I've been putting this off for a while now. I finally ordered the oil pan brace. Went with Banzai's brace cause I also needed the w/p, alt, e-shaft belt. So one stop shop type of thing(e z to find, other vendors dont have a listing for this).

Drained the oil, sprayed the subframe bolts and I'm ready to tackle it tomorrow. I'm hoping I can sneak it without dropping the subframe completely but I wont find out till I try.

wish me luck.

 

Drop the subframe. You can leave the hubs connected and let it hang.

 

Read this. It should be helpful. IMO, you don't have to drop the subframe.

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...easier+oil+pan

Dave

 

Does the brace have a groove milled between the bolt holes to clear the small pinch rail on the pan ? If not and the brace sits on the pinch rail how does the brace put pressure over the bolt holes ? Is there a gap under the bolt hole and the brace ?

 

Nevermind - screwed up

 

https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generation-specific-1993-2002-16/mythbusters-time-oil-pan-motor-mounts-488739/

Definitely use The Right Stuff without an oil pan gasket. That sealant is designed to form a blow-out resistant gasket even on mating surfaces with gaps up to 1/4".

It's the toughest gasket maker I've ever seen or used.

 

$12 a can! I agree 110%

-J

 

I didnt get a chance on Sunday, but I did get it started today...

I was wondering about that. So you can just let it hang by the suspension? thanx for the tip. I was kinda stuck thinking about how I was going to be supporting it.

I removed the motor mount bolts, broke loose the subframe bolts and realized the 2X4 I was gonna use to jack up the tranny/engine is too long. Decided to leave it for tomorrow since it was almost 7.

Just to make sure(I hate it when I'm almost ready to remove parts and find out I have to re-secure order to remove other stuff), brake lines wont get pulled? what about the strut towers? steering rack?

BTW, I was expecting to have to fight the subframe bolts but they came off easy. PB blaster overnight did the trick!

 

I think I know what youre referring to...It doesnt. Does anyone with a different brace have this????

 

I'm sure he'll tell you he knows someone who does

 

As Rich hinted, Garfinkle makes his own version. I've got one and can attest that it's top quality. The milled grooves match the pan's grooves perfectly and comes with longer bolts, including those for the motor mount brackets. Really a nice piece.

 

Aha, so thats the man behind the s/n...no wonder!

His brace was at the top of my list but nobody had one when I was looking. I believe there was a production run in the horizon but didnt think I could wait.

I will be getting his torque brace later on...

 

The "groove" in the oil pan is actually a bead that Mazda incorporated into the design to add rigidity, cut down on flex and prevent oil leaks. We all know how well this worked..

We designed our brace without the groove matching the bead intentionally. When the brace is torqued down it uses the bead as a "lock washer". There is no gap under the bolt holes and it is not crushing the bead out of the pan. The spring tension of the bead puts even greater clamping force on the brace, especially when used in conjunction with the stud kit that we provide for installation. The motor mount bolts and lock washers are also included.

I will post pics of a pan that had a brace installed for years and the bead is completely intact, later this morning.

We have been testing our brace for years on multiple high HP cars, before ever offering it to the public, none of them have developed any oil pan leaks.

Additionally our brace is plated to prevent rust.

Thanks,
Chris

Brace installed with studs.

 

Damn, you could eat breakfast off of that oil pan

 

Thanks Rich, we clean and paint all the pans during our rebuilds.

Below are pics of two oil pans, the one that has been painted silver spent 2 years with a brace bolted to it. The black one is just a spare that we have laying around. As you can see the bead is still present in the silver oil pan.

Now on to the mechanics of why we do not machine a grove. The problem with the pans is not that they leak where the bolts are torqued down, it is that they leak where the plates meet, appropriately where the beads are rolled in the pan. By adding a groove to the brace, the pressure exerted on the pan is greatly reduced. It creates a situation similar to just running the pan. The greatest pressure is still at the bolt mounting points.

Using our brace, that does not have the grooves, puts greater pressure on the beaded portion of the pan, then at the mounting points. Once the nuts are torqued down on the studs the pressure created at the beaded portions of the pan is increased drastically. Basically using the pan itself as a tension spring. By installing the studs and using nuts to fasten the brace, the torque can be greatly increased reducing the chance of stripping the hole or shearing the head off a bolt.

Some will argue that the pan leaks at the mounting bolts, this is only when a gasket is installed and the bolts are over-torqued, tearing the gasket. We recommend not installing any gasket and just using sealant.

 

With the groove the brace is touching all of the rest of the surface which is a much greater surface area than the narrow rail so the pressure is spread over a larger area including over the bolt holes . If any one who has my pan and does not want it because of the evil groove ,send it back for a refund .

 

I thought that, "Oil Pan Brace = Oil Pan EXPLOSION on the streets. At least that's what I have heard." Inside joke.
The Brace works great, I don't have any problems with mine.

 

Lucky you. It's close to $20 a can here in VA. You do get tons of use out of the aeorsol cans, though...

With one can I did my oil pan, many other random gasketing and adhesive jobs, and finished it off sealing the hydraulic case to the transmission on a 1950's ford NAA tractor.

 

I wish I had taken the time to clean/paint the pan...

My brace is installed! It was WAY less of a pia than I was expecting! It took me a while cause I had my 3year old son asking questions every 2 seconds. I must admit, I gave him the pry bar and told him to hold it and the little guy did a GREAT JOB! He pulled down that subframe both times.

Now I'm dying to put oil in it and enjoy a leak free FD!!!!

 

Banzai FTW.


I cannot wait to get my brace installed and my engine back in!!



Now i bought Permatex Ultra Black instead of 'Right Stuff', should i go back and get 'Right Stuff'??



I know Pineapple uses ultra black a lot, so i thought it should be fine.




What do you guys think.



=Ben

 

i bought 2 tubes of hondabond ht for when i do mine...

 

Well, I used Permatex Ultra-Grey w/o a brace - the link I posted - and it's been OK for 3 years so far... YMMV

Dave

 

Damn Dave, you might want to consider playing the lottery

 

So, I gather you think that I was just lucky to not have any leaks yet?

I think that prep (straightening and dimpling the pan, intensive cleaning) is 80% of the battle. Obviously, using a good sealant is important. If I were doing it again, I probably would use "The Right Stuff," just to be safe, since so many people swear by it, not at it.

Dave

 

Yep, DaveW's technique works like a charm. It's in that link that I posted.