In the case of our sandwich plate it came to us machined with the hole for the pickup tube. The insert was the simplest solution, and in our case we made it out of 1/2" thick barstock. We used the holes on the pickup tube as a template for drilling the mounting holes. Last, we drilled the bolt heads and safety wired the mounting bolts to prevent the bolts from backing out.

Lynn has years and years of racing rotary experience, and I respect and value his opinion.

That being said, for the amateur builder who is only going to do this once in his life, what is going to be easier? Getting the engine setting perfectly on the plate, with the requisite sealant around the oil port where it should be, and more importantly NOT where it SHOULDNT be??? or having a large enough hole that you can mount the pickup tube with spacer AFTER you have placed the engine on the plate and perhaps moved it around a bit in the process?

I have no doubt Lynn can do his recommended method in his sleep. And I have no doubt that I cannot (after having done one build).

Dave

On 1/14/2011 10:28 PM, Lehanover@aol.com wrote:

In a message dated 1/14/2011 4:39:32 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, dlomheim@aol.com writes:

Hey Lynn; I recently read that one builder had an insert machined to be added to his oil pickup tube to take up the space created by using a bed type mount sandwhiched between the pan and block.  My question is: is this really necessary?  Thanks for your insights as always!  

Doug.

 

 Rather than have a hole in the plate to allow for the pick up tube, I would drill a hole in the exact size of the pick up tube, and a set to account for the mounting screws, and let the plate perform that function. Mounting the stock or improved pick up tube to the bottom of the plate. The stock tube length would then be perfect.

 

I would also make the only drain back hole about 7" across by 3" front to back located directly below the center iron drainback, where most of the oil falls back into the engine. So all of the oil from the front and rear mains would spend more time on the plate. The longer oil spends sliding around on the flat plate, the less foam it takes back into the pan. If fear exists that debris might get through, then a big bug screen can be added here.

 

 If this is no longer an option, then extending the pickup tube is acceptable. Fabricating a longer tube in a slightly bigger diameter and with a nice bell shape on the end, with no bug screen, would be even better. As Mistral discovered.

 

If the bell is large enough it needs trimmed to avoid touching the pan. The bigger bell eliminates the need for a anti-vortex plate. The top of the big bug screen does this in American V-8s.

 

Lynn E. Hanover