Two-Piece Package…
Another innovation from Jeff Johnston’s Billet Fabrication is the two-piece pan arrangement. This allows the bottom end of the engine to be inspected easily. As you can see, the lower pan segment is o-ringed, and simply bolts into place.
Several manufacturers offer two-piece pans. Billet Fabrication is one of them. What’s the big deal over having a multi-piece oil pan? Simple. Two-piece pans are pretty much an essential for anyone concerned with main-bearing life (and that usually means anyone with a car using some sort of power adder – blower, turbo or nitrous). Ditto with mule motors used on the dyno. The two-piece packages allow for easy (and relatively clean) bottom end inspection. In Johnston’s case, he incorporates three separate rails CNC-machined from billet aluminum in the construction – one at the oil pan rail and two between the respective pan halves. The billet rails prevent warping and leaking after repeated on/off cycles, keeping the gaskets (and oil) in place after years of use.
FYI, every aluminum oil pan (two piece or not) built by Billet Fabrication features 3/8-inch-thick rails and end seals milled from 6061 billet, then heliarc-welded to 0.090-inch, 3003-alloy walls (except for marine pans, whose walls are fully-.125-inch thick).
So what's the bottom line? Johnston’s Billet Fabrication certainly doesn’t follow the beaten path when it comes to oil pan design and manufacturer. The ideas are decidedly different, but as you can see, there’s plenty of merit – particularly when it comes to engine longevity. And that's something any racer can relate to.
Source |
Jeff Johnston's Billet Fabrication 3311 East Ferry Ave. Spokane, WA, 99202, USA PH (orders): 877.424.5538 PH (tech): 509.568.0428 |