Adding capacity without new pan?

[ShadeTreeRepairAndFab]

Good day to all. I hope everyone has had a good start to their New Year.

I have a project death trap I've been working on. It is a SBC powered Subaru Forester. It is now just a rwd vehicle. (I'm sure I could of kept the awd but that wouldn't be any fun) . Mind you I have done due diligence and stitch welded the ENTIRE car. Inside and out top too bottom. I have added subframe connections as well as strut tower bracing front and rear with firewall and rear floor bracing. A main hoop and 4 down bars so far. It's backed by a WC-T5 manual transmission with 4:44:1 gears outback. Why? I as well am asking myself the same thing. Mostly because the other half loves her Subaru's and has a few of them.

To start with, I am kinda known in my area for putting v8's where no engineer intended to be.

Here is my dilemma, I have reworked the original K member to the limits of what it does for strength in the chassis. I as well have built my own pan (basically cut up a couple pans and bent some sheet metal) that doesn't leak amazing enough. Unfortunately I did some bad math or didn't measure twice cut once. I only have capacity for 3 quarts. Now my brother in law is the type that says 3 outta 4 ain't bad but I disagree in this scenario.

My Question
If I just add a oil to air oil cooler I can gain that quart back ? Or even up the cooler capacity and gain maybe 2 quarts? Is this rational thinking?

 

[Grumpy]

SOUNDS LIKE AN INTERESTING PROJECT!
posting a few pictures might be helpful?
NOW AS TO oil CAPACITY ,
having only 3 quarts in a v8 is almost sure to cause bearing damage and rotating assembly lubrication issues
there's several routes you can go,
most have potential limitations so Id go several routes, to insure the engine durability improved a great deal
first Id install a longer high capacity oil filter if there's clearance, failure to get a 4.5-6 quart capacity will more than likely result in lower engine durability.
Id suggest you install an oil accumulator, as it insures oil volume and pressure remains reasonably consistent.
and if you have the room and cash adding an oil cooler would both help keep oil temps much more consistent and well within the intended temp ranges.

installing an oil pump pick-up tube

there's two ways ,...... you can use the correct tool, which is ADVISABLE! use this oil pump(link below) in most stock SBC builds, as it produces a 10% increase in oil volume and standard pressure which is just fine , but obviously check your bearing clearances and oil pump to oil pan floor...

garage.grumpysperformance.com

make sure your oil pump pick-up is correctly mounted so the clearance with the oil pan is in the 3/8"-1/2" range

Oil accumulator

an oil accumulator is basically an aux pressurized oil tank , that in most cases holds 1.5-4 quarts of oil in reserve, the engine oil pump pumps it full once the oil pressures in the engines oil passages is high enough, and feeds it back into the passages under pressure if the oil pump sucks air...

garage.grumpysperformance.com

Id add a 3 quart accumulator if there's room, and a larger oil filter

Oil Filter Relocation For A 2008 Lincoln Navigator

I swore the the next time I changed the oil filter would be the last time in it's present location. It's just too much of a pain to get a filter wrench on it and then you need 2 pans to catch the oil cause it going to come out everywhere! In this next view you can see how far back the old...

garage.grumpysperformance.com

oil system mods that help

heres a short list REMEMBER the object or goal in building and maintaining the lubrication system is too maintain a 100% dependable pressurized cooling flow of lubricant to the bearings, rockers ,valves etc. your most important tool, is your ability to think about how things are supposed to...

garage.grumpysperformance.com

transmission cooler info and derale trans cool pans,

OVERLY HOT TRANS FLUID TEMPERATURE QUICKLY KILLS, A TRANSMISSION, SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCING TRANSMISSION DURABILITY, AND I'D POINT OUT THAT REDUCING THE TEMPERATURE OF TRANSMISSION FLUID ENTERING A RADIATOR HELPS REDUCE HEAT LOADS ON THE RADIATOR ,WHICH TENDS TO REDUCE ENGINE OPERATIONAL TEMPS...

garage.grumpysperformance.com

yes the oil filter you sellect does make a differance

READ THRU THESE SUB LINKS CAREFULLY theres a great deal of info here to look thru. pay attention to filter construction and the filter materials and total filter medium area, when discussing oil filters keep in mind their intended function, which is mostly too efficiently trap and remove...

garage.grumpysperformance.com

basic info on your v8 lube system

now think it thru, HERES SOME USEFUL INFO, that might help in this thread and the sub links http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/crank-case-blow-bye-and-related-info.16790/ the first thing Id be doing here, if your not getting a strong oil flow at each rocker while your turn...

garage.grumpysperformance.com

oil temps and engine wear

I was just over at a friends shop where he was working on a kids car giving him a tune up, after he finished the kid said let me try it out, and proceeded to back the car out on the street and do a 5000rpm tire smoking burn out without letting the engine come close to reaching operational temps...

garage.grumpysperformance.com

 

[Thunderbolt]

Maybe add a remote dual oil filter mount like this https://www.summitracing.com/parts/prm-1221
with two oversized oil filters?

 

[ShadeTreeRepairAndFab]

Here is a few shots of the process I went through to but of my oil pan