Preventing SBC Rear Main Oil Leak - What is the Trick???

I think at this point, were I you, I would put some UV dye in the oil, make everything hospital clean, then run it, and hit it with a black light. Probably find leaks you didn't know you had.

 

I used a Felt Pro oil pan gasket that with new bolts so I took the pan off and cleaned everything and installed the new gasket which was thicker.
The next day I noticed some oil coming out so I tightened the bolts again thinking I missed one.
Nest day more oil coming out but this time I used a veneer caliber to measure the lengths of the new bolts and the depth of the holes and sure enough the new bolts were longer and bottoming out in the holes which meant the pan was not tight.

A trip to the store for slithery shorter bolts did the trick and I never had another problem.
Jimbo

 

I buy brand new oil pans for every build. It comes in handy. I usually have a couple in the rafters waiting to go. agreed on the one piece oil pan gasket. I will never use another cork gasket, if the one piece is available.

 

Check the oil sender on the back of the engine by the manifold.
Neighbors beater 'million mile' 4WD Chevy truck had what we thought was a RMS issue, neither of us wanted to deal with it. Brings it to local mechanic who finds the leaking oil sender.
Apparently with clutch changes, futzing with the timing and other things, the sender can get pretty beat up. Never thought of it.

 

hi butch, i was hoping i'd find something like that but all is good.
jim, unfortunately everything in the cap and what i can see up in the block looks good. you joke about the putting the seal in backwards but i was really hoping i had. i'm 70+ now and that is something i could do. i would have been pissed but it would have been an obvious problem and an easy fix.
mike, i think i've pretty much tracked down all the other usual suspects and have corrected any problems.
roothawg, i go one step further, i try and find a decent quality aluminum pan. they don't cost much more than stamped steal, they don't dimple and they distribute the clamping force of the bolts much more evenly.
thanks everyone.
frank

 

Clean the outside really good plug as many outlets as you can and use your air compressor and a regulator pressureize the crankcase. you will find the oil leak.

 

This was all good readin , now have to get off my lazy butt an change that seal um when i last re-ringed an bearing the old girl was in a rush an lost half of the new seal so it's a half old half new an pretty sure my leak but it's nice to read others thought's i alway's learn something plus oil pan got a rock in it an j.b weld plain doesn't work long for that so have to weld it up .