Oil pan interchangablity

jerrybromley · Nov 11, 2019

Hi Guys , just a question about the 289 oil pan. Will a 5.0 80ish rear sump oil pan from a fox chassis Mustang interchange with the 67 Bronco. They are a lot cheaper .

pcf_mark · Nov 11, 2019

i have the late 80s/early 90s Mustang dual sump pan and it clears by a mile.

jckkys · Nov 11, 2019

The OE Bronco oil pan is the ONLY one designed for the Bronco chassis. Anything else will be hit by the front axle when the suspension bottoms out. I went to the trouble and expense of having the rear main bearing cap area of the EB pan cut off and replaced with the same area off a 351W pan. There's no other way to get a real EB pan with a 351W. If I was still running a 289-302, I wouldn't think about anything other than the OE Bronco pan. A little known trick is the availability of inexpensive MerCruiser 188 boat oil pans that were in fact EB pans. Boat people don't know what they could get for them. Here is a good example ; https://www.ebay.com/itm/MerCruiser...274117&hash=item2600e7b762:g:du8AAOSwjkxbhC-l. These pans never seem to be dented.

garberz · Nov 11, 2019

The Explorer 5.0 pans fit great. If you’re still running the stock 302 block, you’ll need to figure out something for a dip stick tube. I don’t know when they started running the tube into the block, instead of the pan. Explorer 5.0’s are in the block.

Mark

garberz · Nov 11, 2019

jckkys said:
.......I went to the trouble and expense of having the rear main bearing cap area of the EB pan cut off and replaced with the same area off a 351W pan. There's no other way to get a real EB pan with a 351W. If I was still running a 289-302, I wouldn't think about anything other than the OE Bronco pan.

This is exactly how the James Duff 351w oil pan came to be, back in the 70’s. The Silver Fox Bronco had the prototype, that’s the story I heard this last summer, straight from the source.

Mark

72Sport · Nov 11, 2019

jckkys said:
The OE Bronco oil pan is the ONLY one designed for the Bronco chassis. Anything else will be hit by the front axle when the suspension bottoms out. I went to the trouble and expense of having the rear main bearing cap area of the EB pan cut off and replaced with the same area off a 351W pan. There's no other way to get a real EB pan with a 351W. If I was still running a 289-302, I wouldn't think about anything other than the OE Bronco pan. A little known trick is the availability of inexpensive MerCruiser 188 boat oil pans that were in fact EB pans. Boat people don't know what they could get for them. Here is a good example ; https://www.ebay.com/itm/MerCruiser...274117&hash=item2600e7b762:g:du8AAOSwjkxbhC-l. These pans never seem to be dented.

The 188 Mercruiser Pan is identical to the Bronco Pan. They even copied the leaks. After I fixed my 72 Bronco oil leak I repaired the leak in my 72 Mercruiser 302 Pan. In my case the Mercruiser Pan came before the Bronco Pan and the Mercruiser never left a drop of oil on the driveway.
I Think the later model Mercruiser had the screw in dip stick just like the Bronco.

stanz · Nov 12, 2019

72Sport said:
The 188 Mercruiser Pan is identical to the Bronco Pan. They even copied the leaks. After I fixed my 72 Bronco oil leak I repaired the leak in my 72 Mercruiser 302 Pan. In my case the Mercruiser Pan came before the Bronco Pan and the Mercruiser never left a drop of oil on the driveway.
I Think the later model Mercruiser had the screw in dip stick just like the Bronco.

What leak are you referring to? What was your fix?

jerrybromley · Nov 12, 2019

Thanks for all the info. I am replacing the original 6 cylinder manual with a 289 I have had for awhile but with the front sump . I never even considered a Merc oil pan.
I will be using a C-4 . I am assuming that does not make a difference as to which oil pan I use. Can anyone confirm this ?

DirtDonk · Nov 12, 2019

stanz said:
What leak are you referring to? What was your fix?

Interested to hear the fix as well, but presumably the leak mentioned was the traditional seepage-to-flood that is the metal plate on the side that supports the dipstick.
Common issue.

jerrybromley said:
I am replacing the original 6 cylinder manual with a 289 I have had for awhile but with the front sump . I never even considered a Merc oil pan.

And yes, the Fox pans also fit to a reasonable extent. It's correct that the dual-sump front area is deeper so less clearance than stock, but in lieu of stock that's the pan that hundreds of Bronco owners are using with success.
However, being able to get an original or the Merc pan would give you a distinct advantage, especially if you are not lifted.

A grey area however, is the pan rail where the dipstick enters on the later blocks. I have actually run into a case where the early pan did not fit with the later engine because the engine's pan rail had a curve/bump-out where the dipstick was inserted, and so would not seal. No idea how most Fox Body pans fit the early blocks then, unless these odd blocks were just that. Odd.
Still, pays to pay attention before installing the engine!

jerrybromley said:
I will be using a C-4 . I am assuming that does not make a difference as to which oil pan I use. Can anyone confirm this ?

Should fit just fine. There is no different pan for autos-vs-manuals on our engines.
The engine plate/mid-plate is different however, so you will want the one for the automatic with the access plate.

Paul

jerrybromley · Nov 12, 2019

Thanks Dirtdonk , I have 2 1/2 suspension lift and I believe I will use a 1 inch body lift . The truck is going to be lightly used off road . I have a bid in on a merc pan but no pickup or gasket comes with it . The mustang pan may yet be my best choice

DirtDonk · Nov 12, 2019

Keep your eyes open for a pickup too then. They must be out there somewhere. Hopefully!
I remember when you could go down to the machine shop/auto parts store and buy them new. Guess it's not that easy any more.

Good luck!

Paul

jckkys · Nov 12, 2019

In this case Merc doesn't mean Mercury cars, so Mercruiser is is a better descriptor. The Mercruiser 188 pan isn't LIKE an EB pan it IS an EB pan. Why inboard/outboard boat makers chose the EB pan over the then current front sump small block pans is a mystery. The boat engines were rated at 188 HP thus the name. The James Duff 351 conversion pans were likely the best 351W conversion pans for EBs. The expense compared to the Fox/Panther 351W pan was what killed it. ALL pan mounted dip sticks can leak. Not all do leak.

DirtDonk · Nov 12, 2019

You were clear on that in your first post, but it's good to repeat since I used the term Merc and that does usually mean Mercury cars to most people.

And thanks for that tip in the first place. Knowing that MerCruiser had a part that might be more readily available is a happy thing for anyone needing a pan.

Is that something that is still in use today, or is the 188 model the only one that came that way, and is long since out of date?

Paul

nvrstuk · Nov 12, 2019

351W Ford VAN pans were quite the rage for a decade or more also. Fit great... I still have a spare Van pan. Think they started dropping 351W's in vans in '75.

Mercruiser was robbing Ford parts for several engines...their famous 4 cyl 170HP and 190HP used 460 pistons HUGE slugs in this weird alum block....

jckkys · Nov 12, 2019

I'm not a boat guy. I just happened to have seen an ebay auction for an EB pan that also said it was a Mercruiser pan. Then I searched using the Mercruiser 188 parameters and found several. The Volvo Penta inboard/outboard engines are 351W/5.8 Ford engines just like the Mercruiser 188 is a 302 Ford engine. These engines don't have to meet emissions equipment requirements so the 351 4bbl intakes don't have EGR provisions. The EFI lower is the cast iron version of GT40/Lightning lower.

jerrybromley · Nov 13, 2019

Well I bought the " Mercruiser " pan on ebay and also found what appears to be a pickup that will work( " F2ZE-6622-AA " ford part number.)I found a replacement main bearing bolt with the stud for the support of the pickup at Toms Bronco . Now I can get on with welding in the motor mounts. Everything takes longer and costs more than I expect ;-)

jerrybromley · Nov 19, 2019

I am installing a 289 so it is an early block . My pan should arrive any day now I will let you guys know what I think

nvrstuk · Nov 19, 2019

289 early block? Like pre '65 block with the different 5 bolt pattern? That's what "early block" means for a Ford.

jerrybromley · Feb 16, 2020

No not the 5 bolt . I should have been more clear. It actually came from an 67 Mercury (car). Those old 5 bolts just complicate things and I know they were never used in Broncos.
My buddy built it ,supposedly, to Hi-Po specs. Went out and beat it without a break in. Needless to say the he had no oil pressure in short order. I bought it the next day and after years sitting in my shop I pulled it apart and found ( big surprise ) damaged bearings and crank. I live in a small town so of course no one in town turns cranks anymore. So I will order a new crank and bearings when the time comes

nvrstuk · Feb 16, 2020

I am a boat guy and I can safely bet that any I/O design would and does use a rear sump pan ideally because boats never go "downhill" but when taking off and getting up on plane they ALL go "uphill".

btw- "Merc" to boat guys mean Mercury outboards not cars and Mercruiser is Mercruiser. lol

Oil pan interchangablity

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