56/57 oil capacity

[Edward M.]

OK, here is a question that was posed to me

If the 56/57 Corvette has a 5 quart oil pan (and the passenger car has a 4 quart pan), why does the 56 and the 57 Corvette owners manual say the crankcase capacity is 4 quarts without filter, and 5 quarts with a filter?

[Loren L.]

Re: 56/57 oil capacity

Because your basic premise is in error - both pans are 4 plus 1 for the filter.

[Edward M.]

Re: 56/57 oil capacity

Because your basic premise is in error - both pans are 4 plus 1 for the filter.

Not convinced. My March 1, 57 parts book says:

56 All 8 cyl (exc. hvy. duty, 2 TON)........(4 qt. cap.)........3836798
56 CORV.,
56 UTIL. (8 cyl.)..................................(5 qt. cap.)........3727732

56 passenger car spec says Oil Pan capacity 4.5 qt. dry, 4 qt. refill
56 Corvette spec says Oil Pan capacity less filter, 5 qt. refill

[Clem Z.]

Re: 56/57 oil capacity

Not convinced. My March 1, 57 parts book says:

56 All 8 cyl (exc. hvy. duty, 2 TON)........(4 qt. cap.)........3836798
56 CORV.,
56 UTIL. (8 cyl.)..................................(5 qt. cap.)........3727732

56 passenger car spec says Oil Pan capacity 4.5 qt. dry, 4 qt. refill
56 Corvette spec says Oil Pan capacity less filter, 5 qt. refill

does not UTIL mean utility which i believe is a truck. JMHO

[Loren L.]

Re: 56/57 oil capacity

Ed, your question RECITES the answer - the parts book is wrong! If it REALLY was 5 qts + 1 for the filter, WHY did it take until 1963 and a bigger engine for this to be a requirement? Why are not 58-62 pans recited as 5 qts + 1 for the filter?
If you have a 56 pan go drain it - leave the filter alone and put 5 qts in and make a reading in the morning.

[Edward M.]

Re: 56/57 oil capacity

Loren;

This issue came upo because of the "larger capacity" oil pan used on 56/57 Corvettes than was used on passenger car engines.

The 56 Corvette AMA spec says 5 qts. to refill without the filter.
The 56 Corvette owners manual says 4 qts. to refill without the filter.

One or the other is wrong. Which is it?

On a related note, why is there a 5 qt. pan listed for Corvettes in the parts book, and a 4 qt. pan listed for passenger cars?

[Loren L.]

Re: 56/57 oil capacity

My April 1, 1956 PBlists the following usages in Gr. 1.426:
"37-39 ALL (838866)

40-52 ALL,
53 ALL (exc. P.G.) (3835858)

53-55 CORV, 6 cyl (3836078)

53 PASS. w/PG,
54 ALL,
55 COMM., UTIL. (1st Ser.) (3701602)

55 pass. 6 cyl,
56 CONN., UTIL. 6 cyl. (3837016)

55 ALL, CORV., 8 cyl.(exc 2 TON) (3704925)

55 2 ton 8 cyl (3714341)

56 ALL 6 cyl (3836798)

56 CORV.,
56 D-D, UTIL. 8 cyl (3727732)"


Please note that there is NOT a listing for 56 PASS. V-8s......

[Edward M.]

Re: 56/57 oil capacity

Loren;

I noticed the same thing in my April 1, 56 manual. Not sure what that means.

However, the March 1, 1957 parts manual does list a 56 passenger car oil pan.

56 ALL 8 cyl. (exc. hvy. duty, 2 TON)......................3836798

The April 1, 1956 parts book must have a mistake. Pan number 3836798 is shown as follows:

56 ALL 6 cyl.....(18 holes w/baffle) (4 qt, cap.).......3836798

However, a 6 cylinder oil pan has 22 holes, not 18. This is most likely the actual listing for the V8 passenger car oil pan.


I also noticed that 56 Corvette and 57 Corvette have different part numbers for the oil pan (as per March 1, 1957 parts manual).

56 Corvette oil pan
(18 holes with baffle) (5 qt. cap.).....................3727732

57 Corvette oil pan
w/pin (18 holes, 4 marked B)............................3736615

I wonder what the differences are?

I am guessing that the 57 Corvette oil pan may have the depressions similar to the 56 passenger car oil pan.

Can anyone with a known original 57 (not 56) Corvette oil pan provide a picture of it?

[Loren L.]

Re: 56/57 oil capacity

Ed, you have 50+ years of cars to draw on - can ANYONE furish a pan that purports to be that vintage that is 5 qts + 1 for the filter?????
I think the answer is NO.

[Edward M.]

Re: 56/57 oil capacity

Ed, you have 50+ years of cars to draw on - can ANYONE furish a pan that purports to be that vintage that is 5 qts + 1 for the filter?????
I think the answer is NO.

Loren;

I am not saying that the pan is 5 quarts; I am saying that the parts books says the pan is 5 quarts (without the filter). The AMA spec for 56 Corvette says the same thing.

I am not interested in the actual capacity. My interest is in the internal and external configuration of the 56/57 Corvette oil pan. I am still wondering why they have different part numbers, given that the external configuration is pretty much the same.

I just looked at some pics of the oil pan on a 57 Bow Tie car. The pan externally looks pretty much like the pan described in the judging manual.

A friend of mine just bought (yesterday) the same style pan off of a 56 heavy truck 265 engine. It is definitely not the same as a 56 passenger car pan.

Anybody have a pic of a 57 passenger car pan? I have a 56 passenger car pan, but I understand there is some difference for the 57 passenger car pan.

Now, regarding capacity....I am still wondering why the owner's manual says 4 quarts without filter, and the parts book and AMA spec say 5 quarts without filter. Typo in the parts book and the AMA spec...I can accept that....typo in the owner's manual......I can accept that.

What I know for sure is that the internal and external configuration of the 56/57 Corvette oil pan is different than the internal and external configuration of the 56/57 passenger car oil pan.

[Loren L.]

Re: 56/57 oil capacity

"I am not interested in the actual capacity."

Perhaps then your question should be "What are the exterior appearance differences between Corvette and Chevrolet passenger car oil pans in 1956 and 1957?". Do you see the difference?

[Edward M.]

Re: 56/57 oil capacity

"I am not interested in the actual capacity."

Perhaps then your question should be "What are the exterior appearance differences between Corvette and Chevrolet passenger car oil pans in 1956 and 1957?". Do you see the difference?

No, the actual question is why is the a difference between the passenger car oil pan and the Corvette oil pan is they are the same capacity? Answer: They are not the same capacity, the Corvette pan holds more oil. I don't know how much more, but it is more.

I am about due for an oil change on my 56, which has the Corvette oil pan. I'll change it and report back with the "full" capacity results.

[Brooks G.]

Re: 56/57 oil capacity

Loren and Ed, I am still puzzled about early Corvette oil pans especially for 1956 and 1957. About a week ago I bought what I am told is the correct oil pan for a 1956 or 1957 Corvette. I am attaching pictures showing this pan next to what is correct for a 1956 Chevrolet 265 V-8. According to the '56 Corvette owner's manual, the capacity is 4 quarts plus one quart for the filter. I hope you can see from the pictures that the "correct" oil pan looks to have a much larger capacity. I just got these pans cleaned at a local auto machine shop. The chemicals they use today are not as good as what they used to use. Please also note that the "correct" pan has some dents in the bottom that I have not worked out yet. Please notice the length of the sump in the "correct" pan verses the '56 Chevy pan. Also notice the steps in each pan. It sure looks like the "correct" pan has a larger capacity than the stock '56 Chevy 265 pan. What do you think? Thanks in advance! Brooks Glover (2141)

[Edward M.]

Re: 56/57 oil capacity

Brooks;

That is the whole point of the discussion. What is the actual capacity of the "Corvette" pan? The parts book says 5 quarts without filter, the owners manual says 4 quarts without filter.

Since you have both pans off of the engine, measuring the relative capacity of each should be easy, once the dents are removed.

Set both pans on a level surface.

Fill both pans with liquid (water), keeping track of exactly how much liquid has been added. Fill both pans to the same relative location on each pan (perhaps to a point 1/2 inch below the front and rear ends of each pan).

Determine what the difference in capacity is based on those measurements.