engine pans?

[bhiland]

Who's running them and do they help. I know some people that do and some don't so wanted to get others thoughts.

[Mitch//pa]

yes they help and i always run them on my cars.
use the search feature on the top of the page in the black area and there will be plenty to read about them

[glenn in camino]

I have them on my 5 running Model As. They look great, they help keep the engine clean, and they probably help the cooling system work better. They also make your Model A complete.

[bhiland]

Thanks. I dont have any but know a huh that will give me some. Just wondering what to do.

[Purdy Swoft]

I also run engine pans and like them. They help cooling, help keep the engine compartment cleaner and add an extra engine to frame ground. I've read that they increase cooling by 15%.

[johnsor]

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A very good investment for the reasons posted above.

[Aok]

Have engines pans no reason that I can think of not to install them

[Patrick L.]

Can't answer your question. I have always used them, they're supposed to be there.

[Pat Martone]

I have heard that you cannot use the engine pans if you're using rear Float-A-Motor mounts, but I do not know if this is true.

(I use engines and original style engine mounts.)

[SeaSlugs]

speakin of pans: did AA's use them too?

[Brian SATX]

I have float a motors and pans.

[Pinstripe]

Pans are as much a part of the car as the engine is a part of the car.

[Ron in Quincy]

After the A, Ford continued to use engine pans into v8 years. It helps cooling by directing more air to the rear of the engine instead of dumping the air out the louvers on the hood sides.

Ron

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Originally Posted by Pat Martone

I have heard that you cannot use the engine pans if you're using rear Float-A-Motor mounts, but I do not know if this is true.

(I use engines and original style engine mounts.)

Yo, Pat, Minerva had FAM's front & rear & side pans!
FAM's DON'T make the motor flop around, or drift forward, or rock & roll sideways!!! They just do a MARVELOUS job of insulating engine roar & vibrations from getting into the chassis & body! I'd put them on Vermin, but I'm tired & will drive him "Bone Stock"!
There's SO much mis-information & old tales about FAM's, but if you want a smooth driver, they're a MUST & very similar to Henry's '32 Model B mounting system.
And yes, Minerva was MAFCA's car of the day once! Bill W.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Originally Posted by Ron in Quincy

After the A, Ford continued to use engine pans into v8 years. It helps cooling by directing more air to the rear of the engine instead of dumping the air out the louvers on the hood sides.

Ron

I personally, "feel" that with side pans there is less air going out the bottom, causing MORE air out the louvers & helping to keep the manifolds & carb cooler. No, I don't have a thermal heat gun to prove it! (I'M POOR!) LOL Bill W.

[RHD]

Wouldn't run without them.

[Jordan]

I've had them on before. But they were always such a pain to install. I noticed no difference in cooling- but then again I have a good radiator. They do, however, keep the engine cleaner.

[1crosscut]

Originally Posted by SeaSlugs

speakin of pans: did AA's use them too?

Sure did.

[Phil]

Run the pans. All the reasons above + a friend had a rock jump up and put a hole in his sediment bowl. Could have worse than just loosing a couple gallons of high dollar gas.

[Farrell In Vancouver]

Originally Posted by SeaSlugs

speakin of pans: did AA's use them too?

I have a set on a chassis of a 30-31 short wheel base AA. They will find their way on to my new truck to be sure.

[Napa Skip]

I run engine pans; (a) they came with the car originally, (b) they appear to help with the cooling, and (c) if I took them off I'd just have to find a place to store them

A little off-topic: some time ago there was a Tiny Tip in either The Restorer or The Model A News mentioning that - for the non-purist - the frame mounting holes could be tapped for 5/16" bolts, making engine pan removal (for those of us who work solo and don't have really long arms) easier. I do. I did. It works.

[CarlG]

Originally Posted by Napa Skip

...A little off-topic: some time ago there was a Tiny Tip in either The Restorer or The Model A News mentioning that - for the non-purist - the frame mounting holes could be tapped for 5/16" bolts, making engine pan removal (for those of us who work solo and don't have really long arms) easier. I do. I did. It works.

I tapped the holes the same as the pan bolts, works like a charm.

[ericr]

I hear what everyone is saying, but my only question is, why were so many of them discarded off cars over the years?

[1crosscut]

Originally Posted by ericr

I hear what everyone is saying, but my only question is, why were so many of them discarded off cars over the years?

Once taken off they are a pain for one person to put back on.

[SeaSlugs]

plus from what ive heard is ya gotta remember the roads back then were mainly rock and mud. im sure they got banged up alot. and yea they usually got in the way for repairs. its kinda like bothering to put the hubcap/centercap back on your spare tire rim after you just got done changing it on the side of the road. throw the flat tire, wrench, jack and hubcap in the trunk and go to wherever you were going. im sure after getting annoyed the pans were there after a few roadside fixes and seem to just get in the way, in the backseat and eventually scrap pile they went

[Purdy Swoft]

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I've never found one with the engine pans still in place.

[Skeezixx]

With them you don't have to reach as far for a dropped wrench or nut/bolt.

[jr-41ford]

Two weeks ago, I removed the 4-blade fan and installed a new 2-blade aluminum fan. Afterwards, I installed a set of reproduction splash pans on my 1928 Tudor.

The splash pans were very easy to put on by myself, I did put duct tape on the bolt heads before I raised it upon the lift to install the pans.

I've never had any temperature problems with the Tudor, but I do notice the engine fumes are now completely gone.

[Mafman]

I also have the original pans, as they were on my Tudor when I bought it 33 years ago. I agree that they do seem to help with the cooling, as I've had other Model As over the years that didn't and they did seem to run hotter under similar conditions.

And similar pans were used into the '30s and '40s, at least on the V8s. I have the pans for my '39 Deluxe as well.

[lookin-backtexas]

Originally Posted by Purdy Swoft

I've never found one with the engine pans still in place.

My '30 Tudor Sedan still had them on it when I bought it in 1972 and my '31 AA Stakebed had them on it when I bought it in 1982.

Fred

[Tom Endy]

Originally Posted by ericr

I hear what everyone is saying, but my only question is, why were so many of them discarded off cars over the years?

A lot of them were removed by small shops that did not want to spend the time and effort to re-install them. They probably figured the owner would never know the difference. I have a feeling a lot of shock dog-bones showed up on cars for the same reason. The mechanic did not want to spend time and effort replacing the original shock links.

Most suppliers carry engine pans that have been powder coated. I am not a fan of powder coating, but this is an area where it makes sense. There is no way you will keep fuel off the right side pan.

Most reproduction pans will eventually break at the two tabs on each side that bolt to the oil pan. You will know it when it happens. A loud resonating vibration sound will occur when the engine is spooling down.

I made up a stepped bracket for a number of installations. You need four. The step over laps the tabs and gives greater support. If you know someone with a mill they can make them in one piece. Otherwise fashion them out of 1\8" aluminum and screw two pieces together for each bracket. You will need a longer engine pan bolt to accommodate the bracket

Tom Endy

[montanajohn]

Tom -- Can you provide photos, or a sketch, or maybe a more detailed verbal description? I just finished threading the frame holes for 5/16 NF bolts, and am wondering about the tabs and bolts on the engine side. Thinking maybe washers inserted to level-out the tabs to engine indent, but that was never "factory," I'm sure.

[Tom Endy]

Originally Posted by montanajohn

Tom -- Can you provide photos, or a sketch, or maybe a more detailed verbal description? I just finished threading the frame holes for 5/16 NF bolts, and am wondering about the tabs and bolts on the engine side. Thinking maybe washers inserted to level-out the tabs to engine indent, but that was never "factory," I'm sure.

The photo is shot from the bottom, the two screws hold the step piece in place. I glued some thin cork on the upper surfaces to give it some padding. There is nothing magic about the dimensions. The trick is to have the bracket over ride the tabs and provide some added length. the step is needed because there is an off set. The aluminum is 1\8" thick. You will need pan bolts 1\4" longer.

I added the brackets after the tabs broke off.

Tom Endy

[Bruce,Upstate NY]

I the '60s I had a '29 leatherback with 30,000 + miles. It had pans with square nuts on the bottom, each with a cotter pin. Smoothest engine I ever had.

[Pat Martone]

My engine pan tabs were broken too, so I made a similar mod to what Tom Endy did, but his fix is more professional and elegant than mine. I bought large "fender washers" at a hardware store, then cut off a bit off of opposing sides so that I now had "oblong" or rectangular washers, and used those to span or cover the broken tabs. I won't supply a photo, because my home made oblong washers are not pretty, but they are effective.

[Bob-A]

Pans?!? I love pans, both my Model-A's have engine pans, plus the '29 Chevy too. And, I even have an extra set of "A" pans that somebody long ago "chrome" plated! Why I even ride a PANhead Harley-Davidson.........

Sorry, to much caffeine this morning I guess...

Bob-A

[Ron/IA]

Tom - Are the two screws drilled and tapped into the engine pan? Also, is it necessary to use the two screws?

The reason I asked is the gentleman who used the fender washers I am guessing did not use two screws to hold the step piece.

Ron/IA

[bhiland]

The tabs are broke on 1 that I got. Thanks for some ideas.