C1 (1960) high performance oil pan

[Mark S.]

Re: C1 (1960) high performance oil pan

Tom, thank you for the helpful pictures. As a clarification regarding your pictures above, is this an original GM 1st design pan that was installed on 1960 assembly line cars, and is 100% correct for NCRS judging? It is my understanding the 1st design (non-service replacement) 1960 pans have one vertical long line on each side of the sump area? The Service Replacement pans have 3-lines on one side and 4-lines on the other. Is my understanding correct? Thank you in advance.

[Mark S.]

Re: C1 (1960) high performance oil pan

Tom, thank you for the helpful pictures. As a clarification regarding your pictures above, is this an original GM 1st design pan that was installed on 1960 assembly line cars, and is 100% correct for NCRS judging? It is my understanding the 1st design (non-service replacement) 1960 pans have one vertical long line on each side of the sump area? The Service Replacement pans have 3-lines on one side and 4-lines on the other. Is my understanding correct? Thank you in advance.

[Loren L.]

Re: C1 (1960) high performance oil pan

lst, the difference in the front opening is for the re-issue of the 2 pans used 1963 and up. What you and Mr Parsons have is the original 60/1 trap door; the distinguishing marks are the two side baffles and their rivet marks and the 4 rivet marks (viewed from the front) that mount the trap door. The reissue for 57-62 has a pan wide baffling setup but does NOT have a trap door.

[Tom P.]

Re: C1 (1960) high performance oil pan

Mark,
I don't remember just when I bought that pan, but I bought it for the first V8 that I put in my 51 and that was around 1967-68. I bought it from my local Chevy parts dept, so it would have been whatever service replacement was available during the mid-late 60s.
The engine that is in my 51 Chevy now is the 4th small block (now a 383) that has been in the car and all 4 of them have used that pan with a Chevy windage tray.

[Joe L.]

Re: C1 (1960) high performance oil pan

Mark,
I don't remember just when I bought that pan, but I bought it for the first V8 that I put in my 51 and that was around 1967-68. I bought it from my local Chevy parts dept, so it would have been whatever service replacement was available during the mid-late 60s.
The engine that is in my 51 Chevy now is the 4th small block (now a 383) that has been in the car and all 4 of them have used that pan with a Chevy windage tray.

Tom-----


GM #3789629. Originally used for 1962 Corvette and SERVICE for 1957-61.

[Loren L.]

Re: C1 (1960) high performance oil pan

I do not believe that #3789629 is a trap door pan - it does have side to side one piece baffling, but no trap door.

[Edward L.]

Re: C1 (1960) high performance oil pan

Tom, thank you for the helpful pictures. As a clarification regarding your pictures above, is this an original GM 1st design pan that was installed on 1960 assembly line cars, and is 100% correct for NCRS judging? It is my understanding the 1st design (non-service replacement) 1960 pans have one vertical long line on each side of the sump area? The Service Replacement pans have 3-lines on one side and 4-lines on the other. Is my understanding correct? Thank you in advance.

The original trap door pans had one long rib (line) on each side. The pan was first introduced in 1960 for use on solid lifter engines. The same pan was used on the 1961 and 1962 solid lifter engines. The hydraulic lifter pan for this period had no trap door. The sides displayed two ribs: one long 6 3/4" , and one very short rib that measured approx. 1 1/4". Any other pan configuration such as the one that was pictured in the original post in this thread is a service replacement and would not be correct for judging purposes.

Ed

[Joe L.]

Re: C1 (1960) high performance oil pan

I do not believe that #3789629 is a trap door pan - it does have side to side one piece baffling, but no trap door.

Loren-----

From October, 1961 until April, 1977 the GM #3789629 was the only oil pan available from GM for all 1957-62 Corvette applications. Tom says he purchased the pan from a GM dealer sometime around 1967-68. Ergo: the pan pretty much has to be a GM #3789629. The pan Tom purchased in 67-68 and pictured has a trap door. Ergo: the GM #3789629 has a trap door.

As far as I can tell, the GM #3789629 was used for all 1962 Corvettes and, if not, was almost certainly used for 340 and 360 HP. If 250 and 300 HP used a different pan, then it was not one available in SERVICE.

[Loren L.]

Re: C1 (1960) high performance oil pan

Well, the 629 pan in my garage does NOT have a trap door; as for your other point did I miss something? Were Chevrolet dealers asked to ship all other pans back to Chevrolet when they issued the 629 pan?

[Joe L.]

Re: C1 (1960) high performance oil pan

Well, the 629 pan in my garage does NOT have a trap door; as for your other point did I miss something? Were Chevrolet dealers asked to ship all other pans back to Chevrolet when they issued the 629 pan?

Loren-----


No, they did not. However, the chance that a Chevrolet dealer in 1967-68 would have had an oil pan in stock that was discontinued in 1961 is remote. Most Chevrolet dealers would probably not have stocked the Corvette oil pan, at all, and would have had to order it from the GM warehouse. GM warehouse stock would have been long-purged of the earlier pan by that time. In fact, the October, 1961 date would have represented the date when the last of the earlier pans went out the door of the last GM warehouse that had one.

Is the oil pan you have in a GM box with the 3789629 part number on it? And, if so, do you know that the oil pan in the box is the one that was originally in the box?


A few other things: the 3789629 replaced all earlier 57+ Corvette oil pans in October, 1961. I really doubt that GM would have replaced oil pans with "trap door" baffling with a pan that did not have trap door baffling (but, they might replace pans without trap door baffling with one with trap door baffling). Plus, the GM #3789629 is the pan originally specified as the SERVICE pan for 1962 Corvettes. If the 3789629 had no trap door baffling, that would mean that someone with a 1962 Corvette with 340 or 360 HP that needed to replace their pan would get one without the original trap door baffling.

In addition, the GM #359937 which replaced the GM #3789629 in April, 1977 does have a trap door. The only difference I know of between later examples of the 3789629 and the 359937 is the front oil pan gasket radius.

[Bill M.]

Re: C1 (1960) high performance oil pan

Loren-----

From October, 1961 until April, 1977 the GM #3789629 was the only oil pan available from GM for all 1957-62 Corvette applications. Tom says he purchased the pan from a GM dealer sometime around 1967-68. Ergo: the pan pretty much has to be a GM #3789629. The pan Tom purchased in 67-68 and pictured has a trap door. Ergo: the GM #3789629 has a trap door.

I have a pan bought in 1963 or 1964 from service. It is identical to Tom's; trap door, identical internal baffling and one reinforcing rib on each side.

[Dan D.]

Re: C1 (1960) high performance oil pan

Loren-----

From October, 1961 until April, 1977 the GM #3789629 was the only oil pan available from GM for all 1957-62 Corvette applications. Tom says he purchased the pan from a GM dealer sometime around 1967-68. Ergo: the pan pretty much has to be a GM #3789629. The pan Tom purchased in 67-68 and pictured has a trap door. Ergo: the GM #3789629 has a trap door.

As far as I can tell, the GM #3789629 was used for all 1962 Corvettes and, if not, was almost certainly used for 340 and 360 HP. If 250 and 300 HP used a different pan, then it was not one available in SERVICE.

FYI, I bought a 300HP crate engine new in 1962. It is a Flint block, built in February, 62. It does not have a trap door. Stamp pad is F0215 RB. The 'B' in 'RB' indicates service replacement. -Dan-

[Joe L.]

Re: C1 (1960) high performance oil pan

FYI, I bought a 300HP crate engine new in 1962. It is a Flint block, built in February, 62. It does not have a trap door. Stamp pad is F0215 RB. The 'B' in 'RB' indicates service replacement. -Dan-

Dan------

"RB" is the suffix code used for 1962-64 300 HP passenger car engines. So, I would not expect it to have a Corvette oil pan. The passenger car pan would not have the "trap door" baffling.

Notwithstanding the above, and acknowledging that my expertise of C1 issues is limited it's always been my understanding, correct or incorrect, that the 1962 250 and 300 hp Corvette engines did not use a "trap door" baffle. However, as far as I can tell and as I described above, I believe the only pan that was available to SERVICE 1962 Corvette applications was the "trap door" pan. If 250 and 300 HP actually did not use a trap door oil pan, there must have been a non trap door pan that was used in PRODUCTION-only for 1962 250 and 300 HP Corvette engines.

[Dan D.]

Re: C1 (1960) high performance oil pan

Yea Joe, I know it means passenger, I just did not think they would use different oil pans on 300 engines. Apparently they did. Also because it is a Flint block - not Tonawanda. -Dan-

[Joe L.]

Re: C1 (1960) high performance oil pan

Yea Joe, I know it means passenger, I just did not think they would use different oil pans on 300 engines. Apparently they did. Also because it is a Flint block - not Tonawanda. -Dan-

Dan------


GM engine suffix codes are very specific as to engine configuration. Sometimes, for example, the difference of only a single stud will result in different engine suffix codes. In the case of an oil pan, if the passenger car and Corvette happened to use the same oil pan all all other components of the Corvette and passenger car engine were the same, then the passenger car and Corvette suffix codes could be the same. However, I know of no case in which this occurred because there was always some difference between the Corvette and passenger car engines. Corvette oil pans were almost always unique to Corvette applications. Any exceptions? Yes, 1975-79 Corvette oil pans were also used on many passenger cars (but the engine assemblies were otherwise different than passenger cars)..