I'm curious what the volumes at RPM are on the std and high volume oil pumps.
A very good question - which I have no answers for.
I hadn’t tried one of the newer style big block oil pan gaskets yet – but my experience with the newer style rubber gaskets - should work outstanding.
Speaking of which – there are a couple of manufactures making these:
https://www.holley.com/products/gaskets/oil_pan_gaskets/parts/61100G (this is just one example).
If a windage tray is available – I won’t put together an engine without one – even if building a 318 2-bbl for my grandmother.
It is free horsepower and also better fuel mileage (not much – but hey anything better is – better).
On same note: why use two pan gaskets where here, you can use, um, none (well, except for what is built onto the windage tray). My hat is off to whoever thought up this design.
I’m too lazy to make a windage tray for an engine that never came with one – but if there is one already made for an engine – then I highly recommend using it.
The exception is for stroker engines – they need a slightly different tray.
IMO, that gold finish on oil pans, just doesn’t appeal to me. I’ve painted over the gold and the look afterwards is just not the same.
After work tonight, I’m on a long road trip for thanksgiving with my side family (only time it works for all of nieces/nephews to attend) – so will be away most of this weekend. If I remember, I will take a few pictures of my oil pan collection – which might be helpful to 4SpeedJim, and others.
Going back to what 4SpeedJim said about oil volume:
My younger brother used to work for a major race car engine builder in Tulsa OK. They mainly worked on Chebys, but did a great job on whatever came into the shop (Sprint car, drag boat, you name it). They bored out a 340 block I had, 30+ years ago, and my brother pulled me aside to show me a tool the shop made to check oil pump capacity. In this case, it was a high winding sprint car cheby. They made a tool and welded onto e side of an oil pan.
The hole was just open, in this case. They knew what the oil pressure release valve position was when engine was off (0 PSI oil pressure) and what position it was in when full open (too much oil volume). They were working on roller lifters and roller rocker arms (before those became popular) and was having problems with oil flow at really high RPM’s. In this case, they knew exactly where the oil release valve was in relation to engine RPM and oil pressure and could map out what was needed - on a dyno.
I didn’t see any of the testing take place – but it does tell me that at least some people have looked at it.
My brother also told me that basically any engine that runs the stock RPM range and uses stock valve train – doesn’t need anything but a normal pressure/normal volume oil pump. If using a radical valve train and/or exceeding factory RPM range – then (as he put it) further testing is needed before recommending an oil pump.
BudW