In the spirit of the low buck, use as many leftover parts as possible theme of this project, what’s the opinion of windage trays? I have several factory trays, and aftermarket trays. Is it worthwhile to use any of them? It’s a 455 engine, 8 quart pan in a 1/2 GMC pickup. I seriously doubt the engine will ever see much more than 5000, maybe 5200rpm.

if it’s pointless, I won’t bother. If there is potential benefits, I’ll dig thru my pile of extra hardware and find the main cap bolts to install them.

While on this subject: the factory tray around the oil pump, I can understand its purpose. What about the tray that went on the #1 main cap in the Toronado?? Every road test I have seen for the 1st gen Toronados bitched about the brakes. Based on that, I doubt a Toronado would stop fast enough to uncover the pickup

 

None of the factory stuff is actually a windage tray. They are just baffles to try and keep oil in the pan. With the Tornado pan there is no baffle built into the sump area of the pan, that's why they have the rear one. The front one is because of the trapped oil in the front of the pan. That oil is close to the rotating assembly. When you stop the car it doesn't have to travel very far. The Tornado pan needs the baffles. A pan with a baffle built into the sump area doesn't.

 

Here is what our dyno testing has showed us. We did perform a back to back with a Mondello windage tray and a crank scraper. We seen no improvement in horsepower and no change in oil pressure. The oil pressure on our dyno engine drops about 5 psi during a dyno pull and then recovers some of that pressure. None of that changed. I was expecting it to change, but nothing. When we added the boat oil pan, with built in windage tray and trap doors, we did see an improvement in oil pressure. But I also used an oil pump pickup that gave us about 1" from the pickup to the bottom of the pan, maybe this is what gave us an oil pressure improvment. We don't run the engine long enough to notice any oil temp change.

Based on the above, I don't think I'd put it on. On paper it works, but in reality we didn't see a benefit.

jerry

 

Jerry, that's because the Mondello tray is more of a baffle. The design has minimal features that capture and redirect the windage away from the rotating assembly. It might aid in getting oil from the front of the pan back into the sump by shielding the front of the pan from windage. It would be interesting if you have a Milodon tray. It actually has louvers that project into the windage like small scoops. That would remove some of the windage and push out of the way of the crank.

 

Windage trays were used on many 60's Pontiacs like the GTO. The biggest Pontiac gurus, the Butlers say they've dynoed engines with them and without them and find no difference so they don't use them.

 

Good enough for me. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

 

the toro pans do have a windage scoop baffle spot welded along the right side of the pan, from front to the rear sump, which collects oil thrown off the front sump …..then it drains into main sump

the front baffle is there because the engine is actually angled forward, not rearward like rear drives are. being angled forward, oil natural flows that way anyway in all situations except acceleration

I’m doing an engine now where the customer bought a Milodon windage tray before he asked me. I can post a pic if anyone wants to see what they look like. I don’t think I’ll be using it . So it might be for sale

 

I have a Milodon windage tray at the shop. We may get around to testing it. I agree the Mondello one is marginal at best.

 

The Mondello ones are also prone to cracking at the ends and having parts fall off.
For me it's not about power but not aerating the oil. My last oil pan I had it made with a sump 1 inch deeper to lower the oil level from the crank not to add volume. Normally the off the shelf Steffs pan has no baffle across the sump, but it does have a stripper screen from the front up to the sump and trap doors. I had them leave the trap doors but add a baffle over the sump and elongate the stripper screen. The screen shot is about how the pan normally looks (not olds pictured). The picture of the one in the bag is mine. So far I have very consistent oil pressure and on the return road its never low.

 

I would never run any engine with an open sump. And what you see on the dyno is far from what you see running the car down the track.

 

yep

 

I totally agree with this. We have zero g force, zero acceleration, nothing like a car. My main reason for testing windage trays, crankscrapers, different oil pans, is all to get a more stable oil pressure during a dyno pull. If it's moving during a dyno pull, I bet it's worse in a vehicle.

jerry

 

I also have some "parts" that are kind of a windage tray from the Mondello auction. There is one that fits between the oil pump and main cap and then another one that is around the pump itself, like the Toronado piece. I doubt we will run these, but you never know, maybe when we are done (if that ever happens) we will have a day or two where we run windage related "stuff".

jerry

 

The one by the pump is to protect the sump area. It's probably from a Tornado or a copy of that design, good for a pan with no baffle. The one under the pump is to stop slosh during acceleration, won't make a difference on a dyno. Have no idea if it does anything.

 

The one at the back makes sense. I have like a dozen if anyone is interested. I can compare the other one to the Toronado, I have some of those down here in FL.

I do have a few Hamburger pans that I have threatened to try, but so far have not. They have a large kickout, which is designed to improve windage. But most headers don't clear the pan so I brought it back here to FL. When we try the larger headers I think they will have more room for this pan. I have a good friend, that has helped out on this project, that is driving down and up in a few weeks so maybe I have him bring the pan up, along with the cross ram and some other stuff (he's volunteered to transport stuff for us). It's a decent amount of work to run all of this stuff, but maybe it's worth it.

jerry

 

A well designed kick out will help all around. It's just a question of how much. Yes, off the shelf headers for olds seem to get close to the pan on that side. But if your going the route of a kick out, custom headers are probably not an issue.