I need to restore my oil pan

[qdeezie]

So, I finally got my truck up and running after the engine rebuild.

I installed a new oil pan as part of the rebuild and the new pan is causing my oil dipstick to read as overfilled. In looking at the pan, the sump seems to be smaller than the OEM pan.

It looks like my truck will now take 5 quarts of oil instead of 6 quarts. I do not like this at all, so I want to reinstall the old pan. The old pan just had surface rust, so it can be restored.

How would one go about restoring the oil pan. The first thing comes to mind is to have it powdercoated. Any risks to doing this?

Suggestions are welcome.

 

[daman]

If its solid still i would sand blast it then primer and use a good 500deg. paint should last for years.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: daman
If its solid still i would sand blast it then primer and use a good 500deg. paint should last for years.


+1. But look at it every few years. It takes a beating with road dirt, rocks, salt, water, being hot.

 

[Gabe]

I'm not sure I would paint the inside of the pan...

 

[daman]

Originally Posted By: Gabe
I'm not sure I would paint the inside of the pan...

lol, no not the inside

 

[qdeezie]

Thanks for the quick responses.

I'll use some elbow grease and clean out the inside since it has a coating and sandblast the outside, go with self etching primer and use the Ford Grey engine paint I have.

Sometimes, there's nothing like OEM and I thought about doing something like this in the first place, but I figured a new pan would be quick and easy.

Considering the fact that the engine build is a mild performance build, a 6 quart capacity is especially critical for performance and cooling in my opinion.

 

[HerrStig]

Add an oil cooler instead.

 

[mechtech2]

Powder coating is great.
Availability and prices are coming way down.
But a sandblasting, primer and good gloss paint will give years of service.
Like mentioned, oil pans should be checked for incipient rust every 6 months or so. Bubbles and visible rust can be easily spot fixed.

 

[morris]

many car makers only painted the sides at the factory