Mondo Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 After grinding my oil pan down once and seeing Kevin do the same at Buttonwillow I had a skid plate made up. Quarter inch aluminum plate.. only lost about 1/2in of clearance. I do have to undo 6 bolts to change the oil (small price for piece of mind). http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1947019395_Lotus shock bracket 003.jpg http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1036560826_IMG_2173.JPG http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1422298942_IMG_2172.JPG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slomove Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 I do have to undo 6 bolts to change the oil (small price for piece of mind). I had to do the same thing with the skid plate and got annoyed with that after a while. It is O.K. when new but a mess when the bolts get dirty and full of oily goop. Therefore I tapped the drain plug with a hose barb nipple and extended that with maybe 9" long piece of 1/2" dia. hose. For an oil change I just need to drop the hose into the catch pan and open the (secured) end stopper cap. However, the oil needs to be warm or the draining takes very long. I also jack up the car on the opposite side to make sure everything comes out. Gert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mondo Posted February 28, 2009 Author Share Posted February 28, 2009 I was thinking about that as I have one of those petcock style drain plugs on one of my other cars.... maybe on the next oil change I'll try something. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusaNostra Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 Here is mine!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mondo Posted February 28, 2009 Author Share Posted February 28, 2009 That's the way to do it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7evin Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 Good Job, I like it. If all goes well I am going to get rid of the oil pan all together and go dry sump. If I wasnt I would be doing exactly what you are doing. Cheers 7evin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusaNostra Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 Good Job, I like it. If all goes well I am going to get rid of the oil pan all together and go dry sump. If I wasnt I would be doing exactly what you are doing. Cheers 7evin My priority is dependability. Dry sump is good but another unit to worry & to breakdown. Make it simple "stupid" approach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderbrake Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 I tried a thin skip plate , just to prevent sanding away the bottom of the pan, but I backed over something that caught it, and I had to remove it. After seeing Mondo's skid plate, I may try something like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaskossie Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 For those with dry sumps, ground clearance is not quite as critical, but some protection is still good peace of mind. Caterham offers a sort of impact bar of steel that bolts to two threaded sockets in the front of the Cosworth/Duratec dry sump pan. It fits like a charm. We'll see if it does its job.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian7 Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 A thought on lighter, possibly cheaper, and likely even easier to deal with.... how about the Jabrock we use under the formula cars? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mondo Posted March 2, 2009 Author Share Posted March 2, 2009 Mine angle up at the rear to avoid that problem backing up as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderbrake Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 Mine angle up at the rear to avoid that problem backing up as well. Thanks for the rear pic, that helps to see how it is suspended/ That thing is a ROCK ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slomove Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 (edited) This is the front end of my well-worn sump guard (after 3 years). And yes, I do have occasional ground contact.....it is a tad on the heavy side (steel) but except for the front impact armor thinner than most aluminum skid plates (only 1/16"). It has saved my butt (i.e. the sump) a few times. Not exactly elegant (I am a lousy welder) but very functional. The local mountain roads are strewn with crumbly rocks, especially in Winter. http://www.usa7s.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=21&stc=1&d=1236134002 Gert Edited March 4, 2009 by slomove Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mondo Posted March 4, 2009 Author Share Posted March 4, 2009 That's the picture that convinced me to get one made.... they're sort of "Mad Max" built but makes for one less thing to worry about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arya Ebrahimi Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 How come you guys don't just bond the skid plate to the oil pan? In the offroad world, many people just weld a piece of 3/16" plate to the bottom of the oil pan to distribute point load impacts. Seems like where abrasion is the main concern, simply bonding or welding a piece of plate to the bottom would be sufficient and maximize ground clearance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mondo Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share Posted March 9, 2009 It takes more than gooping up a sheet of aluminum and slapping it on due to the finned oil pan (see the pics of what it took) . In the foothills around here it's not unusual to have little rock slides and have rocks around the size of your fist, or bigger, in the roadway as you come around the bend. I wanted to deflect those too. I guess I could of cut the bottom of my oilpan out and bonded a plate that had a 45 degree angle in front of the oil pan.... seems more work than what I had done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderbrake Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 How come you guys don't just bond the skid plate to the oil pan? In the offroad world, many people just weld a piece of 3/16" plate to the bottom of the oil pan to distribute point load impacts. Seems like where abrasion is the main concern, simply bonding or welding a piece of plate to the bottom would be sufficient and maximize ground clearance. I would not like th engine and mounts to take the blows of big rocks, whereas the skid pan directs those forces to the frame, not the engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arya Ebrahimi Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 I would not like th engine and mounts to take the blows of big rocks, whereas the skid pan directs those forces to the frame, not the engine. Where do you encounter big rocks in a 7? My definition of big rocks: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderbrake Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 Where do you encounter big rocks in a 7? My definition of big rocks: OK , OK, I obviously meant Little Rocks:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerbookguy Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 picture just about says it all. :--( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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