afs Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 Have '95 Classic with Zetec (Raceline wet sump) - most street use. I'm running about 3" clearance at the sump and that may drop slightly with R888 purchase. I would like to hear recommendations for a sump guard and where to source. Has a guard saved anybody a major repair? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHKflyer52 Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 I added a sump guard to my clone which runs an MGB 1800cc engine and I now have 3 inches of clearance under the sump guard. The reason I installed the guard was due to loosing an oil pan and engine to a large amount of asphalt that had been used to hold down a 3/4in. steel plate on a road which had slipped some and caused a large bulge in the road way that was unavoidable due to traffic. I now can slide over the top of large speed bumps with out worry where before the pan would touch if I did not cross them slowly or at an angle. Here is a JPEG of the solid model file that I built for my car and have installed using 1/4"Aluminum plate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffee break Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 Martin, What is the guard attached to? Carl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHKflyer52 Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 (edited) Martin, What is the guard attached to? Carl The guard attaches to the frame at the front in three places and is isolated by rubber gromets to absorb some of the impact with an object it is then attached to the bell housing at the rear (thick 3/8in Plate in center of the guard right side). My bell housing is actually lower than my oil pan and is much stronger besides so it was easy to just remove two of the through bolts and replace them with longer bolts to compensate for the plate on the guard. I will look around as I have some other photos of the sump guard mounted on the car and will post them so you can see it. Here is a link to another forum that I belong to that has some photos of the damaged oil pan and the skid plate once mounted on the car. Third page of the post http://www.vintagemotoring.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1249&start=50&hilit=Crushed+oil+pan :driving: Edited April 23, 2013 by MHKflyer52 Added photos of the skid plate that are on another forums site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayseven Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 There is a long thread on sump guards on here somewhere. I know I lost an engine due to hitting the ground going over a very bumpy road, so don't think it can't happen! It was a mistake that cost me about $6000 when it was all done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slomove Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 (edited) My sump guard does get used. Therefore I added some teeth to help with larger rocks. Admittedly, the presence of a solid sump guard may lead to increased recklessness. I don't stop much for a little bump. Edited April 25, 2013 by slomove Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HankMauel Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 Sort of like the "legality plate" on an F1! Bet it feels "interesting" when the front wheels come off the ground for a second as the skid plate does it's job. Gives new meaning to the phrase "catching some air". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffee break Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 There is a long thread on sump guards on here somewhere. I know I lost an engine due to hitting the ground going over a very bumpy road, so don't think it can't happen! It was a mistake that cost me about $6000 when it was all done. What were the major parts damaged? Chankshaft? Block? Also, what was your ground clearance before the OH S#!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Duck Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 Can someone share if a standard CSR260 with the factory fitted sump guard (if such a thing exists) has a ground clearance problem on "normal" roads? The thing is shortly in build and it would be easier to do it then. I'm depressed if I need it but would rather find it out now than after the build, and certainly after leaving an oil/alloy trail down a modestly bumpy road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slomove Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 Can someone share if a standard CSR260 with the factory fitted sump guard (if such a thing exists) has a ground clearance problem on "normal" roads? ..... I have about 2.5" clearance and "normal" bumpy roads are not a real problem, but speed bumps are if not recognized and taken very slowly or driven around. For me it is mostly the risk of road debris that makes the guard worthwhile. In the local mountains here rocks fall on the road all the time, some smaller some bigger. And once a while you encounter car parts or stuff fallen off trucks that are larger than 2-3 inches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afs Posted April 25, 2013 Author Share Posted April 25, 2013 So, no one has these for sale? Is it always design and fabricate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wemtd Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 I got mine from TMW. Practically speaking it may be easier to find a good welder/fabricator to ensure a good custom fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayseven Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 My clearance was about 75 mm, and 300 lb springs, front and back. Now I have about 130 mm front and 140 mm back clearance. I thought the suspension was bottoming out when it was actually just the pan hitting the ground. I very soon saw OIL PRESSURE, quickly followed by no power and a fairly quick stop. But I prefer to dwell on the future... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croc Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 So, no one has these for sale? Is it always design and fabricate? Give George Alderman at Midatlantic Caterham a call. He can supply skid plates for Caterhams. Refer link below: http://www.midatlanticcaterham.com/parts_se.htm The link page above has a further link to a photo. Can someone share if a standard CSR260 with the factory fitted sump guard (if such a thing exists) has a ground clearance problem on "normal" roads? The thing is shortly in build and it would be easier to do it then. I'm depressed if I need it but would rather find it out now than after the build, and certainly after leaving an oil/alloy trail down a modestly bumpy road. While the Caterham UK parts catalog shows a CSR sump guard, when it was ordered for my CSR we discovered it does not actually fit the car. Anyway, it was only a piece of steel tube that in theory would take the brunt of any impact but in reality was never going to be that effective. To avoid any sump issues I had my ride height set at the high end of the road setting. Still handles great and I have never had an impact. There have been some fairly big road hazards on I-78, I-95 and in Manhattan that I have been lucky in being able to dodge/clear. You could also give George Alderman a call (refer link above) and ask him to supply one. It would not reduce existing ground clearance in any meaningful way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glenntwincam Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 I have a mike rohaley skid plate on our car (2006 caterham S3) , it's been "tested" several times and works very well. there are some photos somewhere in the archives. any skid plate is better than none at all. I also have a alderman plate that is not being used . if interested PM me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blubarisax Posted April 26, 2013 Share Posted April 26, 2013 I have a skid plate from Alderman and a bell housing guard from Caterham. They make a good combo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ultraslow Posted April 26, 2013 Share Posted April 26, 2013 Don't forget those filler ports in gas stations. I cracked a new Redline wet sump on the first drive with it. Fab-ed my own guard out of 0.125 Al plate, 2in Al angle, strips of rubber exhaust hanger as isolation, and connected it to front chassis tube and rear trans/engine bolts. Can sent pics if interested. ultraslow ultraslow@gmail.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mondo Posted April 27, 2013 Share Posted April 27, 2013 (edited) For those with an Ultralite and wondering.... don't mind the rust strip, it's an aluminum plate Edited April 27, 2013 by Mondo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderbrake Posted April 27, 2013 Share Posted April 27, 2013 Here is my Ultralite " guard". It is stainless steel, and it is there to prevent the "sandpapering" away of the sump by the road surface when the suspension compresses. No, it won't prevent big rock or immoveable object damage, but early on, I had the suspension set too low, and did dome wear to the sump, so I raised the ride height, and added the "guard" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m wirth Posted April 27, 2013 Share Posted April 27, 2013 might as well post one more version, it is tapered both fore and aft just incase, with access and drain holes, made of mild steel to add to the low center of gravity(ballast) and yes you could use it as a jacking point, took a hit from a rock up on the mountain, actually felt the car raise, and no damage to anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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