skid plate for your cars oil pan
as far as a skid plate ,, its a good idea but the chances of damaging an oil pan on public roads if your careful where you drive is reasonably low, most guys don,t drive their prized muscle car or corvette over large rocks or off road on crappy dirt/rock trails, now a simple plate can be welded to the k-frame that extends back too or past the the sump at a slight angle to protect the sump and headers from crap in the road, or you can bolt one onto the k-frame for easier access and removal, a simple pattern can be made from cardboard , and some careful measurements and a piece of 3/16" stainless steel about the width of the oil pan sump and distance from the rear of the k-frame to the bell housing could easily be fabricated, personally , my vettes got about the same under car clearance as most vettes but my oil pan hangs about 1" lower than the k-frame since its got a 10 qt custom oil pan, and with my big old body and a passenger in the car and I just watch very carefully for raised lips on manhole cover rims and curbs and speed bumps and in 40 years of driving corvettes Ive only damaged one oil pan sump and that was repaired in a weekend with a oxy-acetolene torch, and some careful patching, so I don,t think its a common accessory or all that necessary.
IF I decided to build one a 10" wide and 24" long section of 3/16" stainless steel would be my idea of a good protective plate, Id build mount brackets that bolted to the existing frame and the diagonal corvette braces, if I felt the need to do so.
ID doubt you would need over $50 in materials or a couple hours to fabricate a really nice one
before you go installing an extra deep transmission or engine oil pan on your car its a really good idea to have someone measure the distance from the cars current oil pan or transmission pan to the pavement WITH YOU AND A FRIEND SITTING IN THE CAR..watch the video before you go spending a great deal of time and money swapping to the deeper oil or transmission pans.
trust me your not the first nor will you be the last guy to do that without checking only to find out its an expensive mistake.
adding a transmission cooler and remote located high capacity oil or transmission filter is frequently a much safer option
WATCH VIDEO...and think about all the speed bumps, concrete curbs, high manhole covers ,bits of road trash, and pot holes that your car travels over in a years time.
Id strongly suggest a 3.5" MINIMUM under the car clearance, between the pavement, headers and other components with you and a friend sitting in the car and a skid plate is certainly not a bad idea.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_qhxgglcO0
just a few pictures I found posted that easily demonstrate internal tire damage can cause serious issues with stability, braking and control, and yeah, hitting a few curbs, chuck holes and speed bumps with your corvette,or muscle car,will be unlikely to help tire durability
as far as a skid plate ,, its a good idea but the chances of damaging an oil pan on public roads if your careful where you drive is reasonably low, most guys don,t drive their prized muscle car or corvette over large rocks or off road on crappy dirt/rock trails, now a simple plate can be welded to the k-frame that extends back too or past the the sump at a slight angle to protect the sump and headers from crap in the road, or you can bolt one onto the k-frame for easier access and removal, a simple pattern can be made from cardboard , and some careful measurements and a piece of 3/16" stainless steel about the width of the oil pan sump and distance from the rear of the k-frame to the bell housing could easily be fabricated, personally , my vettes got about the same under car clearance as most vettes but my oil pan hangs about 1" lower than the k-frame since its got a 10 qt custom oil pan, and with my big old body and a passenger in the car and I just watch very carefully for raised lips on manhole cover rims and curbs and speed bumps and in 40 years of driving corvettes Ive only damaged one oil pan sump and that was repaired in a weekend with a oxy-acetolene torch, and some careful patching, so I don,t think its a common accessory or all that necessary.
IF I decided to build one a 10" wide and 24" long section of 3/16" stainless steel would be my idea of a good protective plate, Id build mount brackets that bolted to the existing frame and the diagonal corvette braces, if I felt the need to do so.
ID doubt you would need over $50 in materials or a couple hours to fabricate a really nice one
before you go installing an extra deep transmission or engine oil pan on your car its a really good idea to have someone measure the distance from the cars current oil pan or transmission pan to the pavement WITH YOU AND A FRIEND SITTING IN THE CAR..watch the video before you go spending a great deal of time and money swapping to the deeper oil or transmission pans.
trust me your not the first nor will you be the last guy to do that without checking only to find out its an expensive mistake.
adding a transmission cooler and remote located high capacity oil or transmission filter is frequently a much safer option
WATCH VIDEO...and think about all the speed bumps, concrete curbs, high manhole covers ,bits of road trash, and pot holes that your car travels over in a years time.
Id strongly suggest a 3.5" MINIMUM under the car clearance, between the pavement, headers and other components with you and a friend sitting in the car and a skid plate is certainly not a bad idea.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_qhxgglcO0
just a few pictures I found posted that easily demonstrate internal tire damage can cause serious issues with stability, braking and control, and yeah, hitting a few curbs, chuck holes and speed bumps with your corvette,or muscle car,will be unlikely to help tire durability