oil pan advice needed

I'm in the process of cutting down a steel oil pan so it will fit with my crossmember. I cut out sections and welded them back together with a mig welder. The welds are on the outside of the pan, and when you look inside, the welded area is not smooth and finished. You can see the edges of the pan sections where they go together. Should I go back and weld the inside of the pan as well? That will be difficult because of the built in windage tray. Should I just test it and let it go if it doesn't leak, or should I smear something like JB Weld along the inside seem? Is there something that will actually work inside an oil pan?

Do nothing to the inside not even JB weld. You don't want it coming loose and clogging the pump screen or worce the pump. Test it with water before you install it. Fill it up and let it sit over night on some paper no wet spot in the am your good. If the pan is not able to be removed on the car then i'd coat it anyway with JB just to be on the safe side after testing and drying etc.

44

I would put a coat of Epoxy putty on it. Then you can smooth it down as it can be machined when cured. It would help with structure strength. You can find it on our website www.bigwrenchracing.com.

Maybe you could put a sealed lid on it and pressure it up with a bicycle pump, along the same lines as 44 said. Find the leak now, it sounds like you'd be pulling the motor if you have one after.

Dan

Any chance that the welded seems are going to be prone to cracking. I had to make up a very curvy section and I couldn't get the thicker steel to do what I wanted it to do, so I used some thinner sheet for that area. This pan is out of a Range Rover, and I can't believe how thick it is. It makes the TR8 pan look like one of those throw away aluminum cooking trays. Honestly, the pan is as thick as some of the steel used as stamped structural members on the TR8. Too bad it wouldn't clear the crossmember the way it was.

If the welds are good it should be alright. Your nor offroading or rallying it right??

Could you use Kreem to seal an oil pan? Works nicely on gas tanks.

Why didnt you notch and box the X-member?

A product called JB Water-weld is for use in liquid environments including oil and fuel tanks

On the dry sump pans I have fabricated, I coated the inside with gas tank sealer. Works, great, is easy and insures no pinhole leaks. Just make sure the pan is really clean bfore you coat.