Armando\'s versus Aviaid oil pans
My Armando's oil pan just showed up today so I thought I'd post a few pictures, and compare it to the Aviaid pan that was on my engine previously. Bob lawrence, the gentleman from whom I bought my partially completed RF kit, had spent a good chunk of cash on an Aviaid GT40 oil pan...essentially an OEM pan. However, the sump was too long and it interfered with a chassis cross-member in my RF's engine bay. I ended up selling it and using the proceeds of that sale to buy a 405 race pan from Armando's Racing Oil Pans. Armando used to work for Aviaid, and he has been welding oil pans for 27 years. I had heard great things about Armando's pans and I wasn't disappointed.
Here's my old Aviaid pan. Note how the right rear portion of the pan has been dimpled to give adequate clearance for my stroker crankshaft. Also note that the rails are the same gauge of aluminum as the body of the pan...they are dimpled (there must be a better term for this) for strength. The engine builder who installed this pan used a fiber gasket and lots of sealant and it was a pain in the butt to get the pan separated from the engine without distorting the aluminum rails. I ended up using an oyster-shucking knife to cut away the gasket material.
Here's my Armando's pan. Note the shorter sump, the dimpled ribs on the bottom, and the thicker-gauge aluminum used for the mounting rails. This pan only weighs about 9 pounds.
Here you can see the baffling...pretty similar inside to the Aviaid pan. Also note the slick Felpro silicone gasket with molded-in bushings at the mounting hole locations. I will install this gasket dry, with no sealant. Felpro gives you some nifty little pins you can use to hold the gasket in place as you position the pan.
Here's the only thing that potentially worries me. This is a close up of the rear main seal. You can see how Armando worked the aluminum by folding it into a half circle, then he welded it in, then he ground it to it's final dimension. My only concern is that maybe he didn't leave enough metal, as you can see some fold remnants in the metal and I'm concerned this may cause a problem with sealing. I'm not too worried about it though; I've emailed Armando the above picture and he'll let me know what he thinks. He guarantees his pans not to leak, so I'll take him at his word.
My Armando's oil pan just showed up today so I thought I'd post a few pictures, and compare it to the Aviaid pan that was on my engine previously. Bob lawrence, the gentleman from whom I bought my partially completed RF kit, had spent a good chunk of cash on an Aviaid GT40 oil pan...essentially an OEM pan. However, the sump was too long and it interfered with a chassis cross-member in my RF's engine bay. I ended up selling it and using the proceeds of that sale to buy a 405 race pan from Armando's Racing Oil Pans. Armando used to work for Aviaid, and he has been welding oil pans for 27 years. I had heard great things about Armando's pans and I wasn't disappointed.
Here's my old Aviaid pan. Note how the right rear portion of the pan has been dimpled to give adequate clearance for my stroker crankshaft. Also note that the rails are the same gauge of aluminum as the body of the pan...they are dimpled (there must be a better term for this) for strength. The engine builder who installed this pan used a fiber gasket and lots of sealant and it was a pain in the butt to get the pan separated from the engine without distorting the aluminum rails. I ended up using an oyster-shucking knife to cut away the gasket material.
Here's my Armando's pan. Note the shorter sump, the dimpled ribs on the bottom, and the thicker-gauge aluminum used for the mounting rails. This pan only weighs about 9 pounds.
Here you can see the baffling...pretty similar inside to the Aviaid pan. Also note the slick Felpro silicone gasket with molded-in bushings at the mounting hole locations. I will install this gasket dry, with no sealant. Felpro gives you some nifty little pins you can use to hold the gasket in place as you position the pan.
Here's the only thing that potentially worries me. This is a close up of the rear main seal. You can see how Armando worked the aluminum by folding it into a half circle, then he welded it in, then he ground it to it's final dimension. My only concern is that maybe he didn't leave enough metal, as you can see some fold remnants in the metal and I'm concerned this may cause a problem with sealing. I'm not too worried about it though; I've emailed Armando the above picture and he'll let me know what he thinks. He guarantees his pans not to leak, so I'll take him at his word.
