Sandwich plate or remote filter?

[greenamex2]

Which one would you use and why?

I know that the accepted practice is to use a remote filter on a dry sump system but it seems to add to complexity, cost and weight for no additional benefit.

Am I missing something?

For info I don't have any installation issues either way.

Thanks.

[zefarelly]

sandwich plate for me, a remote filter would enable me to run a larger filter I guess, and therefore slightly higher capacity, but not sure if it would do me any favours.

[Al Weyman]

I have one set up on one car and one on the other and see no difference except I can run a big cheaper Ford filter on the remote one than the chevy one on the other, the remote is also easier to get at. Both were supplied by Think Automotive and I just used them as I happened to have them lying around (tight wad!). I guess the plumbing was slightly easier on the sandwich plate and also meant no need for a 90 degree bend into the adabtor so may actually have had the slim advantage.

[terence]

Some thing to consider, do you need extra oil capacity, always a good thing on a race engine,Like some free extra oil cooling ,mounted in a suitable area you can gain a fair bit .Downsides, some enginebays are pigs to find the room needed for remote mountings ,the cost can rocket with the fittings sometimes required.

[Al Weyman]

There are some articles I have read that state extra oil aids nothing in the cooling stakes, just takes a tad longer to heat up and cool down and once up to temp you can have a 50 gallon can in the back it will make no odds, nothing beats a good oil cooling system. The main reason for having a deep sump for example in a small block chevy wet sump motor is not to fill the thing with an extra 3 or 4 litres of oil it would accomadate if filled up to the full mark on the dipstick but to run it low with just a tad more oil than normal but run it lower away from the crank.

[greenamex2]

I took my sandwich plate off, looked at it carefully and came to the conclusion it was designed by a moron.

Half the holes don't line up and there are sharp edges everywhere.

One hole is blocked with a very heavy steel plug.

The other hole has a steel fitting (1/2" BSP to -10) that has the smallest bore I have ever seen, even my ally ones are thinner!

Coupled with the proximity to the exhaust I think it is probably going to have to go, or at least be re-engineered.

[zefarelly]

I've seen good and bad sandwich plates, my system seems ok so I have no plans to change it.

I have been thinking about extending my sump

[graham bahr]

ive stuck with a sandwich plate but i did get the die grinder on it and flow it to loose all the nasty sharp edges to the oil ways

[dtype38]

I started with a Mocal sandwich plate and the machining wasn't that good. An hour with a die grinder improved all the flow paths and it worked fine for quite a while. It's eventual demise was because it became increasingly difficult to get a seal on both sides without having to really wind up the oil filter. In the end I just drilled and tapped two large holes straight into the oil filter housing, fitted oil line fittings, and blocked off the standard internal passageway. Means I can use a remote cooler but with the standard spin on filter... works fine so far :-)

[R59]

The issue of making the filter accessible, and bigger, is the one I'd go for.

With my FWD Poxhall, the filter is behind the 4-1 manifold which I'm sure picks up heat from the header tubes. Were the enough space under the bonnet, I'd be tempted to run a remote filter, even with the conventional oil pump.

Denis, have you sorted an oil tank yet?

One question - how many put the coolers in the pressure line, or in the return line? I have mine in the return, which leaves it less likely to burst under pressure.

Rob.

[greenamex2]

Originally Posted by racing59

The issue of making the filter accessible, and bigger, is the one I'd go for.

With my FWD Poxhall, the filter is behind the 4-1 manifold which I'm sure picks up heat from the header tubes. Were the enough space under the bonnet, I'd be tempted to run a remote filter, even with the conventional oil pump.

Denis, have you sorted an oil tank yet?

One question - how many put the coolers in the pressure line, or in the return line? I have mine in the return, which leaves it less likely to burst under pressure.

Rob.

Yes, I have sorted out a tank thanks.

I have been recommended to fit the oil cooler on the return (one of them, I have both scavenge stages on seperate pipework). As I have a proper fabricated cooler I doubt if pressure would be a problem. I am looking at it more from keeping the pressure route as simple, direct and non-cavitating as possible.