Did the '86.5 come with a belly pan? Is it the same as the '87-95 pan?

Has anybody made a DIY pan from sheet metal? I can't see spending $400 on one...

Thanks!

 

The 86.5 is the same as the '86 and '85, not sure how the earlier 16 valve's will work although thinking about it they seem the same too.

The S4 and up are different as the nose changes the way it attaches and there is a center under engine tray too.

 

Thank you!

 

And the earlier ones are also different from 32V.

 

The one on my 86.5 is pretty simple. Other than the bump for the alternator, it looks like something those of us with moderate talents could fab up...

 

I was hoping that was the case. I was thinking a couple louvered panels, similar to my old 944.



http://www.ebay.com/itm/Louvered-Ven...7fa62d&vxp=mtr

 

Any progress on the S3 pan?

 

Yep:



It still needs paint and some adjustment, but I'm only out $40 so far. It will double as a drip pan for now (ugh) but I'm happy to have protection for the alternator and belts from stones and cones. It should help with cooling as well, but I'll know more after the next couple events in April if I need to add louvers or NACA ducts. I have an IR thermometer I can use to compare temps with it on and off.

I can remove it with a 13mm wrench in about 30 seconds

 

I like that!, what happened to your cats?

 

I like it! Steel? Thickness?

 

@OTR18WHEELER - it's a "track-only" car

@MJ - it's actually diamond plate aluminum (about .1" thick). It's tacky, I know, but my thought was that the textured design might keep the fluids from running off the pan and onto the ground. The piece weighed 12lbs when I bought it, but I cut off a chunk from the end. So, it's maybe 10lbs total. Coincidentally, I used a 10lb sledge to work it into shape

 

Thanks Chris. I need a pan. I may have to beat up some aluminum sheet metal. Looks very doable.

 

Please speak more of your front attachment points of the pan.

 

@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.