Thread:

V-drive Oil pan

Putting together a 598 BBC and needing an oil pan that will clear a 4.5 inch stroke. Who has the best "bang for the buck" v-drive oil pan? Have heard bad things about the Milodon pans, so looking to go a different route that that.

Hell, ..I'll plug Stefs, very nice work, asked for alot of info before they built it, came out perfect.( went thru Steelcomp, here on the boards)

Stef's, best pan money can buy!

Originally Posted by EVILFORCE

Look up Armando oil pans. For a cheep pan a lot use the Hamburger pans from summit Racing.

Careful there! That pan only works in a v-drive if the engine is set in the boat CORRECTLY!!! Driving off the snout, and the flywheel aft.

Originally Posted by michaellone

Putting together a 598 BBC and needing an oil pan that will clear a 4.5 inch stroke. Who has the best "bang for the buck" v-drive oil pan? Have heard bad things about the Milodon pans, so looking to go a different route that that.

Yea heard a lot of guys talking bad about Milodon pans too, though most were parroting what they heard a buddy's next door neighbor's cousin's girlfriends dad said. There are better pans around ( I like Olsen and Armondo) but I've run Milodon's on several engines (a couple 4.5" stroke deals too) including our current pump gas 580". I've never had an oil related issue with a Milodon pan. That said, you CANNOT use the pick up as is. At a minimum you have to improve the support at the sump end and make damn sure it's the right height off the bottom of the pan (right depends on you or your motor builders opinion). If you want to get fancy, you can increase the size of the pick up box too. In the boat I also use an accusump ( poor man's dry sump )which really helps all around, especially on shut down but that's another story... YMMV

Originally Posted by David 519

Yea heard a lot of guys talking bad about Milodon pans too, though most were parroting what they heard a buddy's next door neighbor's cousin's girlfriends dad said. In the boat I also use an accusump ( poor man's dry sump )which really helps all around, especially on shut down but that's another story... YMMV

Its not always based off what the neighbor's cousin's girlfriend said. Some of us actually see problems with Milodon pans both with the bearing issues, and on the data recorders. I guess its all in what your doing with the boat.


The Milodon pan is just to easy to avoid, too many other better choices, that there is no reason for running one.
I would never tell some one not to run a accusump, regardless if the pan. Extra insurance never hurts. It pretty much becomes manditory with a Milodon. You can say the pan is fine, and the accusump is just extra insurance if you like. I know better. Like you said, specially on shut down. Or turning. Which leaves what? Cruising? A stock pan can handle that.

You don't buy a cast crank for a blown alky 632 with 30# of boost. You buy a pan based on what your plans are. My guess is that with 598 cid, the OP isn't planning on fishing.

Lets see, they can't handle quick de-accel, and they can't chandle this, but other than that, they're fine.

Originally Posted by gn7

Its not always based off what the neighbor's cousin's girlfriend said. Some of us actually see problems with Milodon pans both with the bearing issues, and on the data recorders. I guess its all in what your doing with the boat.


The Milodon pan is just to easy to avoid, too many other better choices, that there is no reason for running one.
I would never tell some one not to run a accusump, regardless if the pan. Extra insurance never hurts. It pretty much becomes manditory with a Milodon. You can say the pan is fine, and the accusump is just extra insurance if you like. I know better. Like you said, specially on shut down. Or turning. Which leaves what? Cruising? A stock pan can handle that.

You don't buy a cast crank for a blown alky 632 with 30# of boost. You buy a pan based on what your plans are. My guess is that with 598 cid, the OP isn't planning on fishing.

Lets see, they can't handle quick de-accel, and they can't chandle this, but other than that, they're fine.

Some people can break rocks with a feather duster, I'm just posting my personal experiences. I've run a Milodon pan on 2 blown alcohol motors and 3 conventional head NA deals all over 800 HP, the blown deals over 1000 HP. 2 of the motors were dynoed with Milodon pans without an accusump and no oil pressure issues in the data or the pan wouldn't have gone on the boat. All but 1 were in flywheel forward drag boats, 1 was a flywheel forward lake boat. Again, in those applications, no oil related problems. Who knows, maybe I'm just lucky. So specifically what issues have you seen with Milodon pans and were these flywheel forward or aft deals. Comparing what you do in the GN deal is WAY different than what most of us do with drag boats/hot lake boats.

WOW! It lived thru a dyno session without a accusump. Now I am impressed. Lots of postive, negative & lateral Gs there

Like I said, a stocker truck pan could probably handle that. I not trying to compare anything to a GN, or say it needs to handle that. I am saying Milodons don't handle de-accel well, or turning, in either direction very well. So that leaves cruzing and no wake zones. The price difference between a Milodon, and a Olson, its alot like buying a cast crank and pistons for a blower deal. I cnanot justify the cost difference on any engine regardless of the cost simply based off the time involved in fixing a toasted engine. If you add in a accusump, it becomes a no brainer. Your correct. Its all in what the plan for the boat is. I guess when I see 598 CID, I don't think Bayliner.

Wags, I have 3 Armando pans and have no second thoughts of putting anyone of them on any engine. They are excellent pans that maintain great oil pressure under almost any condition. The pan has been around long before there was a Olson or Stefs and it is proven. It is one of the viable $ alternatives to a much lesser pan that has no business being on a performance engine, that is death to an engine without some back up from a pressurized reservoir when it falls on its face.

Ok so what I am getting from this is that:

Milidons will work but should to be augmented with the accusump.

Armando pans are a good steel pan ($439.00 from his website).

Dan Olson and Stef's are best in class ($600+ range).

Accusump is a good idea with any pan.

As far as my application, it will be a 14+:1, race gas motor that I am going to try to push the Hondo Ski Hydro into the 9's with. Hoping to keep it around 7000 rpm and make somewhere around 900+ hp. Thanks for all the input guys, I am still learning.