LS1 V8 Miata oil pans - the good the bad and the ugly
 

I’m on a mission to find the best (read that cheapest) pan for an LS1 conversion. The price of the V8R pan is really hard to justify but thanks to natepartlan and google I know these pans exist:

http://www.mastmotorsports.com/2010/..._pan_views.pdf
Mast Motorsports LS Conversion Cast Oil Pan [401-111] (free shipping here)

Holley Performance Products GM LS Retro-fit Oil Pan - 1955-87 GM/Muscle Car/Classic Car/Trucks-302-1

Autokraft.org- |- Autokraft Race Cars and Restorations- |- Eau Claire, WI

V8R steel pan (what I am running)
http://www.v8roadsters.com/remote-filter-cooler/

V8R aluminum pan
http://www.v8roadsters.com/screw-on-filter-1/

Update 1/2015. Flyin Miata is no longer selling the V8R steel and Aluminum pan they are using the Moroso pan now.
https://www.flyinmiata.com/flyin-miata-v8-oil-pan.html

Update 3/2015. As of early 2014 Holley has a new pan out that that is quite a bit shallower than the 302-1 listed above ^. The new pan is 302-2. https://www.holley.com/products/acce...ns/parts/302-2

Update 6/2015. This has got to be the deal of the century on oil pans!
http://store.speedmaster79.com/c-193...rm=LS1 oil pan

I've been chatting with a few folks on LS pans and lots of facts and opinions on what will and will not work.

On the Mast pan:
Jeremy at Flyin Miata told me they tried the Mast pan and it would not fit however Vettedrmr said he using one successfully with a V8R frame but no photos of it. Martin of Monster Miata says he has built a few LS cars using the Mast pan with his subframe.

On the Holly pan:
V8R said wouldn't work. The 1.71 depth in the front needs to be closer to 0.75. Jeremy at FM says no way will the Holley pan either it's huge.

On the Autocraft pan:
Jeremy at FM said they had not tried the Autocraft pan. I talked to Keith at autocraft and sent him a truck load of photos and specs. He feels it would work but is concerned about the front depth. He thinks his might be about a 1/4 deeper where the steering rack is. He said he would let me return the pan if as long as I don't put oil in it.

On the Kevko steel F body pan is the same depth at the front as the V8R pan: http://www.kevko.net/wetsump_chevy.htm
But the oil lines point straight to the headers so you decide...
https://www.v8miata.net/attachment.p...ine=1434636436
https://www.v8miata.net/attachment.p...ine=1434636436

Jim, I don't have a lot of photos, but did save some. Hope they help. -Ray

New F-Body oil pan
https://www.v8miata.net/attachment.p...ine=1362674024

Here's some shots of where I cut out the pan (sorry, no measurements)
https://www.v8miata.net/attachment.p...ine=1362674024

https://www.v8miata.net/attachment.p...ine=1362674024

Its important to note the leading edge of the front cut has the indentation for the connecting rod.
http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/...ps55abae98.jpg

Since the oil pan is an integral structural member of the engine; welding on it tends to distort it (not good). I ended up bolting the pan to a piece of 3/4" flat stock steel and taking it to a local welding shop specializing in tig/aluminum welding. They welded two pieces of 3/16" aluminum. When the pan was unbolted from the steel plate it was good to go (lucked out... didn't get distorted). Also had to tweak the pick up tube, so it wouldn't hit the bottom of the pan. Keep in mind these photos are without the pan gasket in place. Good luck, let me know if you any questions.

one more pic
https://www.v8miata.net/attachment.p...ine=1362674024

At 525 for a V8R steel pan, is it worth cutting up a 250 dollar pan that you can never be positive won't leak after spending 100 to have it welded and several hours in fab time?

Yeah I'm with you on that for sure. A couple hundred difference would not at all be worth the gamble. The problem with the $525 V8R pan is after it's shipped and you buy the remote oil filter kit you are in the $650 range and that is just nuts for a pan IMO. Even $425 for the Autokraft is really hard to get my brain around.

I have a good 02 F body pan that would be worth about $100 on LS1tech so that brings all the numbers down. So if I went F body mod I would be about 200 after welding. (Good welding is cheap and everywhere where I am at) Still the thought of pulling the engine to fix a leak is not high on my list of happy days...

I really don't know what to do on this but seeing Rays photos above really puts a positive light welding and F body pan. I'm going to have ask him a bit more about how he did that.

I sold my F-body pan for 200 IIRC. After adding it, cutting and welding, and the improved racing baffle, it was only 50 more for the V8R pan. You can also get a Mr. Gasket remote filter kit for 30 from Jegs.

Here's a thought: Move the motor back enough so you can use the stock F-body pan. Obviously this requires mods to the firewall, but you already have to modify the firewall/tunnel. This also gives more clearance at the front for the sway bar and the fans, and slightly more clearance at the steering shaft for headers. And improved weight distribution.

If you already have the V8R subframe, I think you could accomplish the move with different motor mount plates. And bodywork skills.

Mike

Sadly, its as far back as we can get without cutting putting it under the bulkhead.

I found the perfect solution!!

LS V8R Steel Oil Pan (with revised pickup and pan bolts) $515
Torques Billet Aluminum remote oil filter, multi-position $69
Wix oil filter $7.95
10ft -10AN push-lock hose high pressure, black, flame resistant $24
1 90 degree -10 AN push lock fitting $17
3 straight -10 An push lock fittings $27

All the above never installed won on ebay for $363 shipped. :sold:

LS Racing Oil Pan Trap Doors Kevko LS V8R 7qt Miata V8 Roadsters Drift V8 Swap | eBay

Today was a very good day in my build!

Great find! Never would have thought that a new V8R Miata oil pan would pop up on eBay any time soon. Good for you. So..., where do you think you'll mount that remote filter?! This is going to be nice change of pace... I think every swap I've seen (on the internet) have had the alum pan with normal filter location.

Oh yeah craigs list and ebay are my staples!

The Flyin Miata targa build they used this pan and put it in the drivers fender well on the frame rail right behind the bumper. That is probably about as good of place as any but till I get the engine in I have no idea. The good news is with this pan situation buttoned up I can now order my V8R engine kit. It's wonderful to get that settled!!

Nice pick up....good for you!
For those still looking for info... stock F-body pan and pick up work with the Boss Frog kit, no mods!

Dimensions?
 

Can you take some quick measurements of the v8r kevko pan for us? I am still curious if that autokraft pan would work or not??

Thanks,

You bet, I'd be glad to! You've been on the forum for 4 years and only one post? I'm honored!
https://www.v8miata.net/attachment.p...ine=1441401073

Jim, Pure Class and great info.

Thank you.
 

Jim,

Based on what you were able to measure and from what we've seen on here and m.net, do you think the mast or autokraft pans will fit?

It looks like there is quite a bit of clearance between your rack and your pan.

vettedrvr on m.net has said that the mast pan will fit, and he also gave one decent picture. I am looking for other options as I do not want a remote filter, and I also do not want to pay $800 for an oil pan.

I've been planning this swap for three or so years, and I joined in 09 when this forum first opened as an offshoot of miataturbo.net.

Just now gathering parts... Oil pan is next on the list.

Thanks for the quick reply and pictures.

You're welcome. Always good to have another V8 Miata in the world! As you can see from this thread the $850 oil pan was a major show stopper for me too and I struggled with it for months.

The photos might be a bit deceiving. There is just enough room from the pan to the rack for the engine to sake on the mounts and that's about it. Look closer at the 2nd to the last photo and there is only about 1/8th of an inch there. Any thicker gasket on the pan and I would be in trouble!

Jeremy at Flyin Miata told me they tried the Mast pan and it would not fit so it is interesting to hear a report that it will. Autocraft said biased on the specs of the V8R pan they thought it would work. Jeremy at FM said they had not tried the Autocraft pan but thought it might work. He said to let him know if I tried it because they need a new supplier and a new pan.

Autocraft said they would let me return the pan as long as I did not put oil in it but they would not wave the restock fee even though I told them if it worked they would see a bump in sales on the pan. I didn't really want to roll the dice on it since there are pans I know will work. So with the Autocraft, Mast and Holly pan ruled out that left Kevko or cutting a stock pan.

In my situation price trumped the remote filter issue so my plan (before I found the ebay deal) was to go with the Kevko F pan because I knew it would work. When I talked to them they said they can't sell me the V8R pan but have another in the catalog that should work. I laughted and said should work or will work?? She said well they are about the same size but I can't tell you that... Looking at the specs their part number LSF 5” pan is nearly identical to what I am running and at $300 I felt was a viable solution. Granted you need a pick up and filter holder for another 105ish but still the cheapest solution out there. Last but not least they are made about 75 miles from me so I am a little biased toward Kevko…

So guess the long winded answer to your question is no...

Jim,
So by looking at the pictures, the front of your V8R specific Kevko pan above the steering rack measures 1 3/8" from the bottom of the pan to the mounting rail? Is this correct?

If so, buying another steel pan and cutting the front down still may be a cheaper option at this point.

Thanks again,

I think that is about right and it tapers down some at the front. I didn't actually pay any attention to what the tape said I just took the photos... ;-) I can double check things, measure specific areas or take more shots of you need them.

came across this, might help someone

[NA] 2007 73k L92 Escalade engine; tear into it or no? - MX-5 Miata Forum

My V8R aluminum pan that's just recently arrived.

https://www.v8miata.net/attachment.p...ine=1372298593

Made my measurements going from front to back to help give you a sense of overall depth from bottom edge of block to bottom edge of pan. Keep in mind that there is a GM oil pan gasket in between the two.

Using the oil pan bolt hole locations down the side of the block, here's what I have. I'll also give a reference point from this very front RH tab on the front corner of the block seen in the photo below with the green "pointer".
* at 1st bolt hole: 1-1/2"
* at 2nd bolt hole OR 5-1/2" from front reference point: 1-5/8"
* at 3rd bolt hole OR 9-3/4" from front reference point: 5"
** sump begins at 8-7/8" from front reference point.

https://www.v8miata.net/attachment.p...ine=1372298593

https://www.v8miata.net/attachment.p...ine=1372298593

Overall, I'm very pleased with the pan. It's a shame it won't be seen so much when it's hidden under the Miata...

I attempted to cut and weld my F body pan and it ended up warping about 1/4" over the whole length. I clamped it to a plate a annealed it at around 700 F but it didn't stay flat even after a few hours at temp. I then tried the same but with preload in the opposite direction of the bend and it cracked at the edge of the HAZ from welding.

Disappointed, I bought a kevko pan from V8R and was disappointed by the quality of the pan. It has about 1/8" of warp on one corner of the flange (but its steel so I just fixed it) and the pickup tube hit the pan because the weld bead was too big. Also the pan was full of metal shavings.

Pics later if anyone wants to see

Wow sorry to hear about your experience. You should for sure let your vendor know. Kevko pans are made about 40 miles form me in a small town in Minnesota and it is a mighty fine bunch of folks that build them.

I have to tell you I never even thought about checking my Kevko steel pan to see if it was straight. I hung it on the engine and didn't notice any gaps, but I did it with the engine right side up and didn't really look either. It was clean inside and the pick up tube was in the perfect location about 3/8" from the bottom. So far I have about 600 miles on it with one autox and no problems at all.

Sure I would love to see photos and a build thread on your car.

Update 12,000 miles on the pan and swap and no issues or leaks at all with the Kevko steel pan.
http://i58.tinypic.com/xkxflu.jpg

Am confused about what is discussed here. It is not difficult to build a K-frame that allows the use of a stock F-body pan...& without any firewall mods.

SAY WHAT?? That I would REALLY like to see! Can you show us how you went about that?

Me too. And without moving the steering rack from the stock position.

Mike

Well, in a way he is right. The BF subframe does allow the F body pan and no TRANS TUNNEL mods, the firewall wings still need to be trimmed. Other than a little dimpling to be sure there would be no knocking from the bell housing bolts the firewall is untouched. Could you duplicate the BF design? Sure. Myself, I would rather buy one of theirs as my welding isn't up to structural standards.

Finished my build in 03 before swap kits. I laid out & built a K-frame that
used a stock F-body pan. Don't know how any swap kit K-frame is laid out other than to find in this thread that they require oil pan & firewall mods. So, am not sure how to answer.

Congrats... any pics of the build so the rest of us can pick up some pointers?

Let's find out. The center of my steering rack is 3/8" above the center of the lower control arm pivot & 4" forward (toward radiator) of the outer face of the forward lower control arm pivot hub. What are these dimensions on a stock NB K-frame?

Looked @ the pics posted earlier in this thread & it looks like the related dimensions of the K-frame in those pics is approx 3/8" above center (same as mine) & approx 2.5"-2.75" (1.25"-1.5") less than mine. Close enough to be considered similar steering rack location (mine appears to position the engine further back, toward firewall). So, if this represents the stock NB location, can say that mine is designed w/ no fire wall mods & stock location. There are other dimensions that would confirm this. Have a$$umed that each design positions the wheel/tire relatively centrally in the wheel well.


These are the pics referenced.

Did anyone actually try the kevko pan over the V8R pan? They have an option on all there pans to do various degree fittings, including straight forward (option #10). I am going to give this a try, and the guy is pretty close to me as well, which is nice. Should be interesting to find out.

Cheers
Nick

Also curious if anyone has updates. I'm thinking about going to Kevko for a custom pan.

Holley 302-2 LS Conversion pan
 

I noticed that some have said that the Holley pan will not work, and I am assuming that the pan tested at FM was the 302-1 which is over 2" deep at the front. How about the 302-2? The dimensions at the front of the pan seem to allow clearance, not sure about the depth near the second bolt hole. That might be the killer. Any opinions?

https://rspimages.holley.com/302-2Di...583&height=583

Great find Chris! That pan did not exist when I did my search and started this thread in 2013. It looks like it hit the market in early 2014 with the goal of more clearance. Anyone have any input?

I made my own subframe, moved the motor back as far as possible and used my stock z28 oil pan. I had to move the steering rack forward a little bit for it to work. I also moved the sway bar. Mine is an automatic and the car seems to handle just fine. While I was moving the steering rack, I moved it to the drivers side about a half inch so the steering shaft would clear the shorty headers. That required me to shorten the drivers side tie rod end and lengthen the passenger side one to get back equal turning on each side.

Disclosure: I don't know anything about the LS oil pans except they sure seem expensive.

I've attached a picture of an ad I received via email from Speedmaster that shows a special on a fabricated LS oil pan for $180. It looks like it is aluminum, looks pretty shallow on the forward end, and bears quite a bit of resemblance to those fancy, high dollar specialty pans. Makes me wonder if it could be modified to create an economical alternative?

Website for this place is Speedmaster and phone is 909-605-1123. No affiliation with these folks; I've just bought a couple items from them in the past so I get their emails.

If that works, it would be a lot easier than moving the rack and the stabilizer bar. Let us know if it fits. I will probably be doing a build with my son in the future. It would be worth $180.

Wow lots of options there and by far the best deal on a pan I have seen.

http://store.speedmaster79.com/c-193...rm=LS1 oil pan

I called Speedmaster to get some more information about this pan. I asked who actually builds the pan. The response was that they do, so I asked for more pictures of the baffles and dimensions of the front portion of the pan. The rep was kind, but said that there was no additional information available and he did not offer to send any additional pics. Huh.

No provisions for a dipstick? What's up with that?

I guess we won't know if this is an option until someone tries it. I may just order one up to check it out since my motor is on a stand. I could probably craigslist it if it doesn't fit right.

Chris as I recall the dipstick is not impacted by the pan at all.

Pretty weird that they don't have any measurements on them especially if they are really making the pan. Surely there is some engineering drawings or info somewhere on them. Did you ask what their return policy is on them?

Crap. I am elbows deep in a German engine right now. I guess the kraut got to me.

I thought the lack of info was strange also. I didn't ask about a return policy, but I will verify when I place the order.

After seeing Shandelle's post on Miata.net, I ordered a Holley 302-2. I will post fitment pics next week hopefully.

How about them pics crispy? I am at the point where I need to order a pan in the next week or so.

Z-

I replied to your PM. The pan made it from my doorstep to the garage and then I left town for a week. It is still in it's box. I will update soon hopefully.

The speedmaster pans look very similar to moroso 20140 pans, which I am unsure why no one has tried either.

Moroso 20140, Moroso Street/Strip Oil Pans | Moroso

https://www.v8miata.net/attachment.p...ine=1436277154
https://www.v8miata.net/attachment.p...ine=1436277154

With that Moroso pan installed you could knock 0.2 second off your bragging claims for 1/4 mile performance!

All kidding aside, everything I have ever purchased from Moroso has been really nice quality.

I called speedmaster today, and the guy I talked to is going to have a pan pulled from stock and give me a call back, and him and I will go over the dimensions, so with any luck I can give you guys the dimensions of their pans by the end of the day.

The thin section of the pan is 1.75" from the back of the flange to the bottom of the pan, and 11" long.

Can anyone verify if this will work?

It basically has the same dimensions as the autokraft pan. Based on the pictures ive seen on the VR8 pan, it should work.

I'm going to go ahead and place an order.