Oil Pan Clearance

All,
In dropping in the engine this weekend I got to see our ground clearance for the first time. Our car is sitting very close to ride height numbers that have been posted on this site in terms of frame to ground clearance. At this level, I have 3" from oil pan to ground. This doesn't seem like nearly enough, but I am curious to know what the rest of you have for ground clearance?

I may have a shot at swapping out the oil pan now before I fill it...

http://www.uniquecobra.com/uploaded/...ee/OilPan1.JPG

Brian Carlson

Unique 9122 - 289 FIA Cobra - The Legendary "Spence" Car

That's about where my Canton sits (+/- 1/4"). I was very concerned when I first saw it, but after a year on the road with no problems I'm comfortable with it.

Phil

427 Roadster, #4279436
Southern Automotive FE
3:31 and Toploader

Roseville (N.Cal)

I have about 3.5" (maybe a little more) with the Canton on a good day. From your picture, the Avaid looks lower. I'm just very careful.

Clay

'98 Unique #9299, 427FE side oiler (452.1-stroker), top-loader (close), 3.31 rear

Annapolis, MD

Brian,
Take the pan off and weld a skin of at least 1/8" thick metal on it. I had a 63 1/2 Galaxie with a deep sump pan and I lowered the car at one time 2" for the low rider effect. Pan was a home made job but the guy who made it put a extra layer of metal on the bottom. I bottomed out one time under hard exceleration and the extra layer of metal saved me from being stranded 80 miles from home. I would rather have the extra oil than a smaller pan. Just my two cents.
Tony

Unique 427 #4279480 427s/o Nascar toploader 3.31 Jag IRS

I know what you mean Brian. I have 2-5/8" clearance and even had trouble putting the chasis on the trailer because it would hang on the bellhousing going up the ramps. When I get my chasis back from the Weavers I'm going to trim the bellhousing and squeeze a little more clearance out of it. I think I can get 3-1/2" by trimming the bellhousing even with the Canton oilpan.

Unique 4279459

The specs on the Aviaid pan are identical to the Canton (9.5" from rail to skid plate) and believe it or not, the pan is only 1.5" deeper than a stock piece. Perhaps because this transmission sits so high and I don't have the bellhousing to contend with that you guys do it looks worse than it is.

The Aviaid pan is already 'armored' with a skid plate that is set 1/8" off the bottom of the pan for accidental bumps.

It just looked soooo low compared to where the engine was before that I was a bit concerned... I'll conclude that the fit is fine and that undivided attention to road undulations and speed bumps is the solution!

Brian Carlson

Unique 9122 - 289 FIA Cobra - The Legendary "Spence" Car

CJ...you're right about the bellhousing, which must be trimmed if you are to match the oil pan clearance. My Lakewood is also 3.5.

Clay

'98 Unique #9299, 427FE side oiler (452.1-stroker), top-loader (close), 3.31 rear

Annapolis, MD

Brian,
Ride height will be hard to establish with the body off. The reason is the fender to top of the tire well will have to be established.
I have about 3 3/4" - 4.0" now, it use to be about 3 1/4" - 3 1/2", oil pan clearance to ground.
I found that most Unique cars are too low for the shock package, compression, rebound. Cars that are low have at the most 1" to 1 1/2" compression and 3 1/2" to 4" rebound. That's cool if your not thrashing it around a curvy road. The way our shocks are mounted we only have 4-5 inches of total travel. So to get 1 3/4" to 2" of compression you have to be higher. Look at the original cars , they didn't sit that low either. You need to be somewhere in the middle of the total travel of a shock, equal compression and rebound.
I have 8 inch, 325# spings on the rear and 8 inch 375# on the front withe the FE engine.
Just remember all your life you have centered all road obstacles in the middle when you approach them in a car. Now that is the worst thing you can do[B)].
Possum skin and hair will be flyin!!!:D:D

Rick
#4279405

Can you exhange it or return it? Comparing it to the height of your bell housing I would say you are in trouble. I tore one open, so I know.

Get their rail type pan. My bellhousing is now lower than my pan. Mine is from armondo's but if you slap a Aviaid sticker on it no one would know the difference. Go look at your pan versus bellhousing height and think about my pan being above the height of the bellhousing! According to Aviaid the original cobra 427 pan (they should know, they made them) was 6" deep in the front and 4.5" in the rear.......... and that is the wet sump pan. I think the rail pan is 6.5 to 7.5"

Rick

Brian, I just measured a Canton pan, from the engine block to the bottom of the pan is 8". It is easy to see the difference in your picture. Our FIA car has 4 3/4" at the pan and the body sits over the tires a little.

Alan

Brian,
Measure from the bottom of the frame rail to the ground. On my car I run about 6 inches in front and about 6 1/4 in the rear (main frame rail behind the front wheels and in front of the rear wheels). With that frame height I have about 3 1/2 to the bottom of the bell housing which is my lowest point.
It is the frame height that you set to make the body look right with your tires/wheels and that is what makes your ground clearance.
If your frame rails are at 5 inches now you may not be at the ride height you will be when the body is on and it is adjusted to "look right".
Your pan clearance is in relation to the frame height.
Keith

Keith,
I may have forgotten to mention, but we did determine that our frame is really close to ride height based on the frame to ground measurements. There have been many threads here with numbers between 6" and 6 3/4" from frame to ground, and we calculated that we were in the ballpark based on that. If anything we are a tad high, which would make this oil pan problem even worse. I think I'm going to see if there is any hope for swapping out before we fire the motor.

Brian Carlson

Unique 9122 - 289 FIA Cobra - The Legendary "Spence" Car

Yankee
I'm running a regular 5.0 litre ford with a regular oil pan.
The pan is exactly 8 inches deep and I have approx. 3 inches
ground clearance.
Mike

Mike Geddes

Thanks to my friends at Cobra Automotive (Wallingford, MA - Great guys!) I am going to be able to swap the oil pan for one with 2" more clearance. It will come off this weekend and head out Monday!

I appreciate all of help and advice!

Brian Carlson

Unique 9122 - 289 FIA Cobra - The Legendary "Spence" Car

Guys, remember people and places like that and try to do business with them. They are getting few and far between.



Brent
427 SC Chassis #4279401
Candy Apple Red/White
402 FE/Toploader/3.54

Do they have a web site?

When I (actually my wife did it) ripped open my old pan, Armondo dropped what he was doing and welded me up a new pan and had it to me in time for the Fling. Two and a half weeks before the Fling, I live in Columbus and my car was parked until I got that pan. I was freaking.
Rick

Brent,
Great advice and thanks for the reminder. I figured I was completely screwed on this deal and called to see if they would be willing to help mitigate my expense by giving me some sort of credit for the old (current) pan. 5 minutes later the phone rang and the deal was done and my only cost is shipping one way. I can't say enough about how helpful they have been.

Their site...
http://www.cobraautomotive.com


Brian Carlson

Unique 9122 - 289 FIA Cobra - The Legendary "Spence" Car

My canton pan has 3.5 inches

I've got 2 7/8" above the hard deck with an aluminum Cobra T Pan. Having the classic double cork pan gasket sandwich sealing an FE windage tray doesn't help the situation.

My luck is holding as I haven't pancaked the t-pan yet.

-Geary

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Aggressor

I've got 2 7/8" above the hard deck with an aluminum Cobra T Pan. Having the classic double cork pan gasket sandwich sealing an FE windage tray doesn't help the situation.

My luck is holding as I haven't pancaked the t-pan yet.

-Geary

---

I had that pan Geary. Loved the look not the clearance.
Went to the Avaid pan and I love it.

http://www.uniquecobra.com/gallery/f.../4/6/9/114.JPG

Thanks Tony for the photo. I'll have to swap out my T-Pan in the near future.

-Geary

I have the same pan as Tony but made by Armondo. Great pan. The front sump that was on it would loose pressure in hard manuvers, not these pans!

Your welcome Geary. here is a side view. The pan is higher than the trimed Lakewood bellhousing. Don't mind the dirty frame it is clean now.:cool:
Hi Rick!:D

http://www.uniquecobra.com/gallery/f.../4/6/9/116.JPG