Does the "Oil Pan Brace" actually work?
 

Iv'e heard this is a permanent fix to stop oil pan leaks. But what is this material made out of, and does it REALLY work, because a factoy oil pan gasket is a lot cheaper. If anyone has tried this please share your experience, thanks

I have it, and honestly I'm not sure if it helps, i have an oil leak from somewhere and i need to track it down in order to give you a real answer on that.

Was the car leaking from the oil pan gasket before, and it's still leaking from the same place, or your not really sure is what your saying?

i have and yes it works after i broke the 300hp mark my oil pan started leaking like a siv and after a new gasket and the brace the problem is remedied i got mine from gotham with the longer bolts but banzai is just as good.

If the pan is resealed correctly ,a leak should not return . using a gasket adds another surface to leak . Just adding a brace without resealing may stop a leak but is not a good bet .If the job is completed correctly and the brace design is good then the result should be the best chance for no leaks . The brace with the usless groove is steel ,3/16 thick .Comes with all bolts and the oil level sensor O-ring .

No i received the car with a fresh rebuild and the brace installed, car is leaking like it was made in Britain. The old twins where leaking before i replaced them, so like i said, its hard to say if it works, I'll be getting under it again Sunday night and i'll be cleaning things up so i can tell what she's doing. :icon_tup:

Brace or no brace, surface prep, proper sealant and application is important. The brace isn't a silver bullet for all pan leaks. It is not a guarantee you don't get one, but as Garco mentioned, it improves your chances significantly.
Search for more info on both the brace and whether to use the gasket. I think most here with any experience will tell you to toss it.

We do not recommend using a gasket, it is prone to failure and will actually cause leaks. Our how to for installing the pan and brace can also be used as a guide for proper "pan only" installation.

http://www.banzai-racing.com/fd_OPB_instructions.htm

One of the major things to do is clean the bolt holes out. We have had engines in the shop that we have cleaned 3-4 different colors or RTV out of the bolt holes. Each time the pan was resealed they used a different color. This can cause multiple problems from bolts stripping the holes to snapping, just trying to get them torqued down properly. If you can't screw the bolts in all the way then the pan is not going to seal even with a brace. Using a stud kit is far superior to using bolts.

Another biggie is using a good sealant, Hondbond, Ultra Grey etc