Removing dents from oil pan

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MidnightSwinger

MidnightSwinger

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Thanks to a fellow FABO member I finally found my early A body slant 6 oil pan. It has some bumps and bruises on the bottom of the sump area and I’m looking for advice on how to fix it.

I just bought my first(cheap) hammer and dolly set, and I have a gas torch to heat the metal up and make it easier to work. Does that sound ok? Metal shaping is totally new to me so I am open to suggestions.

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I just lay something like that on a concrete floor, find a 2x4 and pound the dents out using that and a hammer.
 
What Rusty said, except I would probably put a hunk of 2x10 lumber under it to soften the blow on most of it and use a couple 1" hardwood dowels with different shapes ground on the end. Heat should only be needed if you have a sharp crease. Most of that should pound out cold.
 
I use brass bars on the high side and wood on the low side. Brass is hard enough to move the steel and less likely to create a crease or tear. When that method isn't making any more progress hammer and dolly to finish the job assuming the is enough room to swong the hammer.
 
64mopar64 said:
I use brass bars on the high side and wood on the low side. Brass is hard enough to move the steel and less likely to create a crease or tear. When that method isn't making any more progress hammer and dolly to finish the job assuming the is enough room to swong the hammer.
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I think so, the slant pan has no baffles and it’s pretty open, I think I should be able to get the hammer in there.
 
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MidnightSwinger said:
I apologize for the stupid question, but I’m hitting the pan with the wood driven by the hammer?
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No. Put the pan flat on the floor and come in from the inside with the piece of wood and smack the end of the wood with the hammer.
 
The really hard kinks (front right and by drain plug) might leak when you beat em back out. If they do, just clean them really well and zap em with a mig. Be careful not to beat a belly into the bottom of the pan instead of making it flat. That might put the sump to far away from the bottom of the pan.
 
Whatever state of flatness you get it to, just make sure that your pickup actually contacts the bottom (maybe even with 1/8" tension) when you install it.

I learned that pickups don't like to "dangle" in the pan (at least on 318s) -- when I pounded out dents in my 318 pan, I didn't realize that the dents had bent the pickup up about 1/2" inch from the floor of the pan. With the dents gone, there was a gap there and I'd occasionally lose pressure for a second or two after rounding a corner due to sloshing oil in the pan. I put in a new pickup and made sure it interfered with the pan just a bit, and no more pressure loss.
 
I straightened the last one out using my arbour press and a hockey puck. Pressed the dents right out without marking the inside of the pan.
 
Hockey parts for the win! :thumbsup:
Coulda used a hockey stick, hammer and hockey gloves(just not goalie gloves)
CFD244 said:
I straightened the last one out using my arbour press and a hockey puck. Pressed the dents right out without marking the inside of the pan.
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I’m going to call this good enough for a slant six driver. It’s not pretty, but the major dents are out and I was able to clean up the drain plug area. Time to blast and paint.

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Looks plenty good enough for a driver. I had to beat the dents out of the pan for my 273 and weld up a few holes. I sanded the bottom and sides good and hit the whole bottom and a few inches up the sides with some rattle can primer. Then I poured an inch or so of oil in it and let it sit for a week or so. If there are any pin holes, it shows up easily on primer. I used up all my luck my pan, as it had no leaks!

:thumbsup:
 
JDMopar said:
Looks plenty good enough for a driver. I had to beat the dents out of the pan for my 273 and weld up a few holes. I sanded the bottom and sides good and hit the whole bottom and a few inches up the sides with some rattle can primer. Then I poured an inch or so of oil in it and let it sit for a week or so. If there are any pin holes, it shows up easily on primer. I used up all my luck my pan, as it had no leaks!

:thumbsup:
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Thanks man, the pan is at the sand blasters now. I’m hoping it’s solid and good for paint . I want to get this motor in.
 
JDMopar said:
Looks plenty good enough for a driver. I had to beat the dents out of the pan for my 273 and weld up a few holes. I sanded the bottom and sides good and hit the whole bottom and a few inches up the sides with some rattle can primer. Then I poured an inch or so of oil in it and let it sit for a week or so. If there are any pin holes, it shows up easily on primer. I used up all my luck my pan, as it had no leaks!

:thumbsup:
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Good leak check here. better to find out while its out of the car.
 
put the plug in, and fill the pan with water on a clean dry surface and leave it for 24 hours. Worth taking the time the find leaks now - weld the problems up from the inside...
 
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