to windage tray or not to windage tray, that is the question

clutchdust

Millionaire Playboy
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i haven't found a pre made windage tray for the 4.3 i'm putting in my track car. so i'm thinking of making one that simply bolts between the block and pan, or is just intergrated into the pan itself. i put a crank scraper in the 355 in my '81 and i have no idea how well it works. according to smokey unick's book, it's amazing how much oil is slung around by the crank so i'm trying to figure out the best way to control.
what's everybody's opinion on the best way to control oil on a high revving engine?
 
Smokey has some great info, especially considering how long ago he figured out some of this stuff.

I like the tray bolted to the pan. Scraper though, is spotwelded to the pan.
I think Speedway has the "cheesegrater" type trays.

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while mulling over my options earlier i had this thought. since my block is just a two bolt main, does anybody see a reason why i couldn't just put a couple small, say 3/8", tapped holes in the main webs and use that to hang a home made scraper/windage tray?
 
while mulling over my options earlier i had this thought. since my block is just a two bolt main, does anybody see a reason why i couldn't just put a couple small, say 3/8", tapped holes in the main webs and use that to hang a home made scraper/windage tray?

When I chaged out my cheap POS Chinese Chrome pan that leaked like a POS, I installed a windage tray just for the Hell of it. The diamond tray and studs were like $110 from summit, and I did it in the car in a day. For that cheap $$, why bother?
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Will drilling 3/8 holes in the main webs take out any strength?

Will a GM windage tray fit in a 4.3? I'd take a look at that. If you need the GM studs that mount the tray I think I have a couple.

I like the look of that screen tray that Bird has- covers the crank way better than the GM tray.
 
the parasitic drag off a crank at high rpm must be huge...the NASCAR guys have so many dry sump oil pump stages sucking so much oil out of the pan and off the rotating assembly they are forced to squirt oil back onto the small end of the rods and bottom of the pistons...oil pan construction has now become a science versus a box on the bottom of a motor there to collect oil. Similar setup at the top of the motor with valve spring oilers squirting oil back onto the valve springs due to a lack of oil up top.
 
i did say 3/8", meant 3/16" but i think 1/4" might be better. i don't think it would be a strength issue. consider there's no difference in the block between a 2 bolt and 4 bolt, aside from the two additional holes.

i'm thinking about this because it doesn't seem, from my research anyway, that anybody makes a tray for the 4.3L.

since this is just a budget build for a track car and not competitive, i'm trying to keep cost down. as nice as a dry sump system would be, it's way out of the league for this little car.
 
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