Low ‘N Show: How to Choose and Install a Chrome Oil Pan for a Lowered Vehicle

The track T was driven as-is for a thousand miles before it was stripped down to the bare frame for a total restoration. During that thousand miles we determined the most important upgrade was to beef up the front suspension so the oil pan would cease smacking the pavement under certain conditions. During reconstructing the T there was no reason to disturb the original equipment oil pan as provided with the GM Performance Summit Racing part number NAL-10067353 small-block Chevrolet engine. There was a dent along with long deep scrapes filled with JB Weld, but there wasn’t a trace of an oil leak to be found.

Then one Saturday morning after the Donut Derelicts weekly meet in Huntington Beach, CA, we cruised into Ron’s tire shop in nearby Stanton, CA and hit the driveway just a little too hot. A loud thud permeated the air and we knew the oil pan took the brunt of the hit. Long-story-short: the oil pan fractured open along a sharp dent and oil began to seep.

The search was on for a new oil pan and with usage in the T selecting a sheet metal steel oil pan over a cast aluminum version was a no-brainer. A blunt impact can crack cast aluminum open like an egg. The beauty of shopping for parts online with Summit Racing is a thorough chart of specifications is included with each item. The first thing to learn in the specs was which oil pan was the shallowest. Because we were having to replace the oil pan, and with an upcoming feature shoot with Street Rodder on the horizon, we opted to add a little chrome to the picture.

How easy it's going to be to replace a small-block Chevy oil pan gasket successfully depends on which style gasket one uses. Our gasket of choice is always the Fel-Pro one-piece gasket.

The Fram Racing HP4 oil filter comes in a heavier gauge steel canister (resists an impact better) and offers higher GPH flow (gallons per hour) and finer filtration.

To ensure proper installation from the start, we like using a minimal amount of Permatex 82180 ultra black silicone to hold the Fel-Pro one-piece gasket in place. Make absolutely sure all holes in the gasket align with the bolt holes in the oil pan.

While we were replacing the oil pan, we decided to add a matching chrome alternator and starter. Always disconnect the Negative post on the battery before beginning any electrical work. And yes this battery can be installed upside down.

Removing the stock alternator begins with unplugging the two-lead white plug and unbolting the heavy gauge 12-volt lead that originates at the battery.

For trouble-free reassembly pay attention to spacer placement during disassembly.

Leave the top bolt fully-tightened and in place. Installing the new SUM-6167A chrome alternator is a simple matter of reversing the steps to disassembly. Check to ensure the V-belt is properly adjusted (not crooked).

Moving on to the oil pan, remove all of the pan bolts 1/20 and the four 5/16 coarse bolts, two at each end. The stock Chevy oil pan flange rails are not reused with the SUM-3500 Summit Racing chrome oil pan.

They’re usually stuck on pretty good. We used a soft-blow hammer to thump the oil pan loose without denting.

As soon as there was a tiny gap, we twisted a flat blade screwdriver to dislodge the oil pan from the engine.

The stock styled Chevy oil pan, with its rear sump 7 ½ -inch depth and shallow nose, works the best for lowered applications.

For that fully detailed show car look I used a SUM-G1570HS Summit Racing stainless steel oil pan bolt kit. I used ARP anti-seize on the threads and as an assembly lube for the Fel-Pro pan gasket.

We pressed the SUM-3500 Summit Racing chrome oil pan into place by hand to ensure a perfect fit. To make installing the pan bolts a one-man job, we used a floor jack to hold the SUM-3500 into place.

It’s a good practice to always smear a slight oil film on the oil filter gasket before installing. Some folks fill the oil filter with oil before installing.

The finishing touch to any show car is the SUM-G3860 Summit Racing chrome oil filter cover. Slip it over the Fram HP4 and snug down the setscrew.

We also installed a SUM-829100-C chrome high-torque starter per the directions. Make sure to shim the starter properly. You’ll know if it’s wrong because it will sound like a cat got in between the starter and the flywheel.

Chrome, chrome, and more chrome! Now the car is ready for its big Street Rodder magazine reveal.