I'm in for the FD group buy if we can make it happen in the next two weeks, say by March 9th?

Will pay extra for a one-off if needed to get it on time. PM'ed you already Blake.

 

I am too

 

As I told rxcited2 in a PM, I do happen to have a few non-powdercoated FC pans left over from the previous batch that we could just throw together and paint. I could let those go at the GB price, so you don't have to wait for the new ones to get finished. I believe we have 5 available.

$299 + $20 Shipping = 319.00

Paypal: <sales@pineappleracing.com>

 

let me know when you get more FD pans in. need one like yesterday.

 

Unfortunately, I was just informed that the few pans we recently got was not a sign that supply was improving. We only got enough to fill backorders and may not see any more for several weeks. I am as dissapointed as you!

 

what about the progress of the FC oil pans?

 

Same as before. I have a handful that are not powdercoated, which we can paint if you like and sell at the old Group Buy price. If you want a powdercoated pan, you have to wait for the new batch to get back from the machinist, powdercoated and assembled. I am not giving ETAs because my suppliers will make a liar of me again. When they are in my hands, I will believe it and let you know.

 

cool thanks

 

I was waffling on this, but now Blake has made the decision for me: OEM + brace!!

 

For those living in Hawaii, what would shipping be? U.S Priority Mail is fine.

 

What's the brace going to do? An aluminum pan is like a truss. It's really hard to get much stiffening with a plate, unless it is *really* thick. We have to use a 1-inch thick solid plate of aluminum on drysump 20Bs to see any improvement to bearing life. I can't imagine a 3/16th thick mild steel plate doing anything significant, nor can I imagine it needing to cost $100. I had thought of doing something similar with O-ring grooves on both sides, so it really would seal the pan better though add no stiffeness. Another product I am actually working on now are oil pan reinfocements, like Mazda used on the early cars. These are plates that bolt on the outside of the oil pan mounting flange that help spread the bolt pressure, so the pan stays flat. These would be 3/16th inch stainless steel plates. I already have them drawn up in cad for the 1st and 2nd gens. I could have FD ones drawn up by the end of the day and sent to laser cutting tomorrow.

Here are the drawings for the FC:

 

Hi Blake,

I think what you are describing is what is commonly called an oil pan brace. It is a piece of stamped or laser cut sheet, preferably 3/8 thick or so that goes on the outside of the pan so all the bolts (or studs and nuts) go through the brace, then the pan. The pan is sandwiched between the brace and the bottom of the engine.

The main point is to STOP THE LEAKING!!! Though some say a brace like I am describing also stiffens the engine. I've only seen it suggested as a single piece that is continuous around the outside of the pan - this would certainly be more likely to help stiffen as well as seal versus a series of pieces like you drew.

I am not arguing your cast pan with machined surface and o-ring is not better, both for sealing and rigidifying the engine. But if it isn't available right now, it doesn't help me.

-- James

 

I understand. However, the main reason -REWs leak so profusely is that the engine flexes. If you don't solve that, you won't solve the leaks; all you can do is minimize them. We recommend against using a stock oil pan gasket and just use silicone sealer. A stiffener (what you call a brace) is just another means to minimize but not solve the leak issue. All you are trying to do is even out the bolt pressure. Stiffeners are a very old concept, which Mazda used on the early engines, like the 13B in the Rotary Truck. They are always multi-piece because a single piece just isn't going to do the job better and wastes a lot of material. Just my opinion.

 

what can i do in the meantime? i need some solution to stop the oil from leaking.

 

Pull the pan, clean the mating surfaces well, use only RTV silicone sealant (e.g. Ultra Black) and reinstall. Don't use too much or it may clog the oil pickup. That's all we do on most 13B-REW engines and it has worked well. If it leaks down the road, at least it won't be a gusher, like you get if you use the gasket.

 

hey can the fc pan fit on a 13b-re motor?

 

It will bolt on, but the FC has a center engine mount with three large bolt hole. One goes through the center of the pan and can be plugged with a pipe plug. The other two are outside the o-ring, so they are not a concern for leaks, but they are where there would otherwise be a few 6mm oil pan bolt holes. You can probably get away without those extra bolts, but you may want to just drill and use them too. Not a huge mod but not simply bolt-on.

 

shyt. makes me think if i should get the fc. gotta ask my mechanic.

 

Quick update on the FD pans. We were told they are casting them on Friday. I don't know what that means in relation to the production time-frame, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. I suspect that once the castings are done, Xcessive will machine them in smaller batches so they will start trickling in again, rather than hit us with a flood of inventory.

I have started keeping a waiting list and will offer what pans we get to those people first. If you want to get on the list, please call, email or PM me your real name and either a phone number or email. PMs are too tough to keep track of on a paper list. When I get a firmer ETA on these pans becoming available, I will let people make payments. If there are enough people, I will offer the GB pricing ($399). Otherwise, it will be regular price ($425).

 

What would it cost me to get a pan shipped to me in Townsville Australia 4814???

 

USD$77.15 via EMS (3-5 day) or USD$33.75 via Surface (4-6 wks).

 

thanks for the update on the fd pans. pm sent.

 

Gotcha. You are on the list.

 

is the light getting closer?

 

Yeah, but the light at the end of the tunnel turned out to be a train. Rich at Xcessive just told us that there was a problem with his mold and that he is going on vacation next week. No pans anytime soon.

I hate this as much as you guys. Unfortunately, despite our having helped design the FD pan, Xcessive owns and manufactures it exclusively. We just sell them retail. Our FC pans, however, are totally in our control. This just makes me want to do our own FD pan, though I hate burning a bridge with Xcessive. There are not enough rotary vendors and not enough rotary products. We don't want to waste our time re-inventing the wheel if there is already a good product out there, when we could spend our time innovating new products. However, if they can't or won't produce that product reliably...I don't know. We might have to revisit it (doing our own unique product and not just a copy, of course). Hate to go there, regardless...