Oil pan level on SBF

[Windsorpower]

207098

This is a stock photo of the oil pan I have on my 351...I chose it by researching forums and my engine builder had nothing bad to say about it. I'm trying to understand something, though. The angle of this picture allows the viewer to compare the height of the windage tray to the height of the kick-outs. To my eye, there is quite a bit of height distance from the top of the left kick-out to the windage tray. Using the recommended Champ 131 dipstick with this pan places the full oil level at the top of the left kick-out, far below the windage tray. It seems to me that the pan could accommodate much more than the 7 quarts required to reach the dipstick range, especially if one were to account for two quarts circulating while the engine is operating. Am I missing something here? Thx

[Wizbangdoodle]

I've been watching a lot (maybe too much) Engine Masters lately. They've done some testing with oil levels, windage trays and oil pans. You'd be surprised at some of the results. Look 'em up. Streaming on Prime.

[narly1]

Hardly scientific but all I did was ignore the amount of oil I put into my new pan and ensure that it was at the same height when full as my stock pan.
Compounding the issue was the use of a new flexible dipstick to replace the old one. They were NOT the same length, the flexible one had to be shortened to match the original one's length.

Earl

[Fman]

FWIW I have this same pan on my engine, it holds 8 quarts w/filter change. I ended up marking the full mark on the dipstick after filling and running the engine.

[Windsorpower]

FWIW I have this same pan on my engine, it holds 8 quarts w/filter change. I ended up marking the full mark on the dipstick after filling and running the engine.

Thank you for that info! And to the earlier post....that is an interesting video about the oil pan shootout/dyno test.

[rich grsc]

You never want the oil up at the windage tray

[CraigS]

Rich what would you say the gap windage tray to oil level should be? 1/2"?

[rich grsc]

Rich what would you say the gap windage tray to oil level should be? 1/2"?
I would want that at a minimum. I have my oil level just below the top of the kick outs on the bung sides. I'll run a quart low before a quart too full.

[J R Jones]

Rich what would you say the gap windage tray to oil level should be? 1/2"?

Windage tray is an ambiguous term. Like the blade on the left side of the pan, the tray is intended to scrape the oil off the rotatinging crankshaft to allow the engine to spin free. This reduces drag and reduces oil foaming.
How close it is to the crankshaft is of more consequence than how close it is to the oil. The side pods too are just there to increase oil reserve.
Theoretically one could have a wide shallow puddle of oil (at lower height) than the OEM narrow deep reserve. Oil level however is not static, as when you read the level on the dip stick.
The oil circulates through the engine and dynamic "G" forces push the puddle in four directions. Therefore the running oil level is lower than the dip stick level. I would maintain OEM dip stick level.
One might acknowledge that big pans like this are for racing. Street driving is less RPM, less power and lower "G" loading. Big pans consume more oil and it runs cooler than the OEM volume.
200-230F is enough to evaporate water moisture from the oil.
jim