Oil Pan skid

[FinoCJ]

Pulled the oil pan off for a couple reasons:

One is both front corners have suffered meeting some trail obstacles - especially the driver side as its more exposed. After working the corners back into acceptable shape, I'd like to add a skid plate of some sort. Probably something I weld directly to the pan, maybe 1/8", and preferable to protect the drop down section and low front corners. I vaguely recall my cj7 had some simple flat plate with a small up angle on the front - although really simple that might be all it needs. Maybe something simple like this? I'd really like to protect the corners, so maybe a gusset across that? And probably something to protect the oil plug.

Any issues just welding it to the oil pan? I believe some have done a removeable skid that bolts to the oil pan holes? Might be a bit more than my fab skills have the time for at the moment....What have others done - got some pics?

 

[Jw60]

Gotta remember the buick block comes down lower than a chevy block but this is mine, it is made exactly the same method as the fuel tank skid. Mine is lighter than .125 something like 11 or 12ga. I welded it to the original pan above the oil level (or at least high enough to get somewhere when the weld tears open) it is not welded to the pan on the bottom and I left generous access to hose mud out. There is a large opening for an oil pan heater in the void where i went with a 45deg ramp and did not follow the front face of the sump.

1128121125 by Joe the adapter guy, on Flickr



1126122054 by Joe the adapter guy, on Flickr

1120121221 by Joe the adapter guy, on Flickr
Old photo from the ross steering days needing the remote filter.
20210502_103500 by Joe the adapter guy, on Flickr

This is probably the best picture without the skid
1109121658b by Joe the adapter guy, on Flickr

 

[WYOMIKE]

Mine came from the factory with one welded to the pan. (71 225) This is the only pic I have now but in the AM I can take more pics if you would like.

Mike

 

[Rich M.]

I converted the front 2 bolts to studs and ran back to the bellhousing dust cover bolts on the flatfender. Can take a pic tomorrow
Edit: https://www.earlycj5.com/index.php?threads/121240/post-1820939

 

[Warloch]

Rosette welded 1/8" direct to pan. Damn thing had a hole in it so I drilled some more in the proper places and fixed the leak and made it so I wouldn't get any more.

 

[Fireball]

Probably more than you want to do, but I made a bridge between the motor mounts and attached the skid plate to that and the transfercase crossframe. I also added a skid plate for the clutch/brake pivots:

Since it has to be able to support the weight of the Jeep, I added extra structure inside:

It's Rubicon tested:

The outer end of the pedal pivot skid plate skid plate was a fail though. It's getting a much stronger redesign in the near future:

 

[duffer]

I welded one made from 3/16" directly to pan for a sbc. That pan is still on the 381 and was on the 350 before it. Worked great for 4 decades.

If you have room, give it some angle in front of the sump.

I made an aluminum bolt-on version for the present sbc in the 3B but probably not going to use it and do a weld-on version for it too. I need to pull that pan a bevel off the right front corner of the sump to give the front u-joint more clearance.

 

[FinoCJ]

Here is kind of how things are evolving in my head.....
Need to weld some 1/8" plate to the flat section on the front end of the pan (in front of the sump)....

Then do a plate over the sump and weld to the front reinforcement.....and maybe small back extension with a minor up angle...

 

[Jw60]

The more angle the better on the front. Easier to deflect than absorb a rock.

 

[cj2atruck]

I did something similar to Fireball, but mine is made out of 3/16” plate. I cut the piece with an angle grinder, the scored a mark for the bend and bent it with a big hammer. The front support is made of 3/8” flat bar that is bolted to the motor mount bolts. The rear could easily be bolted to the front lip of the cross member like Roy’s, but I built a new cross member and a transmission skid that is as flat as possible. The new skid plate is actually 1” higher than the original cross member.

IMG_3301 by Rick, on Flickr

 

[colojeepguy]

I have this one that I'm putting on my Jeep. Bought it from a member here awhile back. I think it's a factory Renegade pan.

 

[FinoCJ]

I have this one that I'm putting on my Jeep. Bought it from a member here awhile back. I think it's a factory Renegade pan.

I am sort of going with something like that, but thought I'd beef the front end of it up just a bit - thus welding it to the front of the pan - but decided I should reinforce the front of the pan where the edge of the plate will be welded.

 

[53Flattie]

There’s some impressive fabrication on this thread. Sheesh!

 

[FinoCJ]

I welded one made from 3/16" directly to pan for a sbc. That pan is still on the 381 and was on the 350 before it. Worked great for 4 decades.

So how did you get the 3/16 to conform so nicely to the curves of the pan?

 

[duffer]

So how did you get the 3/16 to conform so nicely to the curves of the pan?

Torch, large vise, and a lot of swearing

 

[ITLKSEZ]

Personally, I’d never weld to a pan. Way too risky to put that kind of structure against critical tin. An immovable plate mated to paper thin bag of oil, the bag has a high susceptibility to tear at the junction under stress.

And as far as spot-welding to the pan, real-world experience proves that’s a bad idea. The factory skid on an F-head made us lose a race once. The front u-joint hooked the plate and tore the spot welds out of the pan, and we lost all the oil out of the holes. I’ve also had another that seeped out of those spot welds unprovoked.

IMO, a stand-off unit is the way to go. Anything worth doing is worth doing right.

 

[Fireball]

Personally, I’d never weld to a pan. Way too risky to put that kind of structure against critical tin. An immovable plate mated to paper thin bag of oil, the bag has a high susceptibility to tear at the junction under stress.

And as far as spot-welding to the pan, real-world experience proves that’s a bad idea. The factory skid on an F-head made us lose a race once. The front u-joint hooked the plate and tore the spot welds out of the pan, and we lost all the oil out of the holes. I’ve also had another that seeped out of those spot welds unprovoked.

IMO, a stand-off unit is the way to go. Anything worth doing is worth doing right.

Along those lines, I like this stand-off one I put on the TJ. It wouldn't be hard to make something similar:

 

[47v6]

Along those lines, I like this stand-off one I put on the TJ. It wouldn't be hard to make something similar:

Oh, I like that..

 

[FinoCJ]

IMO, a stand-off unit is the way to go.

agree that it is better, but if one can't make that sort of thing, is it better to weld on the pan or just skip the skid entirely?

I would guess you are not a fan of body mounted armor like sliders and roll bars - I know you've tied everything into the frame. But I think sheet metal can be decently strong when acting parallel to the sheet, and with some reinforcing ribbing, and when things are distributed across a large enough area.....We all know I don't know what I am doing, but that was at least the thoughts with trying to protect the bottom of the pan from upward hits. Use a thicker piece across the large bottom area, use the vertical sidewalls of the pan in their direction of strength, and to hopefully not have too much of an extension out front that could be a point of leverage on the pan, take it all the way to the front pan with a larger footprint and reinforcing ribs....the goal would not be to protect against lateral hits (possibly ignorant), but rather just upward impact from the bottom (which seems to be how the previous ones came about - usually slipping off a rock sideways and dropping the pan down on something). Again, I agree the idea is not perfect (and yet I still posted for you all to critique)....the separate stand off unit would be ideal - how much you charge an hour? I've got more money than skill.....but that ain't saying much....

 

[FinoCJ]

I like this stand-off one I put on the TJ. It wouldn't be hard to make something similar:

I assume it mounts using the oil pan mount holes - for some reason I do not like that - mostly because if one has to take it on and off a bunch, I worry that it could cause a leak at the gasket? Also, its kind of a small thing, but the oil pan flange has a rib running along it which makes mounting something on top of it a bit tricky