has seen as much as a 30hp gain with a good oilpan.


I had Dan Olson custom make mine and even if it is overkill it still was cheaper than a Gil .
I don't have the phone number off hand but CP performance should be able to supply you with it, they deal with him allot.

I run a Dan Olson pan but Canton is OK too. I highly recommend some type of oil temperature thermostat to help keep the oil hot enough to avoid any condensation problems. Perhaps the most important factor is not to overfill your crankcase. It's far better to run a quart low than half a quart high, especially in a pan with an 8 quart or higher capacity. Oil control via a good baffling system is extremely important in a boat that can be tossed every which way in a good chop. Also look at your pan's windage tray and select one that has a gap between the left side of the tray and the pan to allow oil thrown off the crankshaft to return quickly to the bottom of the pan and not build up on top of the windage tray only to get mixed up with the crank again. Stay away from Milodon pans. They make better planters than oil pans.

I run a Stef's pan, 12 qt, usually a qt low. It has nice windage setup and baffling. I also run an oil thermostat. It all works pretty good so far. Havent made any long runs, still dialing the beast in. Oh yeah, 565", EFI motor.

I run a 10 QT Dooley and fill it 8.5 QTS. I don't run a theromstat, but I run hard enough each time out to get the temp in the pan to 212 at least for a short period and haven't seen condensation. I agree that running large cap. pans a Qt or so low will give a little HP and help keep the oil cool. 13:1 compression full roller valvetrain 496.

Wette Vette

What kind of fuel are you using to avoid an internal nuclear reaction at 13:1 compression?