MAC windage tray - DON"T BOTHER

[Maryland Stang]

I just wanted to get a heads up out there. Today I found out (the hard way) that the MAC windage tray won't work with the Fox rear sump oil pan and oil pump pickup. The tray hits the pan where it rises towards the block for the cross member. The tray also sticks out towards the side of the block so far that you can't use a stock pickup tube with it.

If anybody has any ideas of how to get it to work I'm all ears.

 

[91notchbk]

I just wanted to get a heads up out there. Today I found out (the hard way) that the MAC windage tray won't work with the Fox rear sump oil pan and oil pump pickup. The tray hits the pan where it rises towards the block for the cross member. The tray also sticks out towards the side of the block so far that you can't use a stock pickup tube with it.

If anybody has any ideas of how to get it to work I'm all ears.

I went through the same thing about three years ago. I installed mine after a rebuild. I found that the hump in the pan hit the windage tray. I took a dead blow and bent it down to clear the pan. I got it to work were there is clearance from the crankshaft and clearance from the pan. Since the engine was on a stand I forgot about the dipstick. That is, until I had the motor in and ready to start. The dipstick was hitting. So I un-bolted the engine mounts, exhaust, atc. to raise the engine back out of the engine bay and remove the oil pan. I was able to grind a little off the tray to get the dipstick to clear. It is in and I have a dipstick that reads properly. So all is well.

You are more fortunate than me to realize that the dipstick hit before you installed the motor.

Good luck.

 

[5spd GT]

Contact Mac and let them know.

 

[91notchbk]

Contact Mac and let them know.

I contacted Mac at the time and they said they do not do the install so they referred me to Mustangs Unlimited and talk to their tech. So I called Mustang Unlimited and talked to the tech that does the installs. I asked him if he had installed them with a stock pan and he replied:

"Man when you are working with performance parts nothing fits. You have to just get in there and cut and grind and make it fit. You are in the school of hard knocks now".

This guy was either a complete moron or he just wanted to give me the run around. Either way Mac and Mustangs Unlimited was no help. Maybe you get get better support than what I got.

No matter what you will have to do some bending and grinding if you want to get it to work.

Here is a pic of the tray installed before the modification.
https://home.comcast.net/~perkin50/tray2.JPG

This is one after I modified..
https://home.comcast.net/~perkin50/tray1.JPG

It may be hard to see from the second pic but it is bent down a little in the middle. And I ground maybe 1/4" of material away to get the dipstick to clear.

 

[Maryland Stang]

Well, it sounds then like I will be taking a hammer to it today. What have I got to loose? They won't take the tray back since I already trimmed it to clear the oil pump.

I don't mind clearencing the tray to fit the pan. It's that pickup tube that bothers me.

 

[86bluecobra]

I used a milidon windage tray with a milidon parn.. The pick up was a little dificult to install but it went in without any grinding. Sorry to hear about your troubles.

 

[Maryland Stang]

Okay, after a little "work" with a iron pipe (it's not as brutal as it seems in the right hands), a 22 oz waffle head hammer, a rubber mallet and a block of 2X4 I have the required clearance. I was able to bend the dipstick tube so the dipstick goes past the tray. I'm happy now and am certainly glad you all replied.

 

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

My buddy had this same issue with his 347 and ended up using a Canton oil pan to solve the issue.

 

[LiquidGT]

I have a mac tray, but I didnt have any problems with the pick up or pan.
It was the dipstick that got me, after I got the motor in the car I realized I couldnt put the dipstick in. Luckly I had a spectre brand dipstick lying around that I got for free when I worked at the Zone. (no i didnt steal it) I got that one to go in narrow-ways and it can read the oil , I just had to make my own marks.

 

[TC93]

Did you bend the windage tray?? If so, you might want to rotate motor over to make sure the rod bolts clear.

I know on some of the 92-93 pans they need to be modified to work with just about any tray or support. Had the same problem when installing a DSS main support and windage tray set-up a few years back. Its the oil pan design...If you look at the middle of the pan, part over cross member, it is v-shaped. And older pans were flat across the middle. When I had that problem, I use a rubber mallet and beat the oil pan out for clearance...

 

[Maryland Stang]

I actually think it's an issue with the main bearing caps. The caps on my engine seem to be very tall. I've never seen another one torn down to be able to tell a difference.

Everything clears the pan with lots of room. The instructions call for .060" clearance between the scraper and the crank but it's more like an inch.

The pan is a new replacement pan from 5.0Resto. It fits 79 to 95 engines.