polo91

LS guys, what oil pan depth works on a C2?

Vega$Vette

Look at the Holley 302-02

the GM muscle car pan is an H3 Hummer pan and hangs way too low.

adamsocb

I wonder why the crate motor builders use that GM Muscle Car (truck) pan instead of the 98-2001 Camaro LS1 pan that the Holly 302-2 mimics.

vjjack04

I used a C6 Corvette oil pan, I do have a SRIII frame, but the engine position is still stock location.

VetteKnurd

The batwing-style pans work well as far as ground clearance and the steering linkage, but the wing sections force you to be thoughtful about your manifold or headers choice. You can't go wrong with the 4th gen F-body pans. Cheap and plentiful.

Vega$Vette

F-body pan does not have as much forward clearance as the Holley 302 series.
I do not know if it will work on a C2. I do know the F-body pan does not work on 1st Gen Camaros and other similar GM cars.

VetteKnurd

It works in a C2/C3. There are some good pictures in post #17 of this linked thread: LS oil pan ground clearance? - CorvetteForum - Chevrolet Corvette Forum Discussion

The engine sits farther forward relative to the cross-member in pretty much any other GM car of that era.

Vega$Vette

good to know. I’m totally into LS swaps.

Patrick03

Here is the pan that came with my GM LS3 crate engine. Believe it is the F- body pan. Doesn't sit any lower than the bellhousing and has plenty of clearance with the steering linkage.

daz_au

I have settled on a C6 pan *and* an Accusump. My engine came with the pan from a Chevy SS / Australian Commodore and it was too close to the ground for my liking. You can see the section in the build where I swap the pan here :

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...post1592897220

.... and a few posts down where I talk about the accumulator :

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...post1593042757

... its probably overkill but the accumulator increases oil volume, pre-oils the engine prior to start and of course will step in if the pickup gets uncovered momentarily.

Dad's '66 427

Hello Daz_au - Not to derail this thread, but can you tell me about the wheels on your '64? They look GREAT!!!

daz_au

There is a guy local (Sydney, Australia) to me that has them made off shore, they are pretty cheap but probably not if you had to ship them to the US

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/25323179...EAAOSwxYxUsMc9

There are other manufacturers with this similar older style torque thrust style wheels, but maybe not with the same charcoal gloss / machined lip finish which I like. US Mags do something similar but I think the grey finish is different, closer perhaps to the original torque thrusts !

https://us-mags.com/standard-u102-w-5792.htm

Here is a better photo of the ones I have.... probably very dirty though

Dad's '66 427

Thank you for the information!!!

adamsocb

American Racing Torq Thrust M looks like a similar casting. Not sure about the color though. Yours may be a littler darker.

American Racing AR105 Torq Thrust M anthracite

Back to the oil pan... I have heard GMPP is shipping the LS3 with the ~2000 F-Body pan. Unfortunately BluePrint is still using the Muscle Car pan. I wonder if there is a stockpile of those Hummer pans they are trying to get rid of?

Vega$Vette

I don’t believe GMPP is shipping with F-body pans.

Where did you get that info?

VetteKnurd

The LS3 crate engines from GMPP come with the pan design that was used for the Chevy SS, which "I believe" is the same as on the 5th gen Camaro (2010-2015), but don't quote me on that. They definitely do not come with the 4th gen F-body pan.

That picture certainly looks like the 4th gen F-body pan; so I'm wondering if that's a GMPP crate engine or some other vendor like BluePrint or ATK. The Chevy SS pan is much deeper and chunkier, and I don't think there is any chance of making that one fit in an OEM chassis setup. This begs the question why GMPP keeps selling the engines with that pan when they have to know that almost everyone has to replace it??? :-/

adamsocb

My bad, I heard the GM LS3 was now coming with a shallow pan and assumed it was the ~2000 Camaro. Got my info mixed up with the recommendation from AME to use the ~2000 F-Body pan with their frame.

That sounds right. From the GM documentation:
"Component Information: Additional service information not included in this document can be found from your Chevrolet Performance Parts dealer under the GM 2014 Chevrolet SS sedan LS3 RPO for all components. When servicing or replacing items below, use information for a GM 2014 Chevrolet SS sedan LS3 RPO"

adamsocb

The part number cast on this pan (12558899) appears to be superseded by a new number (12628771), which is for the 1998-2002 Camaro and Firebird (also used on newer trucks and vans). I found the information below online:



The F-Body oil pan is the pan of choice for most engine swaps as it provides the most steering rack clearance of any GM pan as well as generous ground clearance. Using a factory GM pan allows you to retain the structural rigidity of a cast aluminum pan.

Old GM Part # 12558899

Includes

• GM Part # 12628771 - GM LS1 F-Body oil pan, gasket, stock baffle, drain plug and mounting hardware

Applications

• 1998-2002 Pontiac Firebird Formula and Trans Am
• 1998-2002 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 and SS
• Bolts to all GM Gen III & IV LS family engines including LS1, LS6, LS2, LS3, LS7, LS9, L76, L98, L92, L93, L99, LQ4, LQ9, LSA, LSX and V8 Vortec variations

Note: All new F-Body pans come with a M22x1.50 filter thread and require factory oil filter part number PF48 or equivalent.


Now I am completely confused as to whether this pan is being supplied on new GM crate LS3s or not. I do know it is not coming on the BluePrint motors since I just ordered one and they told me I can only get a "GM Muscle Car" pan.

Patrick03

The pan I posted is from a GMPP LS3 that was built in Dec 2021

Vega$Vette

Nice. I assume it works on C2s. Thanks for the 411

I've done a bunch of LS swaps in 1st Camaros and the F-Body pan does not work.