Milodon road race oil pan 31580 and Lakewood 15335 bellhousing install question

[andrewwoz]

Looking for input from anyone that has ran or is running a big block in a 68-70 b body with a Milodon 31580 road race oil pan and a Lakewood 15335 blowproof bellhousing on a A833.

Were you able to install the motor and transmission as 1 unit from the top? If there were clearance issues what were they? And if you did not install that way which way did you install?

 

[zyzzyx]

The whole assembly has to go in from underneath! There is a clearance issue in multiple places if you try
to put it in from the top. That pan is really close to a part of the K-frame near the engine mount on passenger
side just in front of the pan. The problem is that the top part of the bell housing makes contact with the firewall
and tunnel an jams you all up! Here's some pic's:

 

[gkent]

Going in from the bottom ... even the headers will clear !!

 

[andrewwoz]

I'm a bit hesitant to go in from the bottom, the car is in my garage which is long enough for the car and thats about it and my driveway slopes down quite a bit right outside of the garage. Backing the car partway out and blocking the rear wheels would be an option but then its got to be a 1 day job to remove the kframe and get everything back in so I can push the car back in and close the garage for the night (would not leave the garage open overnight in my neighborhood) And since it will be my first time doing this I don't feel 100% confident that it will go perfectly smooth. I'm not totally ruling that option out but those are my concerns...

I read about guys dropping the motor in with no trans/bellhousing and putting that stuff on after but in my head that seems like it could be a pain - bellhousing first then putting the transmission in but I have to imagine some of the fasteners are going to be difficult to reach and getting the throw out bearing and fork on seems difficult, unless I'm overthinking it.

 

[gkent]

Let's say you pull off the trans, bell and clutch and drop the engine straight in. Now the engine needs to tip back to be able to get the bell back on - there isn't enough room between the pan and K to do that. An slipping a trans in from the bottom is never an easy task !!


It sounds like the car is a roller now - so you have a lot to do to get that K back off. Sounds like you need a couple friends and pull an all-nighter.

 

[Fran Blacker]

That blow shield isn't tapered like stock, takes up tunnel space. Have you opened up the tunnel?

 

[andrewwoz]

Let's say you pull off the trans, bell and clutch and drop the engine straight in. Now the engine needs to tip back to be able to get the bell back on - there isn't enough room between the pan and K to do that. An slipping a trans in from the bottom is never an easy task !!


It sounds like the car is a roller now - so you have a lot to do to get that K back off. Sounds like you need a couple friends and pull an all-nighter.

Yeah I have never had the front of the car apart, as far as I can tell I would need to disconnect the brake lines, upper ball joints, steering shaft, strut rods, shocks and remove the k frame bolts and its out, right? I would also need to build a cart and a front end lifting bar (neither seem too difficult and could be done in advance) and then remove at least the front bumper to lift the car with the engine hoist.

My engine builder was pretty insistent on using the road race pan (street stoker build) and the blowproof bellhousing on the street is probably overkill but after seeing and hearing about what happens if things go wrong seems like a wise choice, and theres a decent chance I put sticky tires on it at some point and go to the track.

That blow shield isn't tapered like stock, takes up tunnel space. Have you opened up the tunnel?

I have not, I did quite a bit of research prior to buying this particular bellhousing and guys said it would fit without have to beat on the tunnel with the exception of having to flatten the flange between the floor pan and firewall. Has that not been your expeirence? Car is a 69 super be original 4 speed car if that matters at all.

 

[Fran Blacker]

Made a pattern of 66 Hemi mounts welded them to a 65 k member. That moves engine back wasn't think about that, probably an 1" or so. My screw up. I'd flatten the seam just in case.

 

[gkent]

My engine builder was pretty insistent on using the road race pan (street stoker build) and the blowproof bellhousing on the street is probably overkill

I have the RR oil pan and in hindsight would not use that for a street application. My reasoning being that there are too many baffles to adequately allow oil flow to the pickup under hard acceleration. In hindsight I would have stuck with the deeper Milodon pan with the kick-outs on either side.

The scattershield is a good idea if using the stock cast flywheel. But these days billet steel flywheels are cheap - cheaper than a scattershield - and pretty much negate the need for a scattershield on a street car.

The tunnel work Fran mentions is optional. The scattershield will fit - just not as comfortably as a stock housing. But all that's needed to solve the situation is a deadblow mallet to bend over the seam where the floor meets the firewall. The tunnel itself does not require any beating.

 

[andrewwoz]

I have the RR oil pan and in hindsight would not use that for a street application. My reasoning being that there are too many baffles to adequately allow oil flow to the pickup under hard acceleration. In hindsight I would have stuck with the deeper Milodon pan with the kick-outs on either side.

The scattershield is a good idea if using the stock cast flywheel. But these days billet steel flywheels are cheap - cheaper than a scattershield - and pretty much negate the need for a scattershield on a street car.

The tunnel work Fran mentions is optional. The scattershield will fit - just not as comfortably as a stock housing. But all that's needed to solve the situation is a deadblow mallet to bend over the seam where the floor meets the firewall. The tunnel itself does not require any beating.

Will the trans and stock bellhousing go in from underneath? (I am going to run a mcleod billet flywheel) Or would the engine still not tilt down due to the rr pan contacting the k member?

 

[zyzzyx]

That's a good question, but remember what I said before about that part of the K-FRame really close to the
left front kickout on the pan! I'll run out and take a pic for you. You have to make that decision!

 

[zyzzyx]

So, you can slice some of these areas off of the K-frame if you want. I also had to cut a relief in the drag-link
to clear the drain bolt! The idler arm side of the drag link also had to be "Massaged" to keep from slamming
into the right rear corner of the kick-out. I will be adding some material to the lower ball joint limit stop with
a MIG welder to keep the drag link from hitting the pan. You have to do this!!!! I'm not an engineer, but I really
don't think I weakened it enough to worry about. Yes, I will be increasing my turning radius, but I need the
clearance.

 

[SlinktRR]

I was thinking to use that pan but didn't think of this problem! I always install from the top as a unit but yeah there is not much lateral space with that pan.

The upside is you don't have to worry about scraping the ground in bumps like the standard milodon.

 

[hunt2elk]

I have that Road/Race pan on one of my strokers and have had it out the top a couple of times. I think I did make a small notch in the k-frame to clear that pan. I just do the engine alone however. I also run McLeod billet flywheels so use a stock bellhousing.