Well I got my tap and bit and was about to tear into my oil pan when I noticed the clearance was a bit different than what I was expecting. I guess the pics I've been looking at are of 1.6's.

To go under the AC, my return line is going to be long as ***** and the fitting is going to have to be pretty low on the pan. Just wanted to make sure I was going about this right.

right under the AC bracket, right? Im worried that the return line is going to droop down a bit before it goes into the pan but if it's what everyone else is doing then I'm down. Just wanted to make 100% positive.



I was thinking that if that didnt do right, I could try to go to the right of the compressor, bracket - a much clearer shot. Any downsides to this?



Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

You see those two bolt holes next to the motormount in the block. My drain is straight down from those in the pan where you can see it. Only problem is getting a drill in there. You might want to rent a 90* adapter/drill from lowes or something to tackle it. Whatever you do, don't drill to far into the pan. Some tape around the bit will keep it from going in farther than you need.

 

Thanks for the tip. Would there being a problem going about 1.5-2" to the left of the location you're talking about?

i.e., like this:

 

As long as you have a 100% all downhill route to the drain fitting and you have it draining above the oil level you'll be fine. Long as you don't hit the oil pickup in the pan and you have it above the oil full level in the sump you're good to go.

BTW, i want that coolant reroute.

 

Mine is to the front of the motor mount i used a 90 degree air drill to do it and a metal router bit. Works like a charm i would reccomend using a 60 degree, fitting from the pan to make the hook up for your drain line that much easier to attach.
Also stay away from that rubber hose **** get some real lines made at a local hyraulic store, braided stainless teflon inner preferably it will last forever and it is just cooler. Other than that GL man

 

does it say KIA on that block? right under the coolant reroute pipe...

 

Dont want to threadjack (sorry OP) but I'm up to the SAME part in my build...
Good pics everyone btw..

Question, is there a point that is too low, or too high? And you guys are basically saying as long as its in the Shallow part of the pan (not where the drain plug is) it's fine?

1 more thing, can anyone an idea of how THICK the pan is? I wonder because I'm using a larger fitting (7/8") and I wanna make sure there's enough metal to hold the weight and all...

Appreciate the info and again gret timing to the OP! Good luck to you as well!

 

ugh well that was hell. Finally got that sucker in there. Almost went too far - almost gave myself a heart attack.

Ended up using a big *** drill bit that someone was kind enough to lend to me fit into a 1/4" 10mm modified drill bit to a 3/8 converter to a U-joint to an extension back to a 1/4" extension which went in my drill. Used a dremel for the fine touches, no way in hell I could get an actual tap to go in. Where I drilled Im very close to the pickup or something. I force-threaded the fitting in there and right now coat #1 of JBWeld is curing. Tomorrow I'm going to gob some more on and it should be gravy.

 

its easy.

 

Just don't try to ream the hole with a stone Dremel bit...I was redoing my return line (-6AN to -10AN) using this method as the proper drill bit could not be had. The stone bit became overstressed and the stone broke off and fell in my oil pan.

 

Don't drill too deeply into the pan; the oil pump pickup tube is only a couple of inches behind the wall. A few folks have drilled right into the pickup tube and then had to pull the motor or drop the front suspension housing to replace the tube.

Just wrap tape around the drill bit approx 1" back from the tip.

Barry

 

Sorry, don't mean to jack this thread, but Braineack, in the pics you had, what is the grey stuff around the fitting? My oil return fitting is leaking (~1 drop every 10 secs).

Thanks.

 

That is JBweld, the sealant of kings.

 

I didn't need a right angle fitting to do mine. I just unbolted the four long bolts holding the ac compressor to the bracket and held it out of the way with some wire. Then I used a regular drill.

Use a metal stop with a set screw if you can, when it breaks through the drill will try to pull through the pan. In my case I put a scratch in the pickup despite the tape. Fortunately I didn't do any real damage.

 

How do you prevent the barb fitting from unscrewing if you dont use JB weld? Does it screw in tightly, is it possible to easily over tighten and destroy the threads? Do you guys use anything on the threads, like loctite?

 

try threadlocker red or permatex black.


did you get a chance to send back my tap? i need it asap.

 

I like the loctite jell that looks like a glue stick. it's nice and thick and seems to work great as a seal as well... unlike the JB method it's not depressing to look at either.

 

when's the last time you removed your underbelly pan to critique your oil return fitting job?

 

waiiiiiiiiiit a second...

Are we saying we NEED to use threadlock AND JbWeld, or either of them???
I drilled, tapped, and screwed my fitting in....i was gonna just JBweld it, but now i'm waiting 4 a respose! please!

 

Truthfully? Last Saturday.

One or the other.

JB-Weld is the traditional approach, and if done correctly need not look like it was done by an epileptic spider-monkey on an acid trip, or like Braineack's either. Just make sure that after tapping the pan and the fitting are super-clean, put JB-Weld on the threads of the fitting, and thread it into the pan. As it goes in, some of the JB-weld will be squeezed out onto the surrounding area. If need be, use your finger to work it into a nice bead.

Picture of cleanly installed and JB-welded fitting:


Note that this is a 3/8" NPT to -10AN adapter.