Tie rod hitting oil pan

[1941Rick]

Just noticed that when I make a sharp left turn the tie rod is hitting the oil pan of my 41 P12....how many different oil pans are there.....it prevents me from making a sharp left turn...Sould I reshape the oil pan?

[Young Ed]

Are you sure its the rod itself? I had one of the retaining clamps scraping through my oil pan. Luckily I caught it before it made a hole. Rotating the bolt of the clamp solved the issue. Otherwise as far as I know there isn't really a different oil pan. Some trucks had front sumps but otherwise I've never seen any different ones. I suspect if it isnt the clamp issue something is bent or out of adjustment.

[1941Rick]

Yes I am sure...you can watch it hit the pan and the ball joint locks up against the pan.....has not wore a hole in the pan yet but if left alone it will.

[Jerry Roberts]

Do you have an adjustment to limit the amount of turn for your wheels ? Usually found near the brake backing plates , one on each side of the car .

[Tom Skinner]

Rick,

This sounds like one of the Gus Stories from the 1940's.

This guy comes into Gus' Garage with an oil leak. He want to sell his car the next day to buy a ring for his girl and get engaged. Gus questions him. When the guy is visiting his Girl in the Mountains he loses like a quart of oil in one night, but around town loses none. The case of the oil thief I think its called.

Try www. gus-stories.org and read the mid forties stories. Any way back to the story Gus can't find the leak laying under the car he's stumped.

Finally he tells his Grease Monkey Stan to put the Bus on the Lift.

Upon doing so the Steering bar comes off the Pan and she's dripping again.

He fixes it so the young guy can sell the car the next day, buy his girl an engagement ring and join the boys across the pond the next week and go fight the big WW2. You see the sharp turns up the mountain allowed for leakage from friction that caused a hole in the oil pan. Gus welded her back and put some spacers in the springs or somethin. Good Stories!

Tom

[1941Rick]

I have 2 and 1/4 turns right and 1 and 3/4 turns left.....problem is turning left...will be in the shop Sat and see what gives...

[Rusty O'Toole]

Wonder if the rubber motor mount has gone mushy and collapsed over the years? I'm sure they didn't design a car that rubbed the steering on the oil pan.

[1941Rick]

Problem solved....I put in an Industrial engine and the oil pan has a larger capacity thus has a larger sump by approx 2" in length....Changed oil pans from the old engine and now how enough room to drive a truck thru....Now onto the next project..Headers and exhaust......Does it ever stop.....

[oldodge41]

No, it never stops. Glad you found the issue.

[Don Coatney]

Problem solved....I put in an Industrial engine and the oil pan has a larger capacity thus has a larger sump by approx 2" in length....Changed oil pans from the old engine and now how enough room to drive a truck thru....Now onto the next project..Headers and exhaust......Does it ever stop.....

Sure would have helped had you mentioned the swap from the git-go.

[Rusty O'Toole]

That's not how it works Don. We are supposed to figure out the problem from 1000 miles away, to save the guy from looking at his own car. You have seen this 100 times and so have I.

[Plymouthy Adams]

it is all to common for this to occur, not having all the facts, not getting answers to specific questions and the owner not taking time to make proper measurement/test and report back...folks on the forum are more in the dark than the asker of the question..but in spite of all that, come up with some good information for the man just to blow off because it takes time to read a tape, use a voltmeter or get out the micrometer or whatever..

I have said it before..folks need all the facts..else, its just a guessing game..

[1941Rick]

My original post did ask the question....."different oil pans"

[Plymouthy Adams]

while I will admit you made reference in question form as to how many idfferent pans there are..but in no manner was it ever even hinted at that you had made a change...

[fatFreddie]

Yup, Andy Bernbaum had to put up with SH!T like this for 50 years....and you wonder why he was like he was...same hapens to all the other vendors too.

[fatFreddie]

Well 1941RICK, since you are on the P15-D24 site which is for AUTOMOBILES and not on the IND 5A site then WE all assumed you were refering to an AUTOMOBILE engine...and the answer to your question is one pan configuration was used for ALL 1933-1955, 6 cylinder engines in both Plymouth and Dodge. Now if you were on the IND 5A web site the answer would be many, I know of at least 10 different pan configurations like front sump, side sump, deep sump, remote sump, front and back sump and including NO oil pan at all!!!!..engine bolted to structure of the machine which became the "pan"....for Industrial Chrysler engines.

Edited February 15, 2012 by fatFreddie

[fatFreddie]

Here is an oil pan for ya Rick

[BobT-47P15]

Just noticed that when I make a sharp left turn the tie rod is hitting the oil pan of my 41 P12....how many different oil pans are there.....it prevents me from making a sharp left turn...Sould I reshape the oil pan?

He DID ask how many different oil pans there are........but, sadly, did not

go on to say an industrial engine was now being used in the car. That

info might have saved a lot of the initial guessing about the problem.

So......it's a learning process many times.......one should try to give as

much information relating to the problem as they can.

Yeah......Andy B and other vendors probably have had a certain amount

of grief due to people with odd applications. Hopefully, that's a minor

portion of their business. It probably does eventually cause them to get

a little surly.

[Don Coatney]

My original post did ask the question....."different oil pans"

Bingo! You should have mentioned that you had installed a different oil pan and the problem started after you did that.

When I replaced the engine in my Plymouth with a Desoto engine I discovered that there was a clearance issue with the oil pan and tie rod on my new engine. As I did not have the problem with the original oil pan I figgured out that there must be a difference in the oil pan on the new engine. Before I started asking questions I midified my oil pan to work as pictured below. Had you mentioned that you had installed a new oil pan I would have shared my experiance with you when I first read this thread.

[martybose]

If I followed this correctly, he installed the industrial engine with the pan that it came with, not knowing that it was different than a passenger car pan.

Marty

[Tom Skinner]

Marty that sounds correct.

In the Gus Story "The Case of the Oil Thief" from www.gus-stories.org

I believe the oil pan rubbed the steering from worn rear engine mounts as stated above, the whole shabang was lower as a result and caused a slow worn hole in the Oil Pan. I think Don Coatney is a genius re-doing that oil pan the way he did. Well all I can say is we sure have a lot of smart fellars on this forum. I learn something everytime I open this Forum!

[T120]

.......... I think Don Coatney is a genius re-doing that oil pan the way he did. Well all I can say is we sure have a lot of smart fellars on this forum. I learn something everytime I open this Forum!

....And pictures as well

Edited February 16, 2012 by Ralph D25cpe

[fatFreddie]

All hail Don Coatney

I think Don Coatney is a genius re-doing that oil pan the way he did.

[T120]

....Well now,we've all heard the stories...and I must say, to Don's credit..he does have the pictures

Edited February 17, 2012 by Ralph D25cpe
didn't want to be misinterpreted (smile)

[BobT-47P15]

Originally Posted by Tom Skinner

.......... I think Don Coatney is a genius re-doing that oil pan the way he did. Well all I can say is we sure have a lot of smart fellars on this forum. I learn something everytime I open this Forum!

I guess we could call Don's work something like "Tennessee Technology".