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@MJ - we can build you one too, once I work out the kinks; my treat. I would like to be sure cooling is not an issue, since I covered up the oil pan fins. I think I may cut a long slot in the leading edge to allow airflow over the oil pan, but still protect against large objects.
@MainePorsche - the front "lip" of the pan slides under the radiator. I'm going to use some thick felt to cushion the metal to metal contact. I think the front attachment can be done better, but I'm wary of using any kind of bolt or screw near the rad, since it's aluminum and $1100 (aftermarket). If anything, I'd like the belly pan to be sacrificial and be engineered to fail predictably; hence only two small bolts hold it in place, and it slides out towards the rear of the car. For $40 and two bolts, I can carry a spare assembly to the track.
Thanks Chris. I would just like to check out the details when you are done. I have to do my motor mounts and will be spending a lot of time in that area of the car. My pan is a good 1/2" below the X member. Yikes!
Hi, I own an 86.5 and have managed to find a used belly pan-see below. Unfortunately I don't have a workshop with easy access to the car and trying to anticipate what bolts/screws I will need to attach (assuming they're missing). Does anyone have an idea of what I might need? Thanks in advance, Grant
Interesting old thread. I found that all 7 of the screws holding mine onto the 85 were the same and all smaller than the ones shown. I plan to provide screws like the smaller of the ones shown with my belly pan and the necessary u-nuts for them. The two outer and upper screws mount into the frame, I think, and I'm not sure iust what to do about the two outer/upper screws. I hate to suggest that anyone put a lorger screw in where the hole is still useful for the smaller ones.
I'm getting closer with my belly pan project and have the forming dies nearly completely worked over to try again. Here is my first squeeze.
If you supply the necessary U nuts for placing smaller screws in the upper-outer locations, that should work fine. My larger screws in those locations appear stock, but I am sure the belly pan has been on and off several times prior to my ownership (motor work), so who knows!
Carlos, I think the two outer and upper screw location do no use u-nuts. I think they simply screw into holes in the frame. That's why I am kind of concerned about how to deal with them.
Correct, the two outer/upper screws are B6.3x19 tapping screws, they just screw directly into a hole in the frame rail. If that hole gets stripped, an M6 nutsert is a nice solution though buying the nutsert / rivnut tool is non-trivial, cost-wise.
You are correct, from what I can tell, the upper-outer ones mount to the "frame". I don't have my car on a lift, but I was able to finagle these pictures. Red marks show what I am pretty sure are the respective outer mount points.
(Note that on the right side I am about to lose one of my lower bolt U-nut tabs - it is bent forward! How best to bend that back w/o breaking/weakening? Heat?) Pan mount - outer left ^^^
Pan mount - outer right ^^^
Last edited by hernanca; 10-18-2020 at 05:37 PM.
Reason: Parallel Universe
04-01-2013, 01:34 AM
